My visa renewal process

Thank you for those of you who prayed for me as I went to the Federal Police today to apply for my visa renewal! My application is now turned in and begins the long review process, which I can track via internet via the number they gave me.

Agh...it wasn't easy though. I left the Lighthouse at 8:30am this morning and didn't get back until 4:30pm! I took a total of 7 buses today and had to go to the Federal Police THREE TIMES! I knew I would have to go twice at least because I didn't not have my comprovante de pago, something that you print online and take to a bank to pay, then bring the receipt with you. I did not have the code number so I didn't know which one to print off and pay for, and I didn't want to risk doing the wrong one and having to pay twice.

So my first trip I got the code number and my foreigner ID which also just happened to arrive 8 months after applying for it. So I went to take care of that, print it out, and pay it at the bank, then came back.

Then I found out I misread some of the instructions for needed documents - it said you needed authorized copies of your passport or an official travel document - I took that to mean if you had the original travel document (ie passport) you did not need copies - but that was wrong! So I had to make copies of EVERY SINGLE PAGE in my passport, even in blank ones. Now, I just recently had pages added to my passport because it was almost full of stamps - I had 48 pages added to be precise. Which is a good thing to have except when you have to copy each page and pay to have every single page "authorized" by a notary. At least the cost of notarization here is like 1/10 of what it is in the US. Of course I had to ask for directions a million times to even find a notary, traveling back to the city center, but I am so thankful I speak Portuguese well enough to understand the directions now!

After I did all of this, they were closed for lunch, so I came back and waited for them to open and talked to another man waiting in Portunhol (mixed Portuguese/Spanish), and we ended up talking about mission work and God. So my third time back I had all of the things I needed at last, including my comprovante de pago, which I had accidently left behind there on my second trip and was afraid I had lost and would have to pay again! But they saved it for me and took my application materials, then the guy there, who I had heard had given one of our other staff members a hard time, asked me if I taught English classes/lessons. I told him no because I have a volunteer visa and can't work for pay. He told me he wanted to learn English and that something like that didn't really count as official paid work, and gave me his phone number! I gave him my business card but didn't promise anything, I still thought there was a possibility he was "testing" me to see if I really followed the volunteer visa rules. Plus I don't know if I would have time for something like that, but it would be an easy way to make some extra money if it is actually legal (if the person who processes visas says it is okay and is serious it must be okay...either that or just another example of how much people here find "jeitinhos" or ways around rules).

Anyway, that is only one small part of the visa renewal process - after a lawyer had already prepared the paperwork for me (and thankfully I had a wonderful, fast, on top of things lawyer this time!). So basically this process is a ton of work which is why I am hoping for a 2 year visa rather than the usual 1 year!

To get a permanent visa here, you pretty much have three options:
1) Marry a Brazilian
2) Give birth to a child in the country
3) Become a leader at the base and get your name on the documents for one of the houses

None of those are good things to do just for the sake of getting a visa!