Brazil Travel Guide
Visa summary
247 passport nationalities researched for entry into Brazil.
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Guide
Brazil is a place where your visa depends on how your government treats Brazilians. Since 10 April 2025, citizens of the United States, Canada, and Australia need an electronic visa to enter for tourism, business, sports, artistic performances, or airport transit, after Brazil reinstated a requirement it had waived. The application fee is US$80.90. The e-Visa is issued for either 5 or 10 years depending on nationality, each entry allows an initial stay of up to 90 days, and extensions through the Federal Police can take a stay to a maximum of 180 days a year.
The part that catches people is the boarding gate. Approved applicants receive a PDF by email that must be downloaded, printed, and shown at boarding and again on arrival, and travelers who cannot show the printed e-Visa are not allowed to board. The requirement has been described as in force through 2026, though legislators have questioned it since the Senate voted against it in March 2025.
Brazil shares a border with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador, and a few of those crossings are worth knowing by name.
Border crossings
- Foz do Iguaçu, where three countries meet
The Ponte da Amizade, the Friendship Bridge, links Foz do Iguaçu with Ciudad del Este in Paraguay and is described as one of the busiest border crossings in South America, full of shoppers and commuters every day. The Ponte Tancredo Neves crosses the Iguazú River to Puerto Iguazú in Argentina. Carry your passport for any of it, even a day trip.
- Oiapoque to Saint-Georges, the bridge that waited six years
The cable-stayed bridge over the Oyapock River is 378 meters long, with towers 83 meters high, and it links Brazil's Amapá state with French Guiana. It was finished in August 2011, but the Brazilian checkpoint was not ready, so the inauguration took place on 18 March 2017 and it opened to the public on 20 March 2017. One guide says crossing by boat is now illegal if you plan to continue deeper into either country.
- Tabatinga and Leticia, a border that is just a street
In the Amazon, the frontier between Brazil and Colombia is an urban one. Avenida da Amizade separates Tabatinga from Leticia, and guides say you can walk from one side to the other, or take a short moto-taxi. Because it is so casual, it is easy to forget that you still need the proper entry stamp for whichever country you plan to travel into.
Transit routes
- Iguaçu day trips across two bridges
Many visitors cross to see the falls from the Argentine side at Puerto Iguazú, over the Tancredo Neves bridge, and some pop over to Ciudad del Este by the Friendship Bridge for the shopping. Decide which bridge you actually want before you set off, because they lead to two different countries.
- Into French Guiana over the Oyapock
The bridge means you can walk or drive between Oiapoque and Saint-Georges, which is quite different from the river crossing by boat that used to be the only option.
Entry point notes
- Apply early, and only on the official portal
Processing is quoted anywhere from 48 to 72 hours to about five business days, and officially up to 10 business days at peak periods. Applications are accepted on the official VFS e-Visa portal, so be wary of look-alike sites.
- Validity is not the same for every nationality
For U.S. citizens the e-Visa has been described as valid for 10 years with multiple entries, and for Canadians and Australians for 5 years. Every stay is still limited to 90 days at a time.
- Extensions come from the Federal Police, not the airline
A stay can be extended through Brazil's Federal Police, up to 180 days in total in a year, which matches the limit for visa-exempt visitors.