Has Brazil been in your bucket listing? If that’s the case, I hope you heeded our recurring recommendation the previous couple of years and already made the journey. A giant South America visa change is simply grew to become official, the primary one in a few years. Brazil goes to begin charging you a major sum for the pleasure of spending your cash there—although it may have been worse…
When the previous president of Brazil noticed the tourism numbers spike in Argentina and Chile after they dropped their reciprocal visa payment, he rightly assumed the identical factor would occur in Brazil in the event that they dropped their costly entry visa. It was solely in place for a yr earlier than the pandemic hit, nevertheless, so there was no time to essentially see an impression from this South America visa change, particularly since Brazil’s Covid-19 deaths numbers have been among the many highest on the earth per capita. No person needed to go to Brazil at the moment.
Finally Jair Bolsonaro received defeated on the poll field and tried to stage a coup to remain in workplace. He escaped the nation when it grew to become clear that wasn’t going to succeed. He was previously charged for his crimes in February of 2025 and Brazil’s Supreme Courtroom dominated he should stand trial.
The New Visa Cost to Go to Brazil
The brand new president Lulu needed to make his mark when getting into workplace and took motion to roll again this visa choice and return to the outdated methods. Citing equity as the explanation, he introduced that vacationers coming to Brazil on trip would pay the identical quantity Brazilians pay to go the opposite course. (By no means thoughts that some Brazilians keep within the U.S. or Canada illegally however that nearly by no means occurs in reverse.)
The measure received delayed a number of occasions, nevertheless, with dialogue about whether or not potential vacationers must go to a consulate workplace in their very own nation or not. On the first announcement, the Brazil visa payment was alleged to be a whopping $160 per particular person for Individuals, or $640 shelled out earlier than arriving for a household of 4. “Household journey in Brazil” would in all probability develop into an oxymoron.
Stress from the journey business, who feared a large drop-off in international guests from the affected international locations, will need to have helped affect a compromise. The payment will now be $81 per particular person for Individuals, the identical as for Canadians and Australians. My guess is that this made the implementation simpler to not have three charges for 3 international locations. All of them can use the identical sign-up web site right here:
It seems like Australians received a uncooked deal out of this. As greatest I can inform, it’s now going to price them extra to go to Brazil than they cost the Brazilians. The variety of Aussies making that lengthy flight is sort of low anyway although, so it in all probability received’t have a lot impression.
This visa change was initially alleged to occur in October of 2023, however the authorities couldn’t get its act collectively in time (bear in mind the Rio Olympics?) and it was pushed again to January of, 2024. Then April, then a yr later. They’re apparently now prepared so that you can get your journey visa on-line and begin pumping up the federal government income.
What This Means for Your Brazil Trip
For a lot of the international locations of South America, you possibly can simply present up on the airport with a ticket and passport and also you’ll sail by means of immigration with out opening your pockets. There could also be some taxes constructed into your airplane ticket, however you don’t see them or must do something particular prematurely.
There are a number of exceptions in Latin America, nevertheless, often international locations which have political tiffs with the USA happening or they’re making an attempt desperately to get extra international foreign money. So Brazil is becoming a member of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Venezuela as international locations the place it’s good to cough up extra cash on the airport so you possibly can go spend cash of their nation.
This visa is very galling for 2 teams of vacationers: households and cruise ship passengers. That’s as a result of no person is exempt from the $81 payment: not somebody stepping off in Rio for someday nor the two-year-old tagging together with you. For the latter it’s important to present an authentic beginning certificates and a doc signed by the mother and father. See the onerous necessities right here.
The principles for enterprise visa candidates are on there too and also you’ll must provide you with much more paperwork for that.
The excellent news is, until Trump utterly tanks the greenback together with his strikes which are inflicting capital flight from the USA, Brazil ought to stay an excellent worth for some time. Costs have come down fairly a bit in recent times because the Brazilian foreign money has declined towards most others, placing it on par with Argentina the primary quarter of this yr, generally a greater worth for luxurious accommodations in Brazil.
Extra flight choices have opened up too from the USA, Canada, and Europe. Elevated competitors often results in higher airfares, so that you may have the ability to snag a greater flight worth this yr than beforehand.
Examine flight costs out of your airport right here.
The place this visa change may make issues sophisticated and costlier is if you wish to go to each side of the biggest waterfalls within the Americas. For the previous 5 years that it was straightforward to go to Iguazu Falls on the Argentina aspect and Iguassu / Iguaçu Falls on the Brazilian aspect. There was no additional cost past admission since each international locations have been visa-free, however now it’s going to imply a really costly crossover. So I think about we’ll return to the scenario the place Argentina is getting 3X the variety of international guests on their aspect that Brazil is getting on theirs.
In case you’re questioning whether or not that is the costliest South America visa, the reply is not any. Bolivia has a tit-for-tat reciprocal visa scheme, which is one purpose why it will get solely a trickle of tourists in comparison with its neighbors. Plus Bolivia has even fewer preparations with different nations than Brazil does, so it’s extra than simply Individuals, Canadians, and Australians who can pay to enter there.
Who Has the Most Beneficiant Visas in Latin America?
Whereas Brazil goes backwards on attracting extra American and Canadian vacationers, different international locations in Latin America make it fairly straightforward. In most of them you possibly can keep three months upon arrival with a developed-country passport. In international locations like Colombia and Ecuador you possibly can often lengthen that for those who undergo the fitting course of.
Costa Rica introduced final yr that they’re extending the time that guests can keep of their nation with a vacationer visa obtained on arrival, from 90 days to 180 days. This is applicable to all “group one” international locations that solely want a passport to enter Costa Rica. There are a whole lot of international locations on this listing together with the USA, Canada, most European international locations, most South American international locations, Japan, and South Africa.
That is particularly nice information for snowbirds who escape the chilly up north and are available right down to Costa Rica for the winter. Beforehand, in the event that they needed to remain greater than 90 days, they needed to do a border run to a neighboring nation and return with a brand new passport stamp. Now they will keep for almost six months.
That is additionally nice information for distant employees and nomads who need to discover Costa Rica in depth whereas nonetheless getting their work finished when wanted. And hey, that’s good for the planet too since Costa Rica will get most of its energy from renewable power. Final, it’s excellent news for individuals who need to spend money on Costa Rica actual property and don’t need to rush the method.
Who else permits you to keep that lengthy? Mexico’s “permission to remain” visa on arrival is now digital as an alternative of being in paper kind and most guests get 180 days for the asking. If you actually need that lengthy although, it might be sensible to have a return ticket and proof that you’ve got a spot to remain.
See the place to remain once you get there with our intensive evaluations of luxurious Mexico accommodations all through the nation.
Peru will allow you to keep for 180 days as properly, although there’s a little bit of a twist. In case you depart Tijuana, have lunch in San Diego, then return to Mexico, you’ll doubtless get one other half a yr in your passport. That’s not true for Peru: as soon as you allow the nation after that lengthy you’ll want to remain away for six months earlier than doing it another time.
Many international locations widespread with expats, comparable to Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador, will allow you to keep for six months and even completely for those who undergo an utility course of and meet the necessities. Typically by means of, assume you’re good for a number of months with out visiting immigration, together with in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.
Beginning now although, plan forward if Brazil is excessive in your listing.
