Brazil Visa Guide (For Tourists From US, Canada, Australia)

Disclosure: Tess the Traveler contains affiliate links and is a member of the Amazon Associates Program, meaning that if you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. I only recommend products and companies I trust. See the Privacy Policy for more information. Thanks for your support!

Table of Contents

Since Brazil re-launched its visa requirements for tourists coming from the United States, Canada, and Australia, it’s crazy how much confusion I’ve seen around the process.

It feels like every week I see a social media video about a person not realizing they needed a visa, someone sharing misinformation about the visa, or someone talking about a mistake they made around the process.

As someone who’s been traveling to Brazil for years, and has now acquired my own tourist visa, I’m sharing everything you need to know about applying for an electronic, 90-day tourist visa to Brazil.

Before you keep reading, this is only for you if you are from the United States, Canada, or Australia — otherwise, it will be a separate process to apply for your Brazil visa that I can’t speak to! (If that’s you, find more details here).

The ocean and mountains of Lopes Mendes Beach in Ilha Grande, — *Ilha Grande in Rio de Janeiro. Find out more in this guide!*

Why is there a visa now?

Although this seems like a new development, it actually isn’t. There used to be a visa requirement for Americans and travelers from other countries to visit Brazil.

Apart from a quick break during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the requirement for travelers from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Japan to have a visa was removed in 2019 in an effort to boost tourism to Brazil.

🌴Heading to Rio de Janeiro? I’ve been there five times, and my favorite spots are all in this one-week itinerary.)

However, when the Brazilian administration changed a few years later, that move was reversed because of diplomatic reciprocity.

Basically, the U.S. makes it extremely difficult for Brazilians to visit (SO much harder than this process, I can’t stress that enough!) so the idea is, why should they let Americans visit visa-free?

It took a while to actually implement that change, however. The new visa rules were postponed multiple times, and then they finally officially went into effect in April, 2025.

The colorful colonial-style buildings in Pelourinho, the historic center of Salvador, Brazil. — *Salvador (3-day itinerary is here!)*

How do you apply?

This is the website you use to apply for your visa, if you’re from the U.S., Canada, or Australia.

It’s an official Brazilian government website.

Do not use a third-party website. I’ve seen numerous people make this mistake — they google “Brazil visa,” and click a random link on the first page, and it’s actually a third-party company that is charging an extra fee to apply on your behalf. There is no reason to do this. The visa process is easy and quick enough that there is no reason for you to do this.

Be sure to use the correct link.

A cityscape, from SESC Avenida Paulista in São Paulo, Brazil. The sky is very gray and there are many buildings. On the building directly across the street, there is a painting of an older man's face. — *São Paulo (find the top things to do there in this guide)*

What are the requirements to apply?

First of all, you’ll need to fill out the application that you can find here.

Fee

For a 90-day tourist visa, there’s a fee of $80, plus a 90-cent service fee. You can use a credit card to pay.

The passport photo

Ok, here’s where it gets a bit tricky.

The visa requires that you submit a passport-style photo (2”x2”, with a white background).

That sounds simple, but I will say that the requirements for the photo were surprisingly nitpicky, and this was the one issue I ran into throughout the whole process.

I initially submitted the same exact photo I used for my passport — which was accepted with no problem — but three days after applying, I received an email saying that I needed to re-submit my photo.

The reason? My ears weren’t showing.

I was given 10 days to resubmit — the email noted that if the new photo wasn’t submitted in that time, my application would receive an “incomplete,” which could result in a rejection.

The corner of a building in Paraty, Brazil. A person selling desserts stands in front of the building, and flags hang across the top of the photo. The corner of the building has an interesting blue and white design. — *Paraty in Rio de Janeiro. Learn more about it by clicking this link!*

A waterfall in Paraty, Brazil. — *Paraty in Rio de Janeiro. Learn more about it by clicking this link!*

Other things to be aware of:

Your teeth can’t be showing, and avoid smiling.
You shouldn’t be wearing any glasses
Make sure your hair isn’t covering your face at all.
The photo needs to be high quality, and it needs to be formatted correctly, with a bright white background.

I think as long as you follow the directions carefully from the start, you should be fine. But give yourself enough to apply in case you do have any photo-related issues!

Other tourist visa requirements

The other main thing is that you will need to submit images of your passport. It sounds obvious, but it needs to be valid through the end of your trip to Brazil. It also specifies that you need two empty pages.

If you’re traveling with a minor, there are additional requirements, which you can find listed here.

A few people in the rooftop pool overlooking the beach and mountain of Leme at Windsor Leme Hotel, Rio de Janeiro. — *The view from the Windsor Leme in Rio de Janeiro, click for my full review!*

What is the tourist visa application like?

The questions are pretty simple and straightforward.

It will ask you about your passport details, contact info, and the days you will be entering and exiting Brazil.

I’ve seen a lot of people say that there are income requirements, and that you will only receive your visa if you have a certain amount in your bank account.

This is not accurate!

There was a required question about your occupation, which did make me a bit nervous, since writers aren’t usually associated with wealth.

Then, there was an optional question about your monthly salary. I personally chose to skip that question.

While this is not legal advice and I can’t guarantee the same results for you, I received my visa with no issue. I was not asked for bank statements, proof of employment, or anything like that.

It will also ask you questions about your trip itinerary, but many of them are optional. I left some of the optional ones blank, and it was not a problem.

a muted sunset at the beach in Recife, Brazil. — *Porto de Galinhas, Recife, and Olinda in the state of Pernambuco.*

A cobblestone street and colorful buildings in Recife, Brazil. — *Porto de Galinhas, Recife, and Olinda in the state of Pernambuco.*

How long does it take to receive your visa?

This can vary.

After resubmitting my photo, it took me 17 days to receive my visa. So from start to finish, the total process was a little less than a month.

This is on the longer end. I’ve heard of many people getting their visa in just a few days.

Although I’ve never heard of it taking longer than a month, personally, I would apply at least two months before your trip, if not earlier, just to save yourself any stress.

What do you do after receiving your visa?

This is a very important step that so many people seem to miss — you need to print out your visa. You are advised to print out two different copies. When I entered the country, I was given my first copy back, so I only technically needed one, but I would veer on the safe side and print our two.

This is a strict requirement — people are getting turned away because they only have a digital copy on your phone. I kept mine in a folder in my backpack, so they were easily accessible when going in and out of Immigration.

Waterfalls from above in Iguazu Falls, Brazil. — *Iguazu Falls, which is both in Brazil and Argentina*

Closeup of waterfall crashing into the ground in Iguazu Falls, Brazil. — *Iguazu Falls, which is both in Brazil and Argentina*

How long does your visa last?

The visa covers your trip for up to 90 days.

It’s possible to extend your stay an additional 90 days, but you will need to fill out a separate application, which you can do online, or in-person at a federal police office, which you should be able to find at the airport. I haven’t done this myself, but there are some helpful threads on Reddit discussing this process in more detail.

Beyond just this one trip, the silver lining to this whole thing is that your visa will last for 10 years.

Apart from saving my printed copies, I also made sure to save the digital version in a couple of different places, in case I need to re-print it later.

The mountains behind the waves at Prainha Beach in Rio de Janeiro at sunset.

Rio de Janeiro’s a huge city — but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

I’ve been to Rio multiple times, and now I’m sharing my curated picks with you. Fill out your info below and your free map will be sent straight to your inbox, complete with all my favorite restaurants, bars, beaches, and more, based on years of traveling to Rio.

Planning your trip to Brazil

Now that the visa’s out of the way, you can focus on what’s actually fun about travel — the trip itself. I’ve been traveling to Brazil for years now, and have guides to cities across the country.