Brazil Tourist Visa for US Citizens: 2026 e-Visa Rules

For years, Americans flew to Rio with nothing but a passport. That ended on 10 April 2025, when Brazil reinstated a visa requirement for US, Canadian, and Australian citizens. The good news: it's an e-visa you apply for online, it costs about US$81, and once approved it's good for 10 years of multiple entries. This guide walks through exactly how it works, the 90/180-day math that trips people up, and what to do when 90 days in Brazil makes you want to stay for good.

The short version: what changed in April 2025

Brazil and the United States never had true visa-free reciprocity. For a long stretch, Brazil waived the visa requirement for American tourists as a goodwill gesture, even though US rules required Brazilians to obtain a visa to visit the States. In 2023 Brazil decided to restore reciprocity. After a couple of postponements, the requirement took effect on 10 April 2025.

What this means in practice:

• Every US citizen now needs a visa to enter Brazil as a tourist — including infants and children, who each need their own.
• The visa is issued electronically (an "e-visa," formally a visitor visa or VIVIS). There's no embassy interview and no sticker glued into your passport — approval arrives as a PDF.
• You apply through the official VFS Global portal (VFS is the Brazilian government's appointed processing partner), not at a consulate counter.
• The same rule applies to Canadian and Australian passport holders. Most European nationalities (UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the rest of the EU/Schengen area) remain visa-exempt for tourism — so if you hold dual nationality, check whether your other passport spares you the process.

It helps to understand why this happened, because it shapes how the rule will likely behave going forward. Brazilian visa policy runs on reciprocity: Brazil tends to ask of another country's citizens roughly what that country asks of Brazilians. Since the US requires Brazilians to obtain a visa (and pay a substantial fee, attend an interview, and sometimes wait months), Brazil restoring a visa requirement for Americans is, in its own framing, simply matching the treatment. The e-visa is deliberately the lighter version of that — online, no interview, ten-year validity — but it is a visa nonetheless, and it isn't going away unless the underlying reciprocity changes.

If you hold a second passport

This matters more than people realize. If you're a US–Italian, US–Irish, or US–German dual national, you can generally enter Brazil visa-free on the EU passport and skip the e-visa entirely. The catch is consistency: enter and exit Brazil on the same passport you used to clear airline check-in, and be aware that US law may require you to use your US passport to enter and leave the United States. Many dual nationals simply carry both and present the EU book in Brazil and the US book at home. If you're unsure which passport to travel on, that's a five-minute question worth asking before you book.

Cost, validity, and what you actually get

Here's the part most Americans are relieved to hear: this is a cheap, long-lived visa, not a recurring hassle.

So one ~US$81 payment (roughly R$420 approx at ~R$5.2/US$) buys you a decade of trips. You do not reapply each visit — the visa lives in the system tied to your passport, and you simply travel. Confirm the current fee on the official portal before you pay; government fees and the exact processing surcharge can change.

A few important distinctions:

• The 10-year validity is how long the visa itself is usable. It is not how long you can stay — that's governed by the day limits below.
• If your passport expires before the visa does, the visa generally remains tied to your traveler record, but practice varies — keep your passport valid and carry both the old and new books if your passport number changed mid-validity. When in doubt, check with the consulate.
• This is a tourism and short-business-visit visa. It does not authorize paid work for a Brazilian employer, enrollment as a degree student, or taking up residence. Those need different visas (more on that near the end).

The 90/180 rule, in plain numbers

This is the single most misunderstood part of visiting Brazil, so let's be precise. Two limits run at the same time:

1. 90 days per entry. Each time you arrive, the immigration officer admits you for up to 90 days.
2. 180 days in any 12-month period. Across all your trips, you may spend at most 180 days inside Brazil within a rolling 12-month window.

The second limit is the one people forget. You cannot do four 90-day stays in a single year by hopping out and back — that would be 360 days, and Brazil caps you at 180. Once you've used your 180 days in a 12-month span, you must wait until enough days roll off the back of that window before you can return as a tourist.

