Brazil visa for US citizens, other passports and residency options

Do US citizens need a visa for Brazil?

Yes. The Brazil visa for US citizens is an eVisa, required since April 10, 2025, and Canadians and Australians need the same one. UK and EU citizens still visit without a visa.

Brazil eVisa requirements and how to apply

1. 1

   Apply on the official portal

   The eVisa is fully online at brazil.vfsevisa.com (opens in a new tab), run with VFS Global.

2. 2

   Pay US$80.90 by card

   That's a US$80 consular fee plus a US$0.90 platform fee. There's no expedited option.

3. 3

   Get it before you book

   Brazil's embassy in Canberra advises getting the eVisa before booking travel.

Sources 1 3

Itamaraty cites reciprocity, since all three countries require visas from Brazilians. PDL 206/2023, a bill to suspend the rule, passed the Senate in March 2025. It still awaits the Chamber of Deputies, with no step since March 3, 2026.^{1 7}

Brazil visa for Canadians and Australians

Canadians and Australians use the same eVisa and pay the same US$80.90. Canada's travel advice, updated October 5, 2026, still lists a visa as required. Brazil's embassy in Canberra says the eVisa is valid for up to 5 years with multiple entries. Stays are capped at 90 days each and 180 days a year.^{3 4}

Dual nationals have one exception, the Canberra embassy says. Since Itamaraty guidelines of August 20, 2026, Brazilians with a US, Canadian or Australian passport may get a visit visa. They can then travel on that foreign passport.³

Do UK citizens need a visa for Brazil?

No. British citizens can visit for up to 90 days without a visa, and extend through the Polícia Federal before day 90. EU citizens get 3 months in any 6 under the EU waiver, which excludes paid work, research and study.^{5 6}

How long can I stay in Brazil as a tourist?

Visitors get up to 90 days. The Polícia Federal can add up to 90 more, but the total can't pass 180 days in a migratory year.

How the Brazil 90 day rule works

Each visit can last up to 90 days. The 180-day cap applies to a migratory year, which runs 12 months from your first entry. The clock pauses while you're out of Brazil, so days abroad don't count. EU citizens count 3 months in any 6-month period instead.^{6 8}

Brazil tourist visa extension

Ask the Polícia Federal before day 90. You apply online, attend an interview and pay R$110.44 (about US$22, gov.br, July 2026). Extensions are only for nationals of countries that grant Brazilians reciprocity.^{5 8 9}

Overstays and border checks

• Overstays bring a fine for each extra day, within the law's R$100 to R$10,000 range (about US$20 to US$2,000), and possible deportation.
• Onward ticket. Officials may ask for a return or onward ticket and proof of funds, Canada's travel advice warns.
• Cash. Declare more than US$10,000 in cash on the Receita Federal's electronic e-DBV form when you arrive.

Sources 4 11 47

The digital nomad rule allows remote work for a foreign employer on visitor status, within your visa and stay limits. Our remote work guide covers taxes and time zones.¹²

Brazil residence permit options

To live in São Paulo past a visitor stay, you need residence on a specific legal basis. You can apply through a consulate, and the nomad, retiree and work routes also take applications from inside Brazil.

Already in Brazil as a visitor? Since CNIg Resolution 51/2025, you can turn a visit visa into residence under the matching rule. Requests go through the Ministry of Justice's MigranteWeb system.⁴⁵

Decree 12,657 of October 2025 moved visa and residence rule-making to joint acts of the Justice and Foreign Affairs ministers. None of the 2026 acts in the Ministry of Justice list, updated September 22, 2026, changes the nomad, retiree or investor rules.^{26 27}

Brazil digital nomad visa

It's for people who work remotely for an employer or client abroad, and working for a Brazil-based employer disqualifies you. Consular applicants need health insurance valid in Brazil, a criminal record certificate and proof of income. They also need a contract or other proof of a foreign employer or client. Already in Brazil? Apply to the Ministry of Justice with criminal records from everywhere you lived in the past 5 years. That in-country list doesn't include health insurance.¹²

