How to apply for Brazil tourist visa: A step-by-step guide

A Brazil tourist visa is required for 93 nationalities entering Brazil as tourists. The application process involves filling out an online application and submitting documents at a Brazilian consular office. Some consulates require an appointment and some accept only mail-in applications.

Refer to the Brazil Visa Guide for a general overview of various visa options for tourists, their eligibility and application process.

***

Who is required to apply for Brazil tourist visa?

The following 93 nationalities require a tourist visa to travel to Brazil.

1. Afghanistan
2. Algeria
3. Angola
4. Azerbaijan
5. Bahrain
6. Bangladesh
7. Benin
8. Bhutan
9. Brunei Darussalam
10. Burkina Faso
11. Burundi
12. Cabo Verde
13. Cambodia
14. Cameroon
15. Central African Republic
16. Chad
17. Comoros
18. Congo, Dem. Rep. of
19. Congo, Rep of
20. Côte d’Ivoire
21. Cuba
22. Djibouti
23. Egypt
24. Equatorial Guinea
25. Eritrea
26. Eswatini
27. Ethiopia
28. Gabon
29. Gambia
30. Ghana
31. Guinea
32. Guinea -Bissau
33. Haiti
34. India
35. Iran
36. Iraq
37. Jordan
38. Kenya
39. Kiribati
40. Kosovo
41. Kuwait
42. Kyrgyzstan
43. Laos
44. Lebanon
45. Lesotho
46. Liberia
47. Libya
48. Madagascar
49. Malawi
50. Maldives
51. Mali
52. Marshall Islands
53. Mauritania
54. Mauritius
55. Mozambique
56. Myanmar
57. Nauru
58. Nepal
59. Niger
60. Nigeria
61. North Korea
62. Oman
63. Pakistan
64. Palau
65. Palestine
66. Papua New Guinea
67. Rwanda
68. Samoa
69. São Tomé and Príncipe
70. Saudi Arabia
71. Senegal
72. Sierra Leone
73. Solomon Islands
74. Somalia
75. South Sudan
76. Sri Lanka
77. Sudan
78. Syria
79. Taiwan
80. Tajikistan
81. Tanzania
82. Timor-Leste
83. Togo
84. Tonga
85. Turkmenistan
86. Tuvalu
87. Uganda
88. Uzbekistan
89. Vanuatu
90. Vietnam
91. Yemen
92. Zambia
93. Zimbabwe

***

What is the validity of Brazil tourist visa?

Brazil tourist visa is valid for 1, 5 or 10 years, depending on the nationality. All Brazilian tourist visas are multiple-entry.

***

What is the permitted duration of stay?

Allowed duration of stay for Brazil tourist visas is up to 90 days per visit. But the total duration of stay cannot exceed 90 days in a given 1-year period.

***

What are the required documents?

You would need the following documents for the online application.

• Digital passport-size photo
• Digital signature (sign on paper and then scan or use an online tool)
• Passport ID page scan
• Round-trip airline tickets
• Hotel/hostel booking
• Cover letter (required only at some consulates)
• Day-by-day itinerary (required only at some consulates)
• Bank statements (last 3 months)
• Salary slips (last 3 months)
• Income tax returns (last 3 years)

At the time of document submission (in-person or mail-in), you would need to carry these documents.

• Original passport
• Printed and signed RER (RER is the receipt of online application submission)
• One passport-size photo affixed on the RER
• Originals for all the documents you’ve uploaded during the application submission
• Prepaid self-addressed envelope (required at some consulates that only accept mail-in applications)
• Visa fee (cash is not accepted and the mode of payment is different in each country)

Passport requirements

Passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the day of arrival in Brazil. Passport must have at least 2 blank pages for the visa sticker and stamps.

Photo requirements

You would need one digital photo for the online application and one paper photo to be affixed on the application receipt (RER). These photos must meet the following specifications.

• Must be in color on a while background
• Face must be centered and looking directly into the camera
• Must be a JPG, JPEG, or PNG file
• Must be at least 431×521 pixels
• Must be less than 3.5mb

Digital signature requirements

You need to upload a copy of your signature. You can sign on paper, scan it and upload it. Or, you can use an online tool such as DocuSign. The digital signature file must meet the following specifications.

• Must be a JPG, JPEG or PNG file
• Must be at least 420×240 pixels
• Must be less than 3.5mb

Other scanned documents

• Must be in PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG and BMP format
• All documents together should be a maximum of 20mb.

You should not book any airfare or hotel until your Brazil tourist visa is approved. For the flight ticket, get a flight itinerary from a dummy ticket provider or book a refundable flight ticket.

For hotels, book a hotel with a “refundable” or “pay at check-in” option. Take a printout of the hotel booking for your visa application and cancel the booking later. This serves as a hotel reservation for your visa application.

***

How much is the Brazil tourist visa fee?

