Five years after Brazil waived visa requirements for some travelers, including those from the USA, the South American country is changing course. Starting April 10, 2024, nationals from the United States, Canada, and Australia will be required to come equipped with an e-visa to enter Brazil.
The new e-visa will cost $81 per person and is available online at brazil.vfsevisa.com. Once obtained, the electronic visa will be valid for 10 years for U.S. citizens, and for 5 years for Canadian and Australian visitors, allowing for multiple entries within that time frame.
According to Brazilian authorities, the processing time for the new e-visa will be up to five business days. However, “we strongly recommend that you apply for your e-visa two months before your travel to Brazil,” authorities advise in the FAQ portion of the e-visa website, noting that applying two months in advance will allow for adequate time to complete the application and correct it, if needed.
To obtain the e-visa, you simply go to the website from your laptop or smartphone and register. You will need to provide the required personal information and passport details. For minors, an e-visa application must be completed by one or both parents. Then you will be prompted to pay the fee. You will then be sent an email confirming whether your application was approved, rejected, or if additional documents are needed. If approved, a pdf file containing your e-visa will be emailed to you. Travelers should download and print their Brazil e-visa to present to authorities during boarding and upon arrival in Brazil.
Brazil authorities advise printing two physical copies of your e-visa and also capturing a screenshot of it on your mobile device.
Unlike a consular visa that requires an in-person visit to an embassy or consulate, the e-visa process is entirely online and does not require an in-person appointment.
Originally, the newly reinstated visa requirement was scheduled to go into effect on October 1, 2023, but the Brazilian government postponed the launch until January 10, 2024, and now again until April 10, 2024. In a press release, the government said the reason for implementing the visa requirement is that the United States, Canada, and Australia don’t currently offer reciprocity, meaning that Brazilian nationals have to apply and pay for visas to enter those three countries.
Since 2019, citizens from those three countries, as well as Japan, have been allowed to visit Brazil for business or pleasure without a visa, provided they stay less than 90 days, with the possibility of an extension of up to 180 days. (During 2016, Brazil temporarily waived visa requirements to encourage travelers to visit around the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.) Between November 2017 and June 2019, travelers from those countries needed to apply online for a tourist visa, which cost $40 plus a $4 service fee. (Prior to November 2017, the cost was $160 and required a visit to a Brazilian consulate or visa center.)
In a statement, the Brazilian government said it would continue “negotiating visa exemption agreements with these three countries, based on principles of reciprocity and equality between states,” so there is a possibility that the new visa requirement would be waived if the United States, Australia, and Canada were to throw out their visa requirements for Brazilians.
Brazil and Japan have already reached an agreement: Japanese tourists can continue to travel to Brazil without a visa, and Brazilian visitors will be able to go to Japan visa-free.
This story was originally published in September 2023, and was updated on January 5, 2024, to include current information.
