3 Must Knows About A Brazilian Tourist Visa

Since receiving numerous e-mails with questions about tourist visas, I’ve decided to reveal 3 must knows about a Brazilian tourist Visa today!

After reading the tourist visa section in Joe’s Book “Brazil for Life”, or as I refer to it “The Foreigner’s Bible to Brazil”, questions many of you have been asking me surfaced.

I cant promise you that I will go over every intimate detail on how the visa works, how to apply step-by-step, and tourist-visa combos like Joe does – I’m not into plagiarising anyway 😉

But, I’ve decided to take action today and answer your questions by exposing these 3 must known aspects of a tourist visa, right now.

1. How Long You Really Can Stay

Some foreigners can just show up in Brazil and get a tourist visa on the spot, where in other’s you have to apply for the visa at your nearest (not usually too near) consulate.

In the situation with my wife and I, she could show up at the airport with her Danish passport  and get a visa on the spot, where I would have to apply for a 5 year multiple entry tourist visa and pay about $160… (just meaning that I wouldn’t have to re-apply for the visa until 5 years from the date)

Unfair!

It’s political and we have no control over it, but the truth is that if you live in the USA you are required to apply for a tourist visa.  This is because the USA requires Brazilians to apply for visas and therefore it must be “similar”.

A pain in the royal rear-end if you ask me, and expensive to bout.

For example, in a place like Denmark, Brazilians don’t need tourist visas to enter into the country.  Therefore, the Brazilian government is kind enough to let Danish nationals come in without applying.

A Quick Tip About Applying For A Tourist Visa In The USA



Applying at one of the rare Brazilian consulates in the USA means lining up before they open, taking a number and waiting about 2-3 hours to be seen and submit your application.

To help you avoid this, I recommend that you go with a visa agency to take care of it for you.  I’m speaking from experience, I once drove 14 hours to the consulate and after 3 hours, was seen to be just turned away again due to me having the wrong documents + needing more….

Travisa is great and will take care of everything for a small fee; which makes life a lot easier for you..

I don’t recommend Travisa because of some tiny commission I make at no cost to you, but because they have a huge network, are reliable and fast – period.  I have dealt with them in the past, and would deal with them again.

But how long can you really stay?



Tourist visas are generally issued for 90 days or less at a time, but the customs officer at the entry port have complete discretion to change that (which they usually don’t).

Within about a week or so of your 90 days being up, you have the option to extend for another 90 days.

Do you like math?  Me neither, but here we go anyway: 90 days + 90 days = 180 days a year, which is how long you can legally stay.

How can these 90 + 90 = 180 days be used?



Upon entry into the country the clock starts ticking, but that doesn’t mean that you have to use all of the days at once.

You can come and go as you please until your 180 days within a year are used, counting 365 days backwards (a calendar year).

Here is an example:

Let’s say that you are entering Brazil today, since you have 180 days to be used within 365 days counting backwords, you can do some simple math.

If today is the 4th of October 2012, then 365 days ago was the 4th of October 2011.

So how many days have you visited since the 4th of October 2011?

Let’s again say that you visited during the following dates:

  • December 12-28, 2011
  • February 5-25, 2012
  • June 1 – July 20, 2012

You can add up the total number of days you stayed and get a total to answer the above question.

Here is a video on how you can do that:

(Watch on YouTube)

Site refered to:

What it would look like: 17 days in December + 21 days in February + 50 days from June to July = 88 days out of 90.

This means that you could theoretically come in on your remaining 2 days and then extend your tourist visa to let you stay up to 90 more days.

But if you overstayed your visa, then jump down to the 3rd must know.

2. Renewing Your Tourist Visa The Right Way

And the question of the hour, how to renew.

You have to go to the Federal Police nearest to you and do it there.  When you get to the Federal Police in the larger cities, you can generally get by on English but there still are some things to know when extending:

  1. You will have to fill out an online form and print out a piece of paper to pay a fee.
  2. You will have to pay the fee prior to renewing
  3. With the proof of fee payment together with the online form printed out, you can proceed to the Federal Police.

Note: some larger Federal Police buildings have a bank inside.

If you are in doubt (and if I don’t make a step-by-step guide for renewing a tourist visa in the future), then you can always go to the Federal Police and ask them what to do.

