Your passport is a valuable document that is attractive to criminals who may try to use your identit

It contains new information in the Summary and under Local travel (possible disruption to travellers in period surrounding the Rio+20 Conference in Rio de Janeiro branson mo resorts hotels on 13-22 June). We continue to advise Australians to exercise a high degree of caution branson mo resorts hotels in Brazil because branson mo resorts hotels of the high levels of serious and violent crime, particularly in major cities.
Visa and other entry and exit conditions (such as currency, customs and quarantine regulations) change regularly. Contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate of Brazil for the most up to date information.
The Brazilian Government strongly enforces branson mo resorts hotels immigration and entry laws. You should branson mo resorts hotels ensure you have a proper and valid visa prior to your arrival and remain aware of your visa status while in the country. You should carry copies of a recent passport photo with you in case you need a replacement passport while overseas.
Australians will be detained on arrival for not having the correct visas and will be prohibited from entering Brazil. branson mo resorts hotels A visa will not be granted on arrival. If you have any concerns about the status of your Brazilian visa, you should contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate of Brazil.
Brazil is listed branson mo resorts hotels by the World Health Organization (WHO) as endemic for yellow fever (see Health section). Some airlines may require passengers to present a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate before being allowed to board flights out of the country. If in doubt, check with your airline.
If you have visited Brazil in the last six days prior to your date of return to Australia, Australian Customs officials will ask you to present a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate on entry into Australia.
If you intend to leave Brazil and return during branson mo resorts hotels your trip, you should obtain a multiple branson mo resorts hotels entry visa before leaving Australia. You should also ensure that an exit stamp is placed in your passport by Brazilian immigration authorities when you depart Brazil. On arrival you must complete an arrival card, which has a carbon copy. The carbon copy must be retained branson mo resorts hotels and presented to immigration authorities on departure. Failure branson mo resorts hotels to do so may result in delays and possibly a fine when departing Brazil.
If you are travelling to Brazil through the United States of America, or if you are transiting in Honolulu or other US points of entry, you are required to meet US entry/transit requirements. branson mo resorts hotels Make sure you check with your nearest branson mo resorts hotels Embassy or Consulate of the United States your visa requirements branson mo resorts hotels well in advance of your travel. You should also read our travel advice for the United States of America .
On 12 January 2009, the United States Government introduced an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) which applies to all Australian passport holders visiting or transiting the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. branson mo resorts hotels For further information, please see our travel bulletin on entry into the United States .
Brazilian law requires that for all travel, Brazilian children (including dual nationals) travelling alone or with one parent must carry a letter of consent from the non-travelling parent(s) authorising travel. The letter must be in Portuguese and certified by the Brazilian embassy or consulate in Australia or by the Juvenile Court in Brazil. There is an office of the Juvenile Court at all airports in Brazil.
Make sure your passport has at least six months' validity branson mo resorts hotels from your planned date of return to Australia. You should branson mo resorts hotels carry copies of a recent branson mo resorts hotels passport photo with you in case you need a replacement passport while overseas.
Industrial action, demonstrations and protests in major cities occur in Brazil intermittently. You should avoid all demonstrations and protests as they may turn violent without warning and monitor local media for information about expected demonstrations in major cities.
We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Brazil because of the high levels of serious crime. Pay close attention to your personal branson mo resorts hotels security at all times and monitor the media for information about possible new safety or security risks.
The incidence of violent crime, including muggings, armed robbery and sexual assault, is significant branson mo resorts hotels and continues branson mo resorts hotels to increase, particularly in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Recife, Salvador and other large cities. Carjacking is also common, particularly in major cities. Tourists branson mo resorts hotels are often targeted by criminals, especially directly prior to and during public festivals such as Carnaval. If you are robbed you should cooperate branson mo resorts hotels and not resist as these situations can quickly turn violent. Victims branson mo resorts hotels have been seriously injured branson mo resorts hotels or killed when resisting perpetrators. It is unlikely Brazilian police will be able to recover stolen property, however, we strongly recommend you obtain a boletim de ocorrencia (police report) at a delegancia (police station) if any of your possessions are lost or stolen. In most cases, you will require a police report branson mo resorts hotels to lodge a travel insurance claim related to lost or stolen possessions.
