Four years after Brazil waived visa requirements for some travelers, including those from the USA, the South American country announced it is changing course. Starting January 10, 2024, nationals from the United States, Canada, and Australia will be required to come equipped with an e-visa to enter Brazil. There’s no word yet on what the application process will look like or how much the visa will cost.
Originally, the visa requirement was scheduled to go into effect on October 1, 2023, but the Brazilian government has postponed the launch. In a press release, the government said the reason for implementing visitor visas is that those countries don’t currently offer reciprocity, meaning that Brazilian nationals have to apply and pay for visas to travel to (or through) the USA, Canada, and Australia.
Since 2019, citizens from those three countries, as well as Japan, have been allowed to visit Brazil for business or pleasure without a visa, provided they stay less than 90 days, with the possibility of an extension of up to 180 days. (During 2016, Brazil temporarily waived visa requirements to encourage travelers to visit around the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.) Between November 2017 and June 2019, travelers from those countries needed to apply online for a tourist visa, which cost $40 plus a $4.24 service fee. (Prior to November 2017, the cost was $160 and required a visit to a Brazilian consulate or visa center.)
In a statement, the Brazilian government said it would continue “negotiating visa exemption agreements with these three countries, based on principles of reciprocity and equality between states,” so there is a possibility that the reinstatement of visas never manifests if the United States, Australia, and Canada waive their requirements for Brazilians.
Brazil and Japan have already reached an agreement: Japanese tourists can continue to travel to Brazil without a visa, and Brazilian visitors will soon be able to go to Japan visa-free.