Brazilian immigration tracks your entries and exits electronically. Overstaying triggers a daily fine (modest per day but it accumulates) and can complicate future entries or any later residency application. Don't overstay. If life intervenes, deal with it at the Federal Police rather than quietly flying out over your limit.

The 10-year validity is how long the visa lasts. The 90/180 rule is how long you can stay. Confuse the two and you'll overstay.

Step by step: how to apply for the e-visa

The whole thing is done online through the official VFS Global e-visa portal. Budget 30–60 minutes for the form plus time to prepare documents, and apply at least two to three weeks before travel to be safe.

1. 1. Go to the official portal

   Use the Brazilian government's appointed site (VFS Global's Brazil e-visa portal). Avoid copycat sites that charge inflated "service" fees for the same government visa — there are many, and they're legal but overpriced.

2. 2. Create an account and start the application

   Each traveler needs a separate application, including children. You'll enter passport details, travel plans, and personal information.

3. 3. Upload your documents

   Typically: a passport bio page valid for the trip, a passport-style photo to spec, proof of onward/return travel or itinerary, and proof of funds or accommodation. Requirements can vary — follow the portal's checklist exactly.

4. 4. Pay the fee

   Around US$80.90 by card. This is non-refundable, even if the application is later refused, so get the details right the first time.

5. 5. Wait for processing

   Official guidance is up to about 10 business days; many applicants receive approval in roughly 5. Don't book non-refundable flights for the day after you apply.

6. 6. Receive and print your e-visa

   Approval arrives by email as a PDF. Print it, save it to your phone, and present it at airline check-in and again at Brazilian immigration on arrival.

Documents and entry: what to have ready

For the application itself, and again at the border, keep this checklist handy:

• Valid US passport (and a clear scan of the bio page for the upload)
• Recent passport-style photo meeting the portal's specs
• The approved e-visa PDF, printed and on your phone
• Proof of onward or return travel
• Proof of accommodation (hotel booking, host details, or address)
• Evidence of sufficient funds for your stay, if asked
• Travel/health insurance — not strictly required for tourists but strongly advised
• Yellow fever vaccination certificate if you've recently visited or are heading to certain risk areas (check current health advisories)

At passport control in Brazil, an officer may ask about the purpose and length of your visit. Answer honestly: you're a tourist (or on a short business visit), here for X days, staying at Y. They stamp or electronically record your entry, and your 90-day clock starts that day.

About yellow fever

Brazil does not require a yellow fever certificate from US tourists for general entry, but the disease is present in parts of the country, and a certificate (issued at least 10 days before travel) may be required if you've recently visited certain risk countries — or requested if you plan to travel onward from Brazil to nations that demand proof of vaccination from arrivals out of Brazil. If your trip includes the Amazon, the Pantanal, or rural interior areas, the CDC and Brazilian health authorities generally recommend the vaccine regardless of any entry rule. Check current advisories close to your travel date, since risk maps are updated.

Short business visits

The visitor visa also covers short business trips — meetings, conferences, trade shows, contract negotiations, market research, and the like. What it does not cover is taking up paid employment with a Brazilian entity or providing services for which you're paid by a source in Brazil. The distinction is between visiting on business and working in Brazil. If your purpose crosses into actual employment, you need a work visa, not a visitor visa, and getting this wrong can jeopardize future entries.

Can you extend a tourist stay?

Sometimes — but cautiously. The Federal Police (Polícia Federal) can grant an extension (prorrogação) of a tourist stay, but only up to the overall ceiling: your total time in Brazil still cannot exceed 180 days within the 12-month window. In other words, an extension can stretch a single visit toward that annual cap; it cannot break through it.

If you entered for 90 days and want more, you apply at a Federal Police unit before your current period expires, explain your reason, and pay a fee. Approval is discretionary. Don't treat it as automatic, and never let your authorized stay lapse while you "plan to extend."

