Brazilian Visa Application in the U.S. — 2026 Guide

The rules for Americans travelling to Brazil changed on 10 April 2025. Citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia now need an eVisa for any purpose, tourism included. It is applied for online, costs about $81, and is separate from the consular visa categories for longer stays.

Quick facts

Long-stay categories — work, study, family reunion, investment, retirement and the digital nomad permit — are applied for at a consulate and carry much heavier documentation.

Fees breakdown

Every foreign document in a consular visa file has to be apostilled, and most have to be translated by a sworn translator registered in Brazil. Translations produced in the United States by unregistered translators are refused.

How to apply

1. Decide whether your trip is covered by the eVisa or needs a consular category.
2. For the eVisa, apply on the official portal, upload the passport page and photograph, pay and wait for the authorisation by email.
3. For a consular visa, open the request in e-consular under the consulate covering your state.
4. Gather the category documents, apostille the U.S. ones and arrange the sworn translations.
5. Attend the appointment or send the file as the consulate directs, and pay the fee.
6. Enter Brazil within the visa’s validity and register with the federal police where the category requires it.

Required documents

• Passport valid for the whole stay, with blank pages.
• Completed application for the relevant category.
• Photograph to the specification published on the portal.
• Criminal background check, apostilled, for long-stay categories.
• Civil documents — birth, marriage, children’s certificates — apostilled and translated where the category requires them.
• Evidence of income, enrolment, employment or investment, by category.

Where to apply

Consular categories go to the office covering your U.S. address. The eVisa goes through the official portal and does not involve a consulate.

Additional notes

Get the taxpayer number early

Almost everything in Brazil — a bank account, a lease, a phone line — runs on the taxpayer number. It can be obtained at a consulate before departure rather than queuing for it on arrival.

Digital nomads

The digital nomad category can be applied for at a consulate, or from inside Brazil after entering on the eVisa. The two routes have different paperwork.

Never apostille a photocopy

The apostille attaches to an original or to a certified copy from the issuing authority. A plain photocopy is rejected outright.

Freshness rules

Background checks and civil certificates are usually expected to be recent. Ordering them too early in the process means paying for them twice.