Has Brazil been in your bucket checklist? In that 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 price, 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 12 months earlier than the pandemic hit, nonetheless, so there was no time to essentially see an impression from this South America visa change, particularly since Brazil’s Covid-19 deaths numbers had been among the many highest on this planet per capita. No one wished to go to Brazil at the moment.
Ultimately Jair Bolsonaro acquired 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 Court docket dominated he should stand trial.
The New Visa Cost to Go to Brazil
The brand new president Lulu wished to make his mark when getting into workplace and took motion to roll again this visa resolution and return to the previous 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 route. (By no means thoughts that some Brazilians keep within the U.S. or Canada illegally however that just about by no means occurs in reverse.)
The measure acquired delayed a number of instances, nonetheless, 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 price was speculated 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 most likely grow to be an oxymoron.
Strain from the journey business, who feared an enormous drop-off in overseas guests from the affected international locations, will need to have helped affect a compromise. The price 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 acquired 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 most likely gained’t have a lot impression.
This visa change was initially speculated to occur in October of 2023, however the authorities couldn’t get its act collectively in time (keep in mind the Rio Olympics?) and it was pushed again to January of, 2024. Then April, then a 12 months 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 many of the international locations of South America, you may simply present up on the airport with a ticket and passport and also you’ll sail by way 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 couple of exceptions in Latin America, nonetheless, often international locations which have political tiffs with the USA happening or they’re making an attempt desperately to get extra overseas forex. So Brazil is becoming a member of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Venezuela as international locations the place you want to cough up extra cash on the airport so you may go spend cash of their nation.
This visa is particularly galling for 2 teams of vacationers: households and cruise ship passengers. That’s as a result of no one is exempt from the $81 price: not somebody stepping off in Rio for in the future nor the two-year-old tagging together with you. For the latter it’s a must to present an unique delivery certificates and a doc signed by the mother and father. See the onerous necessities right here.
The foundations for enterprise visa candidates are on there too and also you’ll have to provide you with much more paperwork for that.
The excellent news is, until Trump utterly tanks the greenback together with his strikes which might be inflicting capital flight from the USA, Brazil ought to stay worth for some time. Costs have come down fairly a bit in recent times because the Brazilian forex has declined towards most others, placing it on par with Argentina the primary quarter of this 12 months, generally a greater worth for luxurious motels 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 would possibly be capable of snag a greater flight value this 12 months than beforehand.
Test flight costs out of your airport right here.
The place this visa change may make issues sophisticated and dearer is if you wish to go to either side of the most important waterfalls within the Americas. For the previous 5 years that it was simple to go to Iguazu Falls on the Argentina facet and Iguassu / Iguaçu Falls on the Brazilian facet. There was no additional cost past admission since each international locations had been visa-free, however now it’s going to imply a really costly crossover. So I think about we’ll return to the state of affairs the place Argentina is getting 3X the variety of overseas guests on their facet that Brazil is getting on theirs.
In case you’re questioning whether or not that is the most costly South America visa, the reply isn’t any. Bolivia has a tit-for-tat reciprocal visa scheme, which is one cause 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 pays 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 simple. In most of them you may keep three months upon arrival with a developed-country passport. In international locations like Colombia and Ecuador you may often lengthen that should you undergo the best course of.
Costa Rica introduced final 12 months 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 lots of international locations on this checklist 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 all the way down to Costa Rica for the winter. Beforehand, in the event that they wished 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 wish to discover Costa Rica in depth whereas nonetheless getting their work executed when wanted. And hey, that’s good for the planet too since Costa Rica will get most of its energy from renewable vitality. Final, it’s excellent news for individuals who wish to put money into Costa Rica actual property and don’t wish to rush the method.
Who else helps you to keep that lengthy? Mexico’s “permission to remain” visa on arrival is now digital as an alternative of being in paper type 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 a spot to remain.
See the place to remain if you get there with our in depth opinions of luxurious Mexico motels all through the nation.
Peru will allow you to keep for 180 days as nicely, 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 possible get one other half a 12 months in your passport. That’s not true for Peru: as soon as you permit the nation after that lengthy you’ll want to remain away for six months earlier than doing it another time.
Many international locations standard with expats, corresponding to Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador, will allow you to keep for six months and even completely should you undergo an software course of and meet the necessities. On the whole by way of, assume you’re good for a couple of months with out visiting immigration, together with in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.
Beginning now although, plan forward if Brazil is excessive in your checklist.
