Consulate Brazil

If you are a citizen of the United States, you need a visa in order to enter Brazil. If you are not a U.S. citizen, Brazil does have reciprocity agreements with a number of countries, and depending on your citizenship, a visa may or may not be needed in your particular case.

The most common type of visa is a tourist visa, although there are others, which we will cover later. The process of applying for a visa is somewhat involved, as you cannot simply have your passport stamped at the airport upon arrival. Brazilian immigration officials will simply not allow you into the country without a visa. You also need a valid U.S. passport that is not expiring in the next six months and has a blank page for the visa available.

A visa application must be submitted to the Consulate General of Brazil at an office that has consular jurisdiction over the state or territory where you reside. Most Consulate General offices will not accept visa applications by mail (although they will mail your passport and visa back to you if provided with a postage-paid envelope), and you should expect to make an appointment to appear at the Consulate in person or have an authorized third party appear on your behalf. If you do not live in an area near the Consulate General offices, you can use a visa processing service, such as a travel agency, authorized to handle such applications.

As of 2015, the fee for a tourist visa to Brazil for U.S. citizens is $160.00. If you cannot apply in person, you will have to pay an additional absentee fee. Using a visa processing company will likely include extra fees. The Consulate General accepts USPS money orders only and will not take cash or personal checks.

In addition to the money order and your passport, the following materials are required for processing your application:

• •   A printed receipt page of the tourist visa application, which should be filled out online, prior to your visit to the Consulate;
• •   A 2" x 2" passport picture, taken against a white background. Please glue the photo to the application receipt page;
• •   Your flight itinerary or ticket copy, which must include your name, travel times, and the details of your arrival and departure;
• •   a copy of your round-trip ticket or a booked itinerary showing travel to and from Brazil (confirming the purchase of the ticket, with passenger’s name, itinerary, flight number and arrival/departure dates);
• •   Your driver’s license, or anything that can serve as proof of residence (such as a utility bill)

Once you are issued a tourist visa, you can travel to Brazil multiple times for up to 90 days per trip. Brazil tourist visas issued in the USA before May 28, 2010 are valid for five years. Visas issued in the USA on or after May 28, 2010 are valid for ten years under a reciprocal agreement between the United States and Brazil.