Brazