Who needs a visa to visit Brazil?
Brazil runs visa policy on reciprocity, so the answer depends on your passport. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' general visa table, in the edition dated 8 April 2025, marks each country with a code: "visa required" or "visa waiver for up to 90 days".
| Passport | Tourist visit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| United States, Canada, Australia | Visa required | Apply by e-visa |
| China, India | Visa required | Apply through a consulate |
| United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain | Visa-free up to 90 days | |
| Germany, France, Italy | Visa-free up to 90 days | Maximum 90 days in each 180-day period |
| Japan, South Korea, New Zealand | Visa-free up to 90 days | |
| Mexico, South Africa | Visa-free up to 90 days | |
| Argentina | Visa-free up to 90 days | Entry allowed with a national identity card |
The ministry has published later editions of this table in 2026, but the gov.br pages holding them could not be opened when this guide was checked. Treat the table as a starting point and confirm your own nationality with the nearest Brazilian consulate if you hold a passport not listed here.
How does the Brazil e-visa work for US, Canadian and Australian citizens?
The official eVisa portal states that the electronic visa is available exclusively to citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia. After you submit the application, the portal says the consular post may take up to 10 business days to decide, and it recommends applying two months before your trip.
Each government confirms the requirement on its own advice page. The US State Department, updated on 6 August 2026, says you need a visa and must be approved before you travel. Canada lists tourist and business visas as required, and Smartraveller tells Australians they need a visa to enter Brazil.
The fee and validity were not shown on the portal pages we could open. An April 2025 Agência Brasil report said the requirement took effect on 10 April 2025, that the fee was US$ 80.90, and that visits were limited to 90 days; check the amount at the payment step of the portal.
Passport validity and other documents
The rules differ by source, so plan to the strictest. The State Department says Brazil requires a US passport to be valid for one month on entry, with a blank page for each of the entry and exit stamps. Canada says the passport must be valid for the length of your stay and warns that airlines may be stricter. Smartraveller points out that many countries expect six months' validity.
Minors are the other area to check carefully. Both the US and Canadian pages say Brazilian minors, including dual citizens, need an authorisation from any parent not travelling with them to leave Brazil.
What can you bring through Brazilian customs?
The Receita Federal's allowance page sets these limits per person.
| Item | Limit |
|---|---|
| Goods arriving by air or sea | US$ 1,000 duty-free |
| Goods arriving by land, river or lake | US$ 500 duty-free |
| Arrivals free shop at the airport | Extra US$ 1,000 |
| Alcoholic drinks | 12 litres in total |
| Cigarettes | 10 packs of 20 |
| Cigars or cigarillos | 25 |
| Pipe tobacco | 250 g |
| Low-value items under US$ 10 each | 20 units, no more than 10 identical |
The allowances are individual and cannot be pooled between travellers, and people under 18 cannot bring alcohol or tobacco even with a parent.
Worked example. You arrive by air with a new laptop worth US$ 1,400 and nothing else to declare. Under the Receita Federal's tax rules, import tax is 50 per cent of the value above the allowance: (US$ 1,400 - US$ 1,000) x 50% = US$ 200 if you declare it. Walk through "nothing to declare" and get checked, and the Receita adds a fine of 50 per cent of the excess, another US$ 200, on top of the tax. Declaring costs half as much as being caught.
Carrying cash
Article 14 of Law 14.286/2021 allows up to US$ 10,000 or the equivalent in cash across the border without going through an authorised exchange institution; above that you must declare and prove it, or risk losing the excess. The e-DBV service is the declaration, filled in online, and can be done before you fly.
What to do if something goes wrong
Once your paperwork is sorted, read our guides to getting from Rio's airports into the city and paying in Brazil with Pix, cards and cash.