So you’re making a to-do list and checking it a brazillion (get it?) times, hoping and praying that God will guide your mind (which is more than slightly off-kilter at this point) and bodies smoothly to your next destination. What do you do as an intercultural family? Check out my check list and add to it! Here’s a general expense guide for the “basics” you’ll all need and some questions scattered in between:
The American spouse:
Needs her passport which, if you don’t already have one will cost you at least $80 if you don’t have to expedite it (or more). If you’d like to imagine our last-minute torture, add the expedited fees to every single cost here! If you didn’t get residency or don’t have a valid visa, there’s another thing to add to the list. My Brazilian visa is going to cost approximately 160.00 + the expedited pre-paid USPS envelope to make sure that it all gets to us as quickly as possible.
The Brazilian spouse:
Sits back and shells out the money…. for the most part. Takes care of the little princess as mommy obsesses until 3AM every morning praying for some semblance of clarity in all of this. But don’t breath that sigh of relief yet! Check and make sure that passport and re-entry visa is current.
The baby:
Is riding on our laps so the plane ticket is simple– $143.00 (about 10% of market price– see previous post). Now, here’s where it gets tricky and you start adding expedited fees left and right. To travel, our daughter needs an American passport ($120 with expedited fees) and a Brazilian passport ($80). To get a Brazilian passport, she needs to have her birth registered at the consulate– no direct charge, but we do have to make the trip to the consulate.
International airfare varies per country. To Brazil I’ve seen lots of variance (I’ve usually paid between $1,000 and $1,300). To Europe I’ve paid as low as $800.
For these kinds of trips, I’d recommend having at least 2 copies of Birth and Marriage certificates. Both countries eat them like potato chips and don’t give them back (what a waste of paper and as well as being a major rip-off)! Copy, scan and print print print and save everything, because they ask for it.
Other documents we’ve needed to come up with included: Bank statements, an invitation letter, additionally Brazilian photo ID, proof of residence, and lots and lots of signed government forms.
And it all costs money! Go figure! I’m still easing away at the list. Our expenses, since it is semi-long term, include business maintenance, address change, storage, and our bills keep getting paid every month.
The song “Faith” comes to mind *Sings* You gotta have faith…. Ahhh you gotta have fe-aith!