Visa Waiver Implemented for Australian, Canadian, Japanese and U.S. Nationals

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At a Glance

Nationals of Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States no longer require a visa to enter Brazil for tourism, business, transit through Brazilian airports, sports activities, performances or artistic performances. 

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The situation

A decree entered into force which no longer requires nationals of Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States to obtain a visa to enter Brazil for tourism, business, transit through Brazilian airports, sports activities, performances or artistic performances.

A closer look

• Duration. Foreign nationals from these four countries will be able to enter Brazil for up to 90 days. They can extend their stay for up to 180 cumulative days every 12 months by applying for a renewal at the Federal Police before the end of the 90-day period.
• Unilateral visa waiver. The visa waiver was implemented unilaterally by Brazil. Laws concerning Brazilian nationals traveling to Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States have not changed.
• Restrictions. Foreign nationals should be aware that the visa waiver is not for travelers who engage in activities that require work authorization; these foreign nationals will need to obtain a work permit for such purposes.

 

Impact for foreign nationals

Foreign nationals from Australia, Canada, Japan and United States traveling for the above specified purposes will be able to enter Brazil based on their passport and do not have to obtain visas in anticipation of their arrival.

Background

• Aim to increase tourism from Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States. Along with the visa waiver, Brazil has been implementing numerous changes to immigration policy over the past few years to attract tourists to the country.  For example, during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil temporarily granted visa waivers to foreign nationals from these countries and Brazil also implemented e-visas for these nationalities in the past few years.
• Alignment with Migration Law of 2017. The introduction of visa waivers for the above mentioned foreign nationals is aligned with the policies of the 2017 Migration Law which seeks to simplify visa and other immigration processes.
• Other visa-exempt nationals. Many other nationals are already visa-exempt to Brazil, including those from Mercosur countries, the European Union, Mexico, Russia and Israel.

 

Looking ahead

A new president came into office in January 2019 who comes from a more conservative party than the previous president. As a result of having a new government in office, additional changes to immigration policies may be forthcoming.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected]. Fragomen in Brazil is Fragomen Brasil Serviços de Imigração Ltda., operating exclusively as an immigration consultancy and not as a law firm in Brazil.