3. 6 Months And Then What?

If you have been in Brazil for longer than 6 months and would like to keep staying, or just stayed a few extra days, then what are your options?

Let me lay them out for you here:

Overstaying Fine

When overstaying a visa, you are charged a fine that is either payable on exit or re-entry into the country at any port.  This fine is around $R8.50 per day and maxes out after 100 days equaling about $R850 (about $425 USD).

Here are some examples:

  1. If you stayed for 99 days and forgot to renew your 90 day tourist visa, then you will pay 9 X $R8.50 = $R76.50
  2. If you stayed for 260 days but did renew your visa allowing you 180 days, then you will pay 80 X $R8.50 = $R680
  3. But Let’s say that you stayed for 777 days!  Well then you will only pay the limit, which equals 100 days X $R8.50.

Once the fine is paid, then you are clear to come back to the country again without issue.

What Are The Consequences Of Overstaying Your Visa?

Not a whole lot… usually just the fine and then you come back without any problems.

Joe in his book ‘Brazil For Life’ tells a story of a Uruguayan man who has been living in Brazil on an overstayed tourist visa for the last 20 years without issue, it was also really interesting to read about his recommendations when a person overstays.

All in all, I wouldn’t sweat it if you overstayed before or are overstaying now – yeah it’s best to do things right according to the book, but sometimes the book is unjust, unmerciful and inflexible.

Switching To A Different Visa

If you’ve caught the Brazilian bug and would like to stay longer but don’t know how, there is a couple of pretty simple solutions: you can switch to a student visa or permanent visa.

A student visa is pretty easy to obtain and Joe calls it “The Secret ‘Semi-Permanent’ Visa”.

In Brazil for Life, he lays out exactly how he got a student visa and you can get one step-by-step. In order to avoid reinventing the wheel, I will focus on why it’s a beneficial visa.

You can study Portuguese as little as 3 hours per week and get a 1 year student visa, which you can continually extend from within Brazil.

It’s that simple, get the right documents from a language school or university that teaches Portuguese, go to your consulate and boom, visa in hand!

A permanent visa based on Brazilian family is easy to apply for, especially if you are both foreigners and have had a child in Brazil (granting it Citizenship).

Many choose to apply based on having a Brazilian child, as this is one of (if not the only) visa that you can apply for within Brazil.

This is the option that was open for my wife and I, as we are both foreigners.  I would definitely recommend this route if you are able to – it’s super easy and gets you permanency right away.

Final Words

I hope that this answers the main questions you have about tourist visas and then some.

Would you do me the favor of liking this post and sharing it if you found it helpful?

There are most definitely others out there who could benefit from this information if you did.

Do you have any experience you could share about tourist visas?  Comment below.

Valeu – cheers!

Kevin

P.S. have you subscribed to my yet?

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  • I overstayed my visa and was given a letter stating I must pay within 5 days. Well I am back in the US so my boyfriend wants to pay for me. MAjor question where are we suppossed to pay the fine? If I was given the Federal Police request in Recife can it be paid in Rio? And once again where is it suppossed to be paid? Please help.

    • I would try contacting a Brazilian consulate here in the US. There are Brazilian consulates in all the major US cities. They probably know most about how to take care of visa fines in Brazil. Good luck!

  • I overstayed my visa for about 7 months, payed the max.fine. I have stayed now for about 4 months in my country(belgium) and i want to go back to brazil with a tourist visum and get married so i hope that will be without any problem to enter brazil again?

  • I would like to switch my student visa to a tourist visa OR extend my student visa… are these things possible? Can I do them from within the country? I’ve tried emailing the Federal Police and the Ministerio de Relações Exteriores but have received no response. What do I do?

  • Kevin- quick question. I have a US passport. I intend to stay 88 days on a tourist visa in Brazil. I will then leave for 3 months to go to Europe. I then intend to stay another 88 days in Brazil after my Europe trip. I have already purchased my tickets (probably a mistake). Do I need a special extension granted by the Police for my second visit to brazil or can I just return? If I do need an extension, can I file it during my first stay for a future date (after I return from Europe) as my 90 day extension will be for 3 months later? Thanks in advance!