When 90 days isn't enough: from tourist to resident

Plenty of people arrive on the e-visa, fall for the place, and decide to stay. The tourist visa is the on-ramp, not the destination. Here are the main routes from "visitor" to "resident," with the headline thresholds:

A few of these deserve a closer look for Americans deciding on the spot.

The digital nomad visa

If you work remotely for clients or an employer outside Brazil, the digital nomad visa (VITEM XIV) is often the cleanest route. The thresholds are about US$1,500/month in foreign income or US$18,000 in savings. It grants one year of residence, renewable once. You can apply at a consulate abroad or, in some cases, convert from inside Brazil through the Federal Police. (Ignore any "+US$60 per dependent" figure floating around online — it isn't part of the official rule.)

Residency by real-estate investment

Buy property and you may qualify for residency. The threshold is R$1,000,000 in urban real estate, dropping to R$700,000 for the North and Northeast regions — Brazil's version of a "golden visa." Foreigners buy urban residential property freely, with no nationality restriction, so this pairs naturally with a relocation. We cover it in depth in our Brazil golden visa guide, and the Rio-specific mechanics in buying property in Rio.

Retirement and family routes

Retirees can pursue a residence based on stable passive income — figure on around US$2,000/month, though this is the least firmly pinned threshold, so confirm the current figure with a consulate or the Polícia Federal. If you're married to or partnered with a Brazilian, residency by marriage is among the fastest paths, with full work rights and a shortened road to citizenship. Our broader moving from the USA guide maps these side by side.

And eventually, citizenship

If a residence visa turns into a real life, Brazilian citizenship is reachable. Ordinary naturalization generally needs four years of lawful residence, an ability to communicate in Portuguese, and a clean record. That four-year clock is cut to one year if you're the spouse or stable partner of a Brazilian, the parent of a Brazilian child, or a national of a Portuguese-language (CPLP) country. Brazil permits dual citizenship and doesn't ask you to renounce your US passport — a meaningful point for Americans. Importantly, time spent as a tourist does not count toward that clock; only lawful residence does, which is one more reason the endless tourist shuffle is a dead end if citizenship is the goal. The full path is in our naturalization guide.

The CRNM: registering once you become a resident

Tourists don't need this — but the moment you switch to any residence visa, it becomes central. After your residence is approved, you must register with the Federal Police within 90 days of entry or approval and obtain your CRNM (Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório), the residence card that replaced the old RNE. Budget roughly R$372.90 in 2026 for issuance and processing.

The CRNM is what unlocks ordinary life — resident bank accounts, longer leases, exchanging your driver's license, and registering for healthcare. We walk through the appointment, the documents, and the common snags in our dedicated CRNM guide.

CPF: get it even as a tourist

Here's a move that saves headaches: get a CPF (Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas, Brazil's taxpayer ID) early — even before you arrive. It's the number Brazil asks for at almost every turn: opening a bank account, signing a lease, buying a local SIM, making investments, and buying property. It's free or near-free, available to non-residents, and you can request it at a Brazilian consulate abroad or online with your passport.

Money, payments, and staying connected

A few ground-level things make a Brazil trip smoother, whether you're here for a week or a season:

• Cards work almost everywhere. Visa and Mastercard are accepted broadly, including in taxis and small shops. Tell your US bank you're traveling so a Brazil charge doesn't get flagged, and favor a card with no foreign-transaction fee.
• Pix is king. Brazil's instant-payment system, Pix, is how locals pay for everything from a beach coconut to rent. As a tourist you typically can't use Pix without a Brazilian bank account (which needs a CPF), but knowing it exists explains why some vendors prefer it to cash or card.
• Cash still matters for tips, street vendors, and small towns. ATMs are common; withdraw from bank-branded machines and watch daily limits and fees.
• SIM cards and eSIMs. A local SIM (Vivo, Claro, TIM) is cheap but usually requires a CPF to register. Many short-stay visitors find a travel eSIM the path of least resistance.

If you're tipping toward a longer stay, opening a proper account is the natural next step. A non-resident (CDE) account is possible with a passport and CPF; resident accounts generally need your CRNM. Our guide to opening a Brazilian bank account covers the digital banks (Nubank, C6, Inter) most expats end up using and the paperwork each one wants.