The visa fee for Brazil tourist visa depends on the following.

1. The country of your passport and
2. The country where you are applying from

Below is the fee when applying from the United States or India.

Country	Visa Fee (US)	Visa Fee (India)
Algeria	$85 USD	8,500 INR
Australia	$120 USD	12,000 INR
United States	$185 USD	18,500 INR
All other countries	$80 USD	8,000 INR

As you can see, the fees are based in USD, but you will be charged in the local currency of the consulate’s location.

***

What is the processing time for Brazil tourist visa?

Processing can take 7-16 business days, depending on the Brazilian embassy/consulate where you apply from.

***

How to fill out the online application form?

The first step in the Brazil tourist visa application is to fill out an online application form. After successful submission, you will be able to download a receipt called RER (Recibo de Entrega de Requerimento). You will have to submit this RER, along with all your original documents at the Brazilian consular office.

Follow the steps below to fill out your online application.

—

Step 0: Start

Go to the official Brazil Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Click on the “VISA” option.

You’ll be taken to the “General Information” page.

Read through the information, solve the captcha and click on the “START NEW APPLICATION” button.

—

Step 1: General Data

Section: Identification Data

• Given Names [Instruction: Enter your given name or first name as per your passport. If you have a middle name, enter your first name and then your middle name separated by a space]
• Family Names [Instruction: Enter your family name or surname as per your passport ]
• Family Names Unknown [Instruction: Select this box if you do not have a surname/family name or if it’s blank in your passport]
• Birth Date [Instruction: Enter your date of birth as per your passport]
• Marital Status [Instruction: Select your marital status]
• Sex [Instruction: Select your sex]
• Do you have former names? [Instruction: Select “No”. If you have changed your name for reasons such as after marriage, etc., enter your previous name and select the reason for the change.]

Section: Place of Birth

• Place of Birth [Instruction: Enter the country where you were born as per your passport]
• State/province [Instruction: Select the state/province where you were born as per your passport]
• City [Instruction: Select the city where you were born as per your passport]

Section: Nationality

• Do you have Brazilian nationality? [Instruction: Select “No”]

When you select that you do not have a Brazilian nationality, the following two questions will appear.

• Passport Issuing Authority [Instruction: Select the country that issued your passport]
• Do you have other nationalities? [Instruction: Select “No”. Select “Yes” if you have any other nationalities and enter the details.]

Section: Parents

Parent’s Data 1

• Not Informed [Instruction: Leave this unchecked. If you do not prefer to enter your father’s details, you can check this box. But I recommend entering your father’s details.]

If you left the above unchecked, you’ll have to enter the details below.

• Given Names [Instruction: Enter your father’s given name]
• Family Names [Instruction: Enter your father’s surname/family name]
• Family Names Unknown [Instruction: Leave this unchecked]
• Place of Birth [Instruction: Enter your father’s place of birth]
• Birth Date [Instruction: Enter your father’s date of birth]
• Issuing Authority [Instruction: Select your father’s nationality]

Parent’s Data 2

• Not Informed [Instruction: Leave this unchecked. If you do not prefer to enter your mother’s details, you can check this box. But I recommend entering your mother’s details.]

If you left the above unchecked, you’ll have to enter the details below.

• Given Names [Instruction: Enter your mother’s given name]
• Family Names [Instruction: Enter your mother’s surname/family name]
• Family Names Unknown [Instruction: Leave this unchecked]
• Place of Birth [Instruction: Enter your mother’s place of birth]
• Birth Date [Instruction: Enter your mother’s date of birth]
• Issuing Authority [Instruction: Select your mother’s nationality]

Data of Legal Representative

• Not Informed [Instruction: Check this box]

Click on the “Next” button.

Your Application Recovery Code will be generated and displayed. You would need this Application Recovery Code to retrieve your saved application. So copy this code or take a screenshot of it.

Click on the “Continue” button.

—

Step 2: Visa Data

Section: Purpose of the Trip

• Main purpose of the trip [Instruction: Select “Tourism” from the options]
• Additional objectives [Instruction: Leave this blank]
• Estimated date of arrival [Instruction: Enter your estimated date of arrival in Brazil]

Section: Planned Stay

• Type of period [Instruction: Select either “Until” or “For” and enter the duration of your intended stay in Brazil]

Section: Previous Stay

• Have you ever been to Brazil? [Instruction: Select “No”. If you have been to Brazil before, select “Yes” and enter the details.]

Section: Exhibition of Travel Document

• How the exhibition of this document will be made? [Instruction: Select “In Person”. If you are sending or required to send your documents via courier or an agent, select the appropriate option.]

Click on the “Next” button.

—

Step 3: Documents

Section: Travel Document

• Document type [Instruction: Select “Passport”]
• Number [Instruction: Enter your passport number]
• Issued by [Instruction: Enter the country that issued your passport ]
• Date of issue [Instruction: Enter your passport issue date]
• Date of expiry [Instruction: Enter your passport expiry date]

Section: Other Document

This section is not relevant for tourists. Just check the box for “Unknown“.