Renewal is for an equal period. File a copy of your CRNM, fresh proof of remote work, a no-criminal-record declaration and records from where you lived during your residence. The rule has no clause for switching to indefinite residence. To stay on, you'd apply on another basis, which replaces the nomad permit. See what the minimum buys in São Paulo on $1,500 a month.^{8 12}

Brazil retirement visa

You need a pension of at least US$2,000 a month that can be transferred to Brazil, and other regular income can top it up. Consular applicants also need health insurance valid in Brazil and a criminal record certificate. Retirees already in Brazil can apply to the Ministry of Justice with the same income proof. The first term is up to 2 years. Then you can switch to indefinite residence by proving the same income and paying a processing fee.^{13 14}

Compare that pension with São Paulo's monthly living costs before you apply. Our guide to retiring in São Paulo covers healthcare and pension tax.

Brazil work visa

Your Brazilian employer files the request, backed by a CLT contract and qualifications that fit the job, such as a relevant degree. From abroad, the Ministry of Justice first grants prior residence, and then a consulate issues the visa. The first term of up to 2 years can be renewed for up to 2 more or made indefinite. Graduates of accredited Brazilian universities can apply on their own. See working in São Paulo for salaries and hiring.^{15 16 17 20}

In the second quarter of 2026, people born in China, the Philippines and the US received the most labor and investment residence permits, OBMigra reports.⁴⁸

Brazil investor visa and the golden visa question

If you searched for a Brazil golden visa, these are the closest routes. Investing R$500,000 of foreign funds in a Brazilian company with a business plan gives indefinite residence, as long as you carry out the plan. Innovation, research, science or technology ventures need R$150,000. Buying urban property worth R$1,000,000 in São Paulo gives 4 years, then indefinite residence if you keep it. Only the amount above R$1,000,000 can be financed, and property investors must spend at least 14 days in Brazil every 2 years.^{18 19}

Brazil family reunion visa and residency by marriage

Spouses and partners qualify without any discrimination, which covers same-sex couples, as do children, parents and other close relatives of Brazilians or residents. Parents of a Brazilian or resident child qualify too, and a child born in Brazil is Brazilian even with foreign parents. Proxy marriages don't count. Your residence follows your sponsor's term, and you can work on the same terms as Brazilians.^{8 10 21 50}

To apply at the Polícia Federal, file the online form with these documents.²¹

• Two 3x4 photos and your passport or ID
• Receipts for the fees
• Criminal records from everywhere you lived in the past 5 years, plus a no-record declaration
• Your marriage certificate or proof of a stable union, and a joint declaration that you live together
• Your sponsor's ID and a declaration that they live in Brazil

Source 21

Unmarried couples can prove a stable union (união estável) with a certificate from your home country or a court ruling. Otherwise, use a registry document, two witness statements and one item such as a joint lease. After at least 4 years in Brazil, former family-reunion residents can get indefinite residence even if the relationship ends. They need proof of support and a clean record. See moving to São Paulo with kids and LGBTQ+ life in São Paulo.^{8 21}

Brazil student visa

It covers school, university, technical and language courses at a registered institution, plus internships and exchanges. Residence is renewed yearly with proof of enrollment, and paid work that fits around classes is allowed.²³

Mercosur residence

Nationals of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Chile get up to 2 years of temporary residence. It can become permanent if they apply within the 90 days before it expires. Only Mercosur nationals can cross member borders with an ID card, so other residents should carry a passport. Compare Buenos Aires and Santiago.^{24 25}

Apostille, sworn translation and criminal records

The Polícia Federal says foreign documents for immigration generally need an apostille and a sworn translation made in Brazil. Some treaties waive these steps.

• Apostille. The Hague convention has applied in Brazil since August 14, 2016, so apostilled documents need no consular legalization. The US, UK, Australia and Canada are members, Canada since January 11, 2024.
• Sworn translation. Only a registered public translator can do it, at a freely agreed price. In São Paulo, find one through the JUCESP registry.
• Criminal records. Consular applicants need one from home. Nomads applying inside Brazil need records from every place they lived in the past 5 years.
• FBI fingerprints. The US Embassy doesn't do criminal record checks, but the PF takes fingerprints for a foreign government on request.
• Health insurance. Nomad and retiree consular applications need cover valid in Brazil. Compare plans in healthcare in São Paulo.

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Brazil visa and residence fees in 2026

Federal fees are fixed in reais or US dollars. Consular visa fees and sworn translation prices aren't set nationally, so budget for them separately.

After you arrive, register with the Polícia Federal

Temporary visa holders must ask the Polícia Federal (PF) for registration within 90 days of entering Brazil, or pay a fine. If you got residence while already in Brazil, you have 30 days from the approval's publication.

1. 1

   Fill in the form and pay

   The CRNM residence card costs R$204.77 (about US$41). Residence requests filed with the PF add R$168.13 (about US$34).

2. 2

   Book a slot

   Booking comes at the end of the online form, and it's free, like the appointment and card pickup.

3. 3

   Go to Lapa de Baixo

   São Paulo's PF registers migrants at Rua Hugo D'Antola 95, from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The PF passport posts in malls don't.

4. 4

   Use your protocol as ID

   The protocolo receipt gives you the card's rights for up to 180 days, including work, banking and public healthcare.

5. 5

   Collect the CRNM

   The card takes about 30 business days, and the whole process up to 180 days.

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Get your CPF and a gov.br account

The CPF is Brazil's taxpayer number. You need it to rent through platforms such as QuintoAndar, register a stable union and open a gov.br account. The Receita Federal issues it free online or in person, and Brazilian consulates handle it before you move. Banco do Brasil, Caixa, Correios and registry offices charge R$7.^{32 33 34 35}

gov.br accounts come in bronze, silver and gold levels, and higher levels unlock more services. The São Paulo moving checklist puts these steps in order.³⁶

CRNM

The residence card the Polícia Federal issues, also called the RNM

Protocolo

The PF receipt that stands in for the CRNM for up to 180 days

CPF

Brazil's taxpayer number, needed for rentals, gov.br and registries

Residência por prazo indeterminado

Indefinite-term residence, Brazil's version of permanent residency

União estável

Stable union, the legal status for unmarried couples

Apostila

Apostille, the Hague stamp that replaces consular legalization

Tradução juramentada

Sworn translation by a registered public translator

Brazil permanent residency

Brazil calls it indefinite-term residence. Several routes lead there from the start or after the first term, but the nomad rule has no conversion clause.

• Retirees switch after the first term by proving the US$2,000 pension again.
• Employees can renew work residence for up to 2 years or make it indefinite.
• Company investors get it from the start, and property investors after 4 years.
• Family members follow their sponsor, or qualify on their own after 4 years in Brazil.
• Mercosur nationals can apply for permanent residence within the last 90 days of their 2-year term.

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An indefinite-term CRNM is valid for 9 years, and never expires if you turn 60 before then or have a disability. A temporary card is renewed in person at the PF, from 90 days before it expires. More than 2 years outside Brazil without justification can cost you your residence.^{8 30}

Naturalization and dual citizenship

Ordinary naturalization takes 4 years of residence, enough Portuguese to communicate, and no criminal conviction. Only time on indefinite-term residence counts.

The period counts back from the day you file. Prove Portuguese with a Celpe-Bras certificate or an alternative such as a Brazilian degree. The next Celpe-Bras exam runs October 20 to 23, 2026 in Brazil, with results due December 15, 2026. Apply free through the Naturalizar-se system, then give biometrics at the PF. New citizens hand in the CRNM and register to vote within a year.^{38 49}

The UK government notes that Brazil allows dual citizenship, so British citizens don't have to give up their nationality. Children who settled in Brazil before age 10 can get provisional naturalization.^{10 39}