Violence and crime, often involving firearms or other weapons, can occur anywhere. You should be vigilant, particularly in major cities. You are advised to avoid wearing branson mo resorts hotels jewellery branson mo resorts hotels and expensive watches, or carrying valuable items such as laptop computers. You are advised to dress down, as victims are often targeted for perceived wealth branson mo resorts hotels or value of personal possessions.
Gang-related violence is common throughout the State of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Most incidents have been directed at police, security branson mo resorts hotels officials and related facilities but gangs have recently branson mo resorts hotels also attacked official buildings, set alight public buses and robbed several banks. Recently, there have been a number of violent clashes between police and gangs in the favela (shanty town) areas of Rio de Janeiro. These clashes are not confined to the favelas and have occurred in places frequented by tourists, including in an international hotel. The local authorities are attempting to counter this increase in violence by placing more police in the affected areas. branson mo resorts hotels Outbreaks of violence, branson mo resorts hotels mainly aimed at police and local officials, are unpredictable and widespread. You should branson mo resorts hotels remain alert and aware of local conditions at all times.
Criminal activities related to drug trafficking branson mo resorts hotels and trafficking of illicit goods are common along border areas, including the states of Amazonas, Acre, Rondonia, and Mato Grosso branson mo resorts hotels as well as the tri-border area of Argentina, branson mo resorts hotels Brazil and Paraguay.
During peak tourist seasons, large, organised criminal gangs have reportedly robbed and assaulted beachgoers. You should take a minimal number of personal belongings to the beach and leave passports, wallets and other valuables in a secure place. Isolated areas on the beach should be avoided, particularly in the early evening, branson mo resorts hotels when a high number of robberies occur. Sexual assaults have been reported in coastal tourist branson mo resorts hotels areas.
'Express kidnappings', where individuals branson mo resorts hotels are abducted and forced to withdraw funds from ATM machines to secure their release, are common in major cities including Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Salvador and Recife.
Tourists have been robbed and assaulted when using unregistered taxis. Use of a prepaid taxi ticket on arrival at the airport or taxis from registered taxi ranks may reduce the risk of robbery. As a guide, licensed taxis are generally required to have their photographic licence displayed.
Piracy occurs in the coastal areas of Brazil. See our travel advice on travelling by sea . The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) issues a piracy report that displays all Piracy and Armed Robbery incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre.
branson mo resorts hotels Before you go, organise a variety of ways to access your money overseas, such as credit cards, travellers' cheques, cash, debit cards or cash cards. Australian currency and travellers' cheques are not accepted in many countries. Consult with your bank to find out which is the most appropriate currency to carry and whether your ATM card will work overseas. Banking facilities such as ATMs, EFTPOS and credit card machines may be unreliable. Credit card fraud is widespread in Brazil. We recommend travellers using ATM or credit cards in Brazil check billing statements for unauthorised charges.
Make two photocopies of valuables such as your passport, tickets, visas and travellers' cheques. Keep one copy with you in a separate place to the original and leave another copy with someone at home.
Your passport is a valuable document that is attractive to criminals who may try to use your identity branson mo resorts hotels to commit crimes. It should always be kept in a safe place. You are required by Australian law to report a lost or stolen passport. If your passport is lost or stolen overseas, report it online or contact the nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate as soon as possible.
The Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development will take place in Rio de Janeiro between 13 and 22 June 2012. About 38,000 participants are expected to travel branson mo resorts hotels to Rio de Janeiro during this period, including a number of world leaders.
Demonstrations are planned during the Conference. Protests anywhere in the world have the potential to become violent. The Brazilian Government has advised that as a security precaution up to 20,000 military officers will be deployed on the streets of Rio de Janeiro during the conference, with a focus on tourist areas. You should monitor local media for information branson mo resorts hotels about demonstrations and follow the instructions branson mo resorts hotels of local authorities.
In the period surrounding the Conference the availability of accommodation is likely branson mo resorts hotels to be tight. Parts of Rio de Janerio will not be accessible to the general public branson mo resorts hotels and traffic delays should be expected, particularly the Barra de Tijuca area, where the Conference will be held. Travellers with flights in or out of Rio de Janerio Gale�o Airport during the period of the Conference (especially between 20 and 23 June 2012) should reconfirm their bookings with respective airlines as flights may be cancelled or delayed due