  • Our 15 year old Daughter is going to Brazil from Australia on a ‘Student exchange program’ from January 26th 2014 to June 15th (high school semester)She is getting a ‘student visa'(on her Australian passport) to to this.She also has a European passport (European passport holders don’t need a visa to enter Brazil. Australians do) She wants to stay in Brazil until after the World Cup (finishes July 13th)Can she remain in Brazil on her European passport?Is it correct to say that she should enter and leave Brazil on her European passport but leave and re enter Australia on her Australian passport?

  • if i (european, schengen area) overstayed my tourist visa by about three months, so thus ended up staying almost six months instead of 90 on a 180 days roll, left the country without being able to pay the fee (720 reais) and want to re-enter the country – can i pay the fee at the airport? the date i entered was the 30th november 2012, i left 27th may 2013. so, it should be fine to enter as long as i pay the fee, right? i haven’t attempted to re-enter since may 2013 but i’m not quite sure, where to pay the fee now.

  • Hi thanks for some useful info.

    Im a uk male married 15 years to a brasilian woman we have a 7yr old child together. I want to know if need a visa to stay and how long for. I noted the family route but as I am married and my daughter is born and registe4ed in brasil do automaticaly have the right to stay over the 3 month standa4d time ??

    Thanks.

  • hey kevin,

    my name is shiva khatri and i am an Indian i am planning to go to Brazil on the basis of tourist visa. and if i want to stay longer (2-3 year) in Brazil on a basis of work. what should i need to do.please suggest me.

    thanks,

  • I have a uk passport and want to book a straight 6 months return flight to brazil. Even though you have to extend it by 90 days can I still do this to save costs when changing flight ticket? Also is there a website I can print the tourist extension form off before I get there? thanks.

  • Hello, one question: when you pay the fee while exiting the Country… do you still have to wait 90 days before coming back or it’s all “reset”?

    I’m so stupid, I didn’t knwo that if you stay 90 days then you should wait 90 before going back (or if you stay 180 wait for 180).
    I thought you can stay 90 days, then go out for a week or so and the go back like in other countries. Silly me.

    Anyway, I went there the first time from 03/Sep-09/Nov 2014 (tot. of 68 days);
    I’ll go there again after a period of 118 days so from 07/Mar-26/May 2015 (tot. of 80 days).

    Basically if I don’t extend the visa for 90 days more, and I won’t extend it as I don’t want to have to wait 180 days before goig back, do I have to pay the fine for this extra 58 days?

    So ater can I come back straight away or have to wait 90 days or what? =(

    I’m trying to do the União estável with my love but some document might be missing and if I have to stay away from him always 90 days I don’t think this helps…

  • Are you sure you can have the 90 days split up like that? I don’t think that’s correct, not for an Australian anyway.

    It says 90 days (consecutive), as in, once you get there they start counting down and don’t stop, so you can’t spread them out over a large amount of time. That’s the impression I got, but I’m going to the consulate in Sydney to check.

    • It is different if you have a visa label stuck in your passport. If you are from a country that gives you entry clearance at the border (like the UK for example) then yes, you can break it up. However, that being said, if you get a Brazil tourist visa for 90 days and only use 30 days, you can still go back and use the remaining 60 days – you just need to get another label before you go.

  • Oi. Quem estiver buscando um amigo brasileiro pode me contatar, estou à disposição. Eu também gostaria muito de fazer novas amizades. Podemos também ajudar um ao outro no Inglês e o Português. =D

    Hi. Anyone seeking a Brazilian friend can contact me, I am available. I also would love to make new friends. We can also help each other in English and Portuguese. = D

    My Facebook – facebook.com/vitor.livingstone / My Skype – livingbarross / My Phone +55 11 9 85955962 /

  • Oi. Quem estiver buscando um amigo brasileiro pode me contatar, estou à disposição. Eu também gostaria muito de fazer novas amizades. Podemos também ajudar um ao outro no Inglês e o Português. =D

    Hi. Anyone seeking a Brazilian friend can contact me, I am available. I also would love to make new friends. We can also help each other in English and Portuguese. = D

    My Facebook – facebook.com/vitor.livingstone / My Skype – livingbarross / My Phone +55 11 9 85955962

  • Hi
    my wife is 5 month pregnant and i m still to apply visas for brazil.planning to deliver my baby there.suggest me how long before the expected due date should i arrive to avoid difficulty on the airport when arrive?
    How long does it take to get the passport?
    Hashim

  • This is a bit of a backwards question but…..what if one has been on a student visa for 6 months and then at the end of the student visa term wants to return again to Brazil on a tourist visa….how long would they need to wait after leaving the country at the end of the student period? Thanks for your help. Daniel

    • I would contact your local embassy to check, but I am pretty sure you can leave Brazil for a little while and re-enter as a tourist…

  •  i am so keen to have the Brazilian passport, I am planning to have my child born in Sao Paulo but I can’t live in Brazil for a year and leave my work in Dubai. But I am planning to go to Brazil from time to time after the baby is born. Will I still be able to get the Brazilian passport within two years if I am not living permanently in Brazil.

    • You can’t get the passport if you’re not living in the country for a year. You can get residency through your Brazilian child, but not eligible for a passport unless you live in Brazil for a year on your Permanent Residency.

        • Pretty sure that would be a year of uninterrupted residence – all of the other residence requirements for other visas are uninterrupted.

          • Hi chris
            read your post .its quite interesting and informative . I am planning to deliver my baby in brazil in december .i already have two daughters (6 years and 1 year).
            i have some questions
            1: how is it possible to get resident address on a tourist visa as required for the birth certificate
            2: how long does it take to get the babys passport after submitting all the doc.
            3: after i submit my permanent residency (with the child birth certificate ) how long it takes to get it approved
            4: after i get permanent residency approved will i be able to come and go to brazil as i wish or i have to apply for visa every time i decide to go to brazil
            5: what about my two daughters. . Will they be getting permanent residency as well or no .and if no
            6: how will they be able to get it

          • Hey Hashim,

            Here is info on getting proof of address: https://liveinbrazil.org/how-to-get-a-proof-of-residence-in-brazil/

            There is an express option to get your baby’s passport – it should take 5 working days. Yes your other children will be eligible for residency. After a year of living in the country for a year on permanent residency, you can then apply for naturalisation.

            After you get permanent residency, you do not need to apply for a visa to come and go from Brazil.

  • Hi, my friend is finally coming to brazil to visit me. She already got her ticket but there aren’t any days available at the consulate to get the visa! What should we do???

  • Hi there- I’m a little confused how my consulate can issue a student visa for Brazil? I thought it had to come from a Brazilian embassy.
    I have a uk passport and am traveling to Brazil however there is a program I’m interested in studying that can only be signed up for in Brazil. I’d love to be able to switch to a student visa while there. Will the British consulate be able to do this ?

    • No, a student visa can only be issued by a Brazilian consulate in your country/city. Sometimes you can apply at Brazilian consulates in other countries too. What I would suggest is that you travel to Brazil as a tourist, sign up for the program in person, then travel to Buenos Aires by bus (or fly there) and apply for your student visa there. It takes about a week to get and then you can come back into Brazil. Much cheaper than flying back to the UK. I’ve done this before – the main consideration is that if you apply in Buenos Aires as a British citizen, you need to take extra documents with you. Full details can be found here: No, the British Consulate can’t help you with this I’m afraid.

  • I obtained Brazil tourist visa of 90 days but have not travel due to my job and health, now that I am ready and fit to travel but my visa remain 4 days to expire, what do I do, can I still travel with d visa. pls I need urgent reply. my name is Thaddeus

  • I obtain Brazilian visa of 90 days but have not travel due to my job and health but am ready and fit to travel but my visa remain 4 days to expire, pls can I still travel with that visa or what can I do. pls urgent. my name is Thaddeus

  • Hey hey!

    I’m Portuguese and between the 5th of October 2015 and the 29th of September 2016 I’ve spent exactly 180 days in Brazil (with multiple entries). My question is, when can I go back? Do I really need to wait 180 days from the day I left to be able to come back? My boyfriend lives there and I’d love to come back to spend New Year’s Eve with him.. Thank you very much for this helpful post! 🙂

  • Hello there …
    I got a brasilian visa three years with multiple entries. I was planning to travel within three months from the date of issue but I had got family problems so I cancelled my visit. The next year I booked for the journey, knowing that one year from the three years visa had passed, travelled and reached the passport control in Brasil. They refused to let me enter the country pretending that I should have enter in the first year of the visa … I had returned back in the same flight. What should I do now ?

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