Visas & Documents
Brazil has a reciprocal visa system, so if your home country requires Brazilian nationals to secure a visa, then you will need one to enter Brazil. American, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand citizens need visas, but citizens of most EU countries as well as South Africa do not.

Summary of countries for which citizen do not need a visa and can stay up to 90 days in the country (At the time of writing in September 2009 and subject to be changed without prior notice!):

• Andorra; Argentina; Austria

• Bahamas; Barbados; Belgium; Bolivia; Bulgaria

• Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Croatia; Czech Republic

• Denmark

• Ecuador

• Finland; France

• Germany; Greece; Guatemala; Guyana

• Honduras; Hungary

• Iceland; Ireland; Israel; Italy

• Liechtenstein; Luxembourg

• Macau; Malaysia; Monaco; Morocco

• Namibia; Netherlands; New Zealand; Norway

• Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal

• Romania

• San Marino; Slovenia; Slovak Republic; South Africa; South Korea; Sovereign Order of Malta; Spain; Surinam; Sweden; Switzerland

• Thailand; Trinidad & Tobago; Tunisia; Turkey

• United Kingdom; Uruguay

• Vatican; Venezuela

Please check with the Brazilian embassy or consulate in your home country.

Tourist visas are issued by Brazilian diplomatic offices. They are valid from the date you arrive in Brazil for a 90-day stay. They are renewable in Brazil for an additional 90 days. In most embassies and consulates, visas can be processed within 24 hours.

In many Brazilian embassies and consulates it takes only a couple of hours to issue a visa if you go in person (it’s instant in some places), but the processing can take a couple of weeks or more if you do it by mail. You will normally need to present a passport valid for at least six months beyond your intended arrival date, a passport photograph, and a round-trip or onward ticket or a photocopy of it or a statement from a travel agent that you have it. If you don’t have the ticketing requirements, proof of means of support - such as credit cards or bank statements - may be acceptable.

If you decide to return to Brazil, your visa is valid for five years.

The fee for visas is also reciprocal. For most nationalities, a visa costs between USD 20.00 and USD 50.00, though for US citizens it’s USD 100.00 (which is what the US charges Brazilians for visas).

Applicants under 18 years of age who are traveling alone must also submit a notarized letter of authorization from a parent or legal guardian.

Depending on where you are coming from when you arrive in Brazil, you may need a yellow-fever vaccination certificate. On your arrival in Brazil, immigration officials sometimes ask to see your onward or return ticket and/or proof of means of support such as credit cards or traveler’s checks.

Visa regulations change from time to time; and you should always get the latest information from your local Brazilian embassy or consulate!

Entry/Exit Card
On entering Brazil, all tourists must fill out a cartão de entrada/saida (entry/exit card); immigration officials will keep half, you keep the other. They will also stamp your passport and, if for some reason they are not granting you the usual 90-day stay in Brazil, the number of days will be written beneath the word Prazo on the stamp in your passport.

When you leave Brazil, the second half of the entry/exit card will be taken by immigration officials. Tip: Don’t lose your card while traveling around Brazil! If you do lose it, you could miss your flight dealing with immigration hassles. Typically, you’ll be required to pay a fine (upwards of R$ 150.00) at the Banco do Brasil before you’re allowed to leave.