Bay Document Services

BDS is the best visa agency in the bay area. We booked a Christmas trip to Brazil 2 months ahead of time, not knowing how hard it is for U.S. citizens to get visas from the Brazilian consulates. There was no way we would be able to make our trip by applying on our own. Those other top rated agencies in the area all wanted big $ to rescue us. We are talking about $ 1.6K they want for a family of 4. And worst yet, they couldn’t commit to a deadline and end up waste our precious time. Everyday, we get stonewalled by «there is no appt available yet».
Luckily, I found Grace with 3 wks left to our trip. She has a very reasonable standard fee and she instantly promised a delivery date to me. She was responsive and honest and fair. I drove over to her home office in SF to drop off the visas. Her husband carefully reviewed all our documents and pointed out the errors and fixes. And at the end, not only they got visas for us no hassle, they got them a few days earlier than what they promised. They saved our Christmas vacation.
5-​star service and well worth the $. Will definitely use them again.

Grace is the best. I needed a visa to Brazil about two weeks before my trip, and the consulate had zero available appointments. I was wary about hiring a visa service because I’d read some real horror stories.
One service in SF said I could get my visa in 30 days at the earliest. Another stopped responding midway through our communication. And then another said what I was asking for was impossible in San Francisco but that if I paid $ 400+, there was a small chance they could make it work with a consulate on the East Coast.
Grace, on the other hand, had zero issues getting my visa processed and in my hands before my departure. And without an outrageous surchage. Grace is who I’ll trust for all my future visas.

I’ve used Grace several times to get visas to India and China for the executives I work with. Her prices are reasonable and everything is super fast. Her website has a lot of good information so you can get the documentation ready without forgetting anything.

For those who need a Brazilian visa, here’s a warning: the five day lead time on the Brazilian consulate website is from the day of appointment. It can take months to get an appointment.
After booking my airline ticket for a wedding, I logged into the appointment website, it looked like I would not get a visa until January when I needed one for November. I got in touch with five visa agents who charged higher fees and encouraged me to postpone my trip to be included in their batch. Others suggested I submit my materials without guaranteeing a firm date.
Grace came to the rescue. I emailed her with a firm deadline and that I would only use her services if she could meet it. Within five minutes of my email, she responded she could make my deadline and asked me to submit my materials within 12 hours. She included me in her scheduled batch with the consulate the next day. My 10 year tourist visa was approved in four days of my first email — 20 days ahead of schedule.
If you’re in a bind and need a visa fast, I highly recommend Grace if she has a spot available. She has good attention to detail, knows the system well, answers questions clearly, and is very responsive via email. I will definitely use her services again the next time I need a visa agency.

I ran across BDS years ago while trying to navigate the process for getting a visa to Brazil. Since then, I have not trusted anyone else for my visa needs. I travel a lot, and travel all over the world for business, sometimes on short notice. Each and every time, no matter how crazy the request, Grace and team have been there for me. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my passports — or the passports of my family! We all us BDS.

USE THESE GUYS, THEY ARE EXCELLENT! I needed help getting a last minute child’s passport and renewing mine. The staff went over and above to help me get a post office appointment and answered my many questions in a kind clear manner. We got our passports in time and the prices are very reasonable.

Just three weeks ago, I was able to clinch last-​minute tickets to the World Cup. My flight tickets booked, my hotels booked, there was that one last step: getting a visa to Brazil.
Like most things, this was easier said than done. All the appointment slots for the Brazilian consulate were fully booked up until late July. Problem? My flight to Brazil was in mid-​June. Oof.
Enter Bay Document Services.
Out of all the visa services I contacted, BDS was the only one that actually responded back — they called me not even five minutes after I emailed them rather frantically about my situation! Grace was super nice and very clear about all the materials I’d need to hand over to her. After dropping off my materials 2 days later, my friend and I got our brand spankin’ new Brazil visas nicely placed in our passports within the 6 day turnaround time that we were promised.
Color me impressed! Everything worked out smoothly and professionally with BDS, and I’d highly recommend them, especially if you’re in a pinch like I was.
Thanks for making my Brazil trip happen! :)

I can’t recommend Grace and Bay Document Services enough! We thought we had plenty of time to get our visas to Brazil but didn’t expect all the appointments at the San Francisco consulate to fill up as quickly as they did. Thankfully Grace was there to help us out. She quickly got us expedited visas through the New York consulate and all we had to do was send her our materials. Most importantly, Grace communicates with you so you understand the process and the timeframe, a must when your anxiety is high. Professional, trustworthy, efficient, and swift, Grace and Bay Document Services are fantastic. Thank you so much!

Bay Document Services saved my daughter’s trip to Brazil! She bought a ticket to fly with friends not knowing about the whole visa application. Although we live in SF the consulate had no available appointments because they are overwhelmed by World Cup applications. Bay Docs got her a visa from NY in 7 days. Just in time for her to fly with her friends. What a huge relief! Best service ever!

Well done Bay Docs! I received my visa on time and without hassle. BDS accommodated my short notice time frame and went the extra mile to insure that I had my documents ready for my trip. I will absolutely use this service for future travel preparation.

I didn’t realize it was so complicated to get a visa to Brazil until it was almost too late. The next available visa appointment was the day before my trip! Yikes.!! I phoned a bunch of different visa expediting services and found that BDS had both the most competitive rates and greatest flexibility.
I work in Novato, so being able to drop my documents off with Grace before or after working hours was a godsend. As promised, I got my passport back within 8 days. This was the most efficient and painless visa experience of my life!
I signed up for a Unilocal account just so I could add a review! These guys are awesome. And it wasn’t until I popped in to drop off that my passport that I discovered that Grace actually handles the travel visas for the company I work for! Small world, eh? Thank you for rescuing my holiday plans!

I had been referred to another company first — by a friend who admitted that getting her Brazil VISA was a pain in the a** — but their complicated website had me at my wits end and wanting to pull my hair out. Fortunately, I thought to ask a second friend who’d recently been to Brazil, and she recommend BDS. She promised that BDS was reliable and efficient.
Day 1, I emailed the company for more information. I got a reply within an hour.
Grace very clearly laid out exactly what I would need to supply to them, in order for them to apply for my VISA for me (in San Fransisco — which is the nearest Consulate office to my home in Oregon).
Grace then called me — just to make sure I understood the process and fees.
DBS charges $ 83, which includes the postage to have your VISA mailed back. For all the trouble Brazil makes it to get a VISA, this fee was well worth it. Otherwise, I’d have to fly to San Francisco to apply myself (and airfare and a hotel would cost me a lot more than $ 83).
What you mail BDS is:
*1 new passport photo
*Postal money order in the amount of $ 180 for the Consulate General of Brazil
*My US passport
*My check to Bay Documents for $ 83.00
*My application confirmation form
*Copy of my flight itinerary
*Copy of booked hotels
*Address return form
*Copy of my Oregon Driver’s license
After putting that all together, I priority mailed my packet to BDS. The next day, Phillip emailed to say that my packet had been received and that they would be going to the consulate on that following Monday and that processing is 5 business days. He then said they would mail back my passport with the Brazil VISA inside.
5 days later, I contacted BDS. The government had shut down, but he assured me the consulate had not… they were just having server issues and my VISA would be ready for them to pick up in a few days. A few days later, I had my FedEx tracking number and 2 days later, I had my passport back in hand, with my VISA of Brazil stamped inside.
Whew! I have not been this happy with a business in a really long time! With all the fraud going on these days, it takes a lot of faith to put your passport in someone else’s hands… and BDS did not disappoint. If you need a VISA to Brazil, this is the company I would highly recommend.

Thanks to Unilocal for helping me locate another reliable local business.
Bay Doc Services (BDS) did a great job securing my China Visa. The forms on their website worked well. They processed it quickly using regular priority. I appreciate their advice to secure a one year visa since it costs the same as a single or double entry. The price was fair compared to the competition. I appreciate that BDS allowed me to drop and pick up my passport in person since their business is located in my neighborhood.
I would use BDS again and will recommend to my friends.

I used Bay Document Services for my Brazil tourist visa. They knew the process well and worked to get my visa done as soon as possible. I had my reservations about sending my new passport to somebody I didn’t know, but they did I great job and were responsive to all of my questions along the way. BDS is a top-​rate company. I highly recommend them!

Bay document services saved my trip. I am forever grateful to them for their timely, efficient, and very personable services. Their services are moderately priced considering how quickly they are able to get what you need when you need it. I highly recommend Bay Document Services for your travel document needs. Also, they are so much more responsive than trying to deal with the consulate on your own, definitely worth it! Thanks Grace!

They only handle expedited passports. But their website does not say that. Also the San Francisco address is only a p.o. Box. They did give good advice to me when I was looking for them.

I needed a visa for Brazil, and it could have been in several different categories. Grace talked with me a bit to understand the details of my trip, and then asked somebody at the Consulate which visa I should get. She picked up my materials in person, and returned them exactly when she said she would. She is really nice too! Great information, very helpful, timely… I’d go with these folks again. They saved me a TON of time, and the fee was great when I think about how many hours I would have spent figuring it all out by myself. Cheers to Grace!

Bay Document Services did a bang-​up job in expediting my passport and their fees were the least expensive compared to other businesses. Moreover, their excellent customer service and constant follow-​up shows that they are passionate about what they do. I would highly recommend their services to anyone and everyone.

After struggling through all the hoops involved in getting a previous visa, I decided I’d try going through a travel agent the next time I needed to get something from a consulate. Very good move. Grace and Philip were friendly, professional, accommodating, and their price was very reasonable.
I initially called Bay Document Services (among other travel agencies) to ask some questions I couldn’t figure out from the Brazilian Consulate website, but wasn’t sure whether I wanted to use their services. They were helpful and friendly, even though I told them I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go through a travel agent or not. It was a lot easier to hand over my paperwork to Grace and Philip rather than coming up to SF to the consulate to drop off/​pick up my passport/​visa. They were very flexible and arranged to meet me at the Caltrain.
Now I’m en route to Brazil, and am very thankful to Bay Document Services for the role they played in my trip!

I was a bit timid to send off my passport and all of my private information to a company, as I had never sought a visa before, but Bay Document Services made everything very easy. They were quick to communicate, and let me know when my appointment with the consulate was right away, and kept me up-​to-​date on everything that was happening and when I would have everything back to me.
I was apprehensive as I was traveling on such short notice, but they were able to get me in, have everything completed and mailed back to me with days to spare.
Great rates, amazing communication. Rest assured these people are the best.