Healthcare and insurance for visitors

Two facts surprise Americans. First, Brazil's public health system, SUS, is free and universal to everyone on Brazilian soil — including foreigners — with no waiting period, so in a genuine emergency you will be treated regardless of status. Second, despite that, you should still carry private travel or health insurance. Public hospitals can be overstretched, private care is excellent but billed, and medical evacuation is expensive without coverage. Insurance isn't a legal entry requirement for tourists, but going without it is a false economy.

If you transition to residency later, you'll likely combine SUS with a private plano de saúde, the way most expats do. We lay out both sides in healthcare in Brazil for foreigners.

Getting around: driving as a visitor

As a tourist you can drive in Brazil on your US license, ideally paired with an International Driving Permit (IDP) and your passport. The simple rule of thumb: your foreign license is good for short visits. It's only once you establish residence that a 180-day clock starts, after which you must exchange it for a Brazilian CNH. The US is among the countries whose drivers are typically exempt from the practical test on exchange, though a medical and psychological exam is required. The full mechanics are in our driving and license-exchange guide.

Tax: when a long stay starts to matter

For a normal tourist trip, Brazilian income tax is a non-issue. But the day-counting cuts both ways, and Americans planning extended or repeated stays should know the line.

Brazil treats you as a tax resident once you've been physically present for more than 183 days (consecutive or not) in any rolling 12-month period — or from entry if you hold a permanent visa, or from the start of employment on a work visa. Cross that line and Brazil taxes your worldwide income on a progressive scale, top marginal rate 27.5%.

A few 2026 specifics worth flagging:

• The 2026 IRPF reform (Lei 15.270/2025) makes monthly income up to R$5,000 fully exempt, with partial relief up to R$7,350/month — the headline change for ordinary earners this year.
• Foreign-source income that isn't withheld is reported and prepaid monthly through the Carnê-Leão system on Receita Federal's e-CAC portal.
• Crucially for Americans: there is no US–Brazil income tax treaty. You rely on the US Foreign Tax Credit and/or Foreign Earned Income Exclusion to avoid double taxation, and you still file US returns plus FBAR/FATCA. (Britons, Portuguese, Spanish, and others do have treaties with Brazil — a real difference for US passport holders.)

None of this bites a two-week vacationer. It bites the person who quietly turns a tourist habit into half-year residence without planning. If that's the trajectory, read our US–Brazil double-taxation guide before you cross 183 days, not after.

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

• Applying the day before you fly. Processing can take up to ~10 business days. Apply two to three weeks out.
• Using a copycat portal. You'll overpay for the same government visa. Use the official VFS Global site.
• Forgetting a child's visa. Every traveler needs their own — minors included.
• Miscounting the 180-day cap. Two 90-day stays fill your annual allowance. Plan the calendar.
• Treating tourism as residency. Endless back-to-back stays risk refusal and complicate later visa applications. If you want to live here, get a residence visa.
• Working on a tourist visa. Taking paid work for a Brazilian employer on a visitor visa is not allowed and can have real consequences.

How Brazil Legal Shield can help

Most people genuinely do not need a lawyer to get a tourist e-visa — it's a form and a fee, and we'll happily tell you to just do it yourself. Where we earn our keep is the harder layer: a refusal you don't understand, a prior overstay you want to clear before re-entering, or — most often — the decision to turn a love affair with Brazil into a real life here.

We're an English-speaking, OAB-licensed Brazilian law firm built for foreigners. We handle immigration and visas, real estate, tax, and citizenship end to end — choosing the right residence route, filing it correctly the first time, and sequencing CPF, CRNM, banking, and tax so nothing stalls mid-process. If you're weighing the leap, our notes on cost of living and where expats actually settle are a good next read. When you're ready for a real conversation, get in touch.

Come for the 90 days. If Brazil does to you what it does to most people, we'll be here to handle the part that turns a visit into a home.