Brazil entry requirements, by passport

Vaccinations

• Yellow fever: not mandatory for general entry into Brazil, but recommended when travelling to Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, the Federal District (including Brasília), Espírito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraná, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondônia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Tocantins, and specific areas of Bahia. Important: even though Brazil doesn't require it, neighbouring countries (Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname) may require a yellow fever certificate if you've previously been in Brazil.

Customs limits

Cash

Cash above USD 10,000 or its equivalent in another currency, reais included, must be declared on the e-DBV. Cheques and traveller's cheques do not count.

Alcohol

12 litres in total within the baggage allowance, whatever the route of entry. Arrival duty-free shops at ports and airports allow an additional 24 units, with a maximum of 12 per type of drink. It may not be carried in the baggage of under-18s.

Tobacco

10 packs of foreign-made cigarettes (20 each), 25 cigars or cigarillos and 250 g of tobacco, with the same limits by air, sea, land or river. It may not be carried in the baggage of under-18s, even when accompanied.

Overstay penalties

Remaining on national territory after your documentation's legal period has expired is an offence under Article 109 of Law 13.445/2017. The fine for an individual runs from BRL 100 to BRL 10,000 per offence, with the specific daily amount set by regulation. Brazil also has a quirk worth knowing: the daily fine can be converted into an equivalent reduction of the authorised period of stay if you enter the country again on a visitor visa. In other words, today's overstay can be deducted from your next trip.

Grounds for refusal

• The real purpose of your trip not matching the visa you hold or the reason given for your visa exemption: it is among the Article 45 grounds most often applied at the border to an ordinary traveller.
• Having demonstrably forged documentation or given false information.
• Being convicted of, or facing proceedings for, an act of terrorism, genocide, a crime against humanity, a war crime or a crime of aggression.
• Being convicted of, or facing proceedings in another country for, an intentional crime subject to extradition.
• Appearing on a restrictions list by court order or under a commitment entered into by Brazil.
• Having had a Brazilian visa refused: you are barred from entering while the conditions behind that refusal persist. The law requires an individual interview and a reasoned decision, and expressly forbids refusing entry on grounds of race, religion, nationality, membership of a social group or political opinion.

What to do if you are refused entry →