Visas and Vaccinations

Foreigners entering Brazil may need a visa. Here's general information on how to apply for them. More detailed information can be found at SERVIÇOS CONSULARES >> INFORMATION IN ENGLISH.

Visas and vaccinations

Visas can be applied for in person or through travel agencies.

The kind of visa to be applied for depends on the purpose of the applicant's trip to Brazil. Permanent visas are for immigration purposes, while temporary visas are for non-Brazilian citizens envisaging shorter stays in Brazil. Temporary visas have validity in time depending on the category of the visa and on Governmental agreements, if any, between Brazil and the country of the applicant's nationality. All visas are good for multiple entries unless otherwise stated. The applicant has a ninety-day period, from the date of issuance of the visa, to enter Brazil. An unused visa expires after ninety days and must be reapplied for. The validity of a temporary visa does not guarantee any particular duration of stay in Brazil. The precise length of stay is a decision of the immigration authorities at the port of entry in Brazil.

Information and supporting documents, as well as consular fees, vary according to type of visa and fees mutually agreed between Brazil and the country of the applicant's nationality. In addition to the visa-related consular fees there is a handling fee of € 13,00 when visas are not applied by the traveler him/herself, or when applied through travel agencies. If instructions from Brazilian immigration authorities are needed, consultation fees run at a minimum of € 32,50 per cable.

US passport holders are charged an additional, non-refundable, processing fee of € 130,00 in reciprocity for a similar fee levied on Brazilian passport holders applying for entry visas to the US.

An application on behalf of a minor under the age of 18 can be accepted from a parent or a legal guardian able to identify him/herself as such with a photo ID. In all cases, applications for or by a minor under the age of 18 are subject to the following additional requirements:

- copy of the child's birth certificate;

- if traveling unaccompanied, a notarized authorization signed by both parents or legal guardian, granting the child permission to enter and leave Brazil and identifying the party (ies) responsible for the child while in Brazil;

- If traveling with one parent or a third party, a notarized authorization signed by the non-accompanying parent(s) or the legal guardian, granting the child permission to travel in the company of the other parent or a third party;

- for children between the ages of 3 months and 6 years, a certificate of vaccination against polio, indicating the kind and dosages of vaccine administered.

Certificates of vaccination against yellow fever are a compulsory requirement for the issuance of visas to travelers entering Brazil from Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, Congo, Ecuador, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Peru, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Venezuela. Vaccination against yellow fever is furthermore recommended for travelers with destination to the following states in northern and mid-western Brazil: Acre, Amazonas, Amapá, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins and to the Federal District encircling Brasília.

When all requirements are met, a visa can be issued in about three working days from the date the the payment of the fee is received by the Consular Section.

Within thirty days of their arrival in Brazil, applicants granted visas for durations of stay longer than ninety days are required to register at a regional office of the Ministry of Justice and to apply for a foreigners identification card with, inter alia, the following supporting documents:

- a second copy of the processed visa application form provided by the Consular Section, and
· a legalized copy of the long form of the visa bearer's marriage or birth certificate, as applicable.

A change of visa category or an extension of stay can only be applied for in Brazil, at a regional office of the Ministry of Justice, thirty days before the normal dates of expiration. Further information on requirements for entry visas is set out in the following pages per category of visa. Notwithstanding, the Consular Section reserves the right to request additional information and supporting documents.