Section: CPF Number

This section is also not relevant for tourists. Just check the box for “Unknown“.

Click on the “Next” button.

—

Step 4: Professional Data

This section is not mandatory, but I recommend entering your current job and employer information.

Section: Profession or Occupation

• Profession or occupation [Instruction: Enter your profession or occupation]
• Job description [Instruction: Enter your job title or description]
• Nature of business or activities to be conducted by applicant in Brazil [Instruction: Non-relevant, so leave this blank]
• Monthly income in USD [Instruction: Enter your monthly income in USD]

Section: Employer/University/School/Organization Data

• Name of employer/college/school [Instruction: Enter your employer name]
• Local [Instruction: Select the country of your employer company]
• State/province, City, Address, Zip Code [Instruction: Enter your employer’s address]
• E-Mail [Instruction: Enter your employer’s email]
• Telephone [Instruction: Enter your employer’s phone]
• Nature of company’s/organization’s business or activities in Brazil [Instruction: Non-relevant, so leave this blank]

Click on the “Next” button.

—

Step 5: Contacts

Section: Email

Enter your email.

Section: Telephone

Enter your cell phone number.

Section: Outras Formas de Contacto

You can leave this section. It’s not mandatory and you’ve also provided your email and phone number above already.

Section: Permanent Address

• Local [Instruction: Select your country of permanent address]
• State/province, City, Address, Zip Code [Instruction: Enter your permanent address]

Section: Other Address

If your permanent address is the same as your communication address, leave this section. But if your permanent address is not the same as your communication address, click on the “Include Other Addresses” button and enter your communication address.

Section: Contact in Brazil

• Not informed [Instruction: Leave this unchecked. If you do not prefer to enter your hotel contact, you can check this box, but I recommend entering your hotel information here.]

1 Contact Person

• Name [Instruction: Enter the name of your hotel]
• Local [Instruction: This is not editable and by default Brazil]
• State, City, Address, Zip Code [Instruction: Enter your hotel’s address]
• Relationship [Instruction: Select “Other”]
• Type of means of contact [Instruction: Select email or phone]
• Contents [Instruction: Enter email or phone]

Click on the “Next” button.

—

Step 6: Biometric Data and Scanned Documents

Section: Photograph

Use the “Chose File” button to upload your digital photo. After you select the file to upload, a pop-up appears to help crop the picture if it’s not in the right dimensions. You can adjust the picture and click on the “Cut Out” button to close the pop-up.

Section: Signature

Use the “Chose File” button to upload your digital signature. Similar to a digital photo, a pop-up will appear to help crop the signature.

Section: Scanned Documents

Select the document you would like to upload from the dropdown. For example, to upload your flight itinerary, select “Air Ticket” and upload your flight itinerary.

After uploading all your supporting documents, click on the “Complete Application” button.

You will be taken to the “Service Request” page, where your Application Recovery Code and button to print RER are displayed.

Click on the “Print Delivery Receipt” button to save your RER as a PDF.

Print this RER, sign and affix a photo. You would need to present this along with your documents at the Brazilian consular office on the day of your appointment.

***

How to schedule an appointment for document submission?

Not all Brazilian embassies or consulates accept walk-in submissions of documents. You must first check if you need an appointment, and if so, you will need to schedule one.

Go to the official Sistema e-consular website. Unfortunately, this page will only be in Portuguese, but I will translate the information for you.

For the question “Onde você se encontra?” [Translation: Where are you located?], Select your country from the dropdown.

It will show the Brazilian embassy and any consulates in your country.

If the embassy or consulate requires an online appointment, you will see a link “Solicitar serviços nesta repartição consular” [Translation: Request services at this consular office] to schedule the appointment. You can click on the link and make an appointment.

If the embassy or consulate does not support online appointments, it will simply display a link to the embassy website. You can click on the link and go to the embassy website. The embassy website will have the information on how to submit the documents or you can find their contact information and email them to ask.

***

How to track your application status?

Go to the official Brazil Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Click on the “Check Status“.

Enter the following and click on the “Search” button

• Application Recovery Code [Instruction: Enter your application recovery code that you’ve received while filling out your online application form. You can also find this code on your RER as “Retrieval Code”.]
• Family Names [Instruction: Enter your surname/family name or last name as per your passport]
• Birth Date [Instruction: Enter your date of birth as per your passport]
• Captcha [Instruction: Solve the captcha]

Your application status will be displayed below the form. Your application can be in any of these 4 statuses.

• Sent: The embassy has received your application
• Under Review: The embassy is currently processing your application
• Approved: The embassy has approved your visa application
• Ready for Delivery: Your passport and visa are ready for pick up or delivery

Credits: Maps are made with mapchart.net