You have a flight to Rio, São Paulo or Florianópolis, or a business meeting in Brazil next quarter. Until a few years ago, a U.S., Canadian or Australian passport was enough to board. Now you are reading about an “e-visa” and wondering whether it is required, how long it takes, and whether a friend’s advice from an old trip still holds.
Short answer: if you are a citizen of the United States, Canada or Australia, you generally need a visa to enter Brazil for tourism or short business visits. Brazil reinstated that requirement from April 10, 2025, citing lack of reciprocity, because those countries require visas from Brazilians. The visa is now obtained online as an electronic visa, or e-visa, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty). Japanese citizens remained exempt.
This article is a practical guide for applicants. We explain who needs the e-visa, how the application works step by step, what the e-visa allows and does not allow, and how it differs from a residency visa. We also cover the mistakes we see most often. It matters now because the policy is based on reciprocity, and Brazil has reviewed it over time. Rules that were true when you last traveled may no longer be true today.
Check first: The visa requirement, the fee and the processing details can change with Brazil’s reciprocity decisions. Before you book flights or pay anyone, confirm your nationality’s current status and the current fee on the official Itamaraty e-visa portal. Do not rely on this article, a blog, a travel forum or an airline agent for those two facts.
Who This Applies To
- Citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia who plan a short visit to Brazil for tourism.
- Citizens of those three countries who plan to attend business meetings, conferences or similar short professional events in Brazil.
- Citizens of those countries transiting through Brazil, if the transit involves entering the country. Confirm your itinerary with the airline.
Who Does Not Qualify / What This Does Not Cover
- Citizens of countries that remain visa-exempt for short stays. Mercosur nationals and citizens of many other countries do not need a visa. UK and EU citizens are generally visa-exempt for short stays as well. Confirm your own passport on the official source.
- Japanese citizens, who remained exempt when the requirement was reinstated for the other three nationalities. Confirm current status before you travel.
- Anyone planning paid work in Brazil. The short-stay e-visa does not authorize employment or paid work.
- Anyone planning to live in Brazil, even for a long period. Residency is a separate process.
- Digital nomads who intend to live in Brazil while working remotely for foreign clients. That requires a separate authorization, covered in our article on the digital nomad visa.
What the E-Visa Is and Why It Came Back
Brazil’s Migration Law, Law No. 13,445/2017, and Decree No. 9,199/2017 set the framework for entry into Brazil. The framework includes a principle of reciprocity: Brazil can mirror how other countries treat Brazilians.
For years, Brazil waived the tourist and business visa for citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan. Brazil ended that exemption for the first three countries from April 10, 2025. The stated reason was the absence of reciprocity. Brazilians need visas to enter the United States, Canada and Australia, and Brazil decided to ask the same of their citizens.
The e-visa is the electronic visitor visa. You apply online, upload documents, pay a fee and receive an electronic approval. You present it at airline check-in and at immigration.
Two points deserve emphasis. This is a reciprocity-based policy, so it can be adjusted. And the e-visa is not a guarantee of entry: immigration officers still decide whether to admit you.
How to Apply, Step by Step
The exact screens and wording of the portal change from time to time. What follows is the general flow. Follow the official portal where it differs.
Step 1: Start from the official government portal. Reach the e-visa system through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) website. Do not search for “Brazil visa” and click the first ad. Lookalike sites exist, and they charge extra fees for the same service. If a site is not a government site, stop.
Step 2: Create an account. You register with your email address and set a password. Use an email account you can monitor, because the approval and any requests for corrections arrive there.
Step 3: Choose the correct visa type. For tourism and short business visits, you apply for the visitor e-visa. If the portal asks for your purpose of travel, answer truthfully. The purpose you state is the purpose you must stay within in Brazil.
Step 4: Fill in the questionnaire. The form asks for personal data, passport details, travel plans and similar information. Enter every detail exactly as it appears on your passport data page. Names, dates of birth, passport number and expiration date must match. A single transposed digit can cause delays or a denial, and an airline may refuse boarding if the e-visa does not match the passport you present.
Step 5: Upload your documents. Applicants upload the passport data page and a photo. The portal sets format and size requirements for each file. Use a clear scan of the data page, without glare.
Step 6: Pay the fee. At the time of the reinstatement, the fee was about US$80.90. At the time of writing (October 2026), we cannot confirm that this figure is unchanged, so confirm the current fee on the official portal before you pay. Pay only inside the official system. If a page asks for payment by wire, gift card or a third-party app, it is not the government portal.
Step 7: Wait for the decision. In our experience, approval is typically issued electronically within days, but that is not a guarantee. Do not apply at the last minute.
Step 8: Receive, save and print the e-visa. When approved, the e-visa is issued electronically. Download it and save a copy on your phone. Print at least one paper copy to carry with your passport. Read it carefully. Check your name, passport number, the visa’s validity and the number of entries it allows. Validity and number of entries depend on the visa issued, so read the e-visa itself rather than relying on what someone else received.
Step 9: Present it at check-in and at immigration. The airline will check for the e-visa before it lets you board. Brazilian immigration will check it again on arrival, together with your passport. Keep both easily accessible.
What the E-Visa Allows: Tourism and Business Visits
The e-visa covers short visits. In practice, that includes:
- Tourism, such as vacations, visiting friends, sightseeing and attending events as a spectator.
- Business meetings, such as meeting prospective partners, suppliers or clients, negotiating contracts and attending conferences or trade fairs.
- Transit through Brazil, where entry into the country is involved.
- Certain other short activities that fit the visitor category. Whether one qualifies depends on its details.
The dividing line is paid work. Attending a conference or a negotiation as a visitor is one thing. Being employed by a Brazilian company, performing services for payment in Brazil or working remotely for Brazilian clients while living there is another. The e-visa does not cover that second group.
Business visitors sometimes blur this line. An executive who comes to sign a contract is generally a visitor. An engineer who comes for weeks to install equipment, and is paid for the work, may need a different authorization. If your trip falls in between, get advice before you travel.
How long you can stay. Under Brazil’s visitor rules, short visits are generally up to 90 days. An extension may be possible through the Federal Police within limits, and the total time in a 12-month period is commonly capped at 180 days. Confirm these limits on the official sources, and confirm what your own e-visa says. The authority to stay is set by the visa and the entry record, not by what you hope to do.
If you may want to stay longer than a visitor can, plan for that before you arrive. We have separate articles on overstays and on changing status once you are in Brazil, so we do not repeat that material here.
Tourist E-Visa vs. Residency Visa
Readers often ask whether the e-visa is “the first step” toward living in Brazil. It is not. It is a different document with a different purpose.
- Purpose. The e-visa is for short visits. A residency visa or authorization is for living in Brazil for a longer period.
- Work. The e-visa does not authorize paid work. Residency routes are built around specific grounds, such as employment, investment, family or remote work, and each carries its own rules.
- Process. The e-visa is a short online application. Residency processes involve more documents and more steps, often including the Federal Police.
- After arrival. A visitor generally does not obtain a CRNM, the national migration registry card issued to residents. A resident does.
- Choosing the route. If your plan is to live in Brazil, do not start with the tourist e-visa and “see what happens.” Identify the residency ground that fits your facts first. Our article on the digital nomad visa, which in Brazil is the VITEM XIV, covers one route for remote workers. Our other guides cover investors, family reunification and other grounds.
A useful rule: if you will earn money in Brazil, live there or stay beyond a visit, the e-visa is probably the wrong document.
Before You Fly: Airline, Passport and Entry Checks
Airlines can deny boarding if you do not have the e-visa. A few practical checks reduce that risk.
- Passport validity. Check the expiration date of your passport against Brazil’s current rules. Passports are commonly required to be valid for the length of the stay, but confirm the exact requirement before you travel. If your passport is close to expiry, renew it before you apply, because the e-visa is tied to the passport number.
- Proof of onward travel. Keep proof of a return or onward ticket available. Officers and airlines may ask for it.
- Accommodation and purpose. Keep your hotel booking or address. For business trips, keep the invitation letter. Officers may ask about your purpose.
- Health requirements. Health and vaccination rules, including yellow fever rules for certain areas or itineraries, can vary and can change. We do not state a requirement here. Check with Anvisa and the Brazilian health ministry, and with your own doctor, before you travel.
Documents and Proof
The e-visa itself requires little paperwork compared with a residency application. Most applicants need these items:
- A passport with a data page that is clear, complete and unexpired.
- A recent photo that meets the portal’s standards.
- A payment method accepted inside the official portal.
- An email address you can monitor.
Apostilles and sworn translations are generally not part of an e-visa application for tourism or short business visits. They become relevant in residency routes, where foreign civil documents may need an apostille and a sworn translation. Do not prepare them for a short trip unless the portal asks.
Business visitors should also keep an invitation letter from the Brazilian counterpart, a plain description of what they will do and a return ticket.
Common Mistakes
- Applying through an unofficial lookalike website. These sites charge additional fees for the same service, and some collect your data for other purposes. Fix: start from the Itamaraty site and pay only inside the official system.
- Assuming the old visa-free rule still applies. Fix: confirm your current status on the official portal before you buy tickets.
- Entering the passport data with errors. A mismatch can cause delays, a denial or trouble at check-in. Fix: copy every field from the passport data page and re-read it before you submit.
- Entering as a tourist and working remotely for Brazilian clients. The e-visa does not authorize paid work, and remote work for local clients while you live in Brazil can create status problems. Fix: if you will work in Brazil, look into a proper authorization before you travel.
- Giving the wrong travel dates. A late application can leave you without approval at departure. Fix: apply early and enter the dates you actually expect to travel.
- Using an expired or nearly expired passport. The e-visa is linked to the passport. Fix: renew first, then apply with the new passport.
- Not reading the e-visa after approval. Validity and entries depend on the visa issued, and applicants sometimes assume the terms. Fix: read the issued e-visa line by line and contact the issuing authority if anything is wrong.
- Treating the e-visa as a path to residency. A visitor’s stay is limited. Fix: choose a residency ground first if you plan to live in Brazil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do U.S. citizens need a visa to visit Brazil in 2026?
Generally yes, for tourism and short business visits. Brazil reinstated the visa requirement for citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia from April 10, 2025. Because the policy rests on reciprocity and has been reviewed over time, confirm your current status on the official Itamaraty e-visa portal before you book.
How much does the Brazil e-visa cost and how long does it take?
At the time of the reinstatement, the fee was about US$80.90. At the time of writing (October 2026), confirm the current fee on the official portal before you pay. Approval is typically issued electronically within days, but that is not guaranteed, so apply well before your travel date.
How long is the e-visa valid and how many entries does it allow?
That depends on the visa issued to you. Do not rely on another traveler’s experience. Read your own e-visa for its validity and number of entries, and confirm any questions with the official source.
Can I work in Brazil on the tourist e-visa?
No. The e-visa covers short visits such as tourism, business meetings and conferences. It does not authorize employment or paid work in Brazil, and it does not authorize residency. Working remotely for Brazilian clients while you live in Brazil is also outside what a visitor may do. If you want to work in Brazil, look into a proper authorization before you arrive.
How long can I stay in Brazil as a visitor?
Short visits are generally up to 90 days, with a possible extension through the Federal Police within limits. The total in a 12-month period is commonly capped at 180 days. Confirm these limits and the terms of your own visa on the official sources, because your entry record controls your authorized stay.
Can I convert a tourist e-visa into a residency visa?
The e-visa is not designed as a path to residency, and residency has its own grounds and requirements. Plan the residency route before you travel and get advice on your specific situation.
Official Sources
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) — official Brazil e-visa portal
- Federal Police (Polícia Federal) — visitor stay, extensions and migration services
- Law No. 13,445/2017 (Brazil’s Migration Law)
- Decree No. 9,199/2017 (regulation of Brazil’s Migration Law)
- Normative resolutions (RNs) of the National Immigration Council on visas and authorizations
- Anvisa and the Brazilian Ministry of Health — health and vaccination guidance for travelers
Where This Begins
Your next step is simple. Open the official Itamaraty e-visa portal, confirm that your nationality still requires the visa, check the current fee and processing information, and then apply with a valid passport well ahead of your travel date. Save the approved e-visa, print a copy and carry it with your passport.
If your plans go beyond a short visit, a lawyer can help you before you buy tickets. We can review whether your activities fit the visitor category, whether you need a different authorization and which residency ground fits your facts. Getting that right at the start avoids problems at the border.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws, fees and procedures change; confirm current requirements before you act.
If you would like a lawyer to review your situation before you file, book a consultation with Souza & Santos Advocacia.
Souza & Santos Advocacia
João Pessoa (PB) · São Paulo (SP)
contato@souzaesantosadvocacia.com.br · +55 83 99644-2180
https://souzaesantosadvocacia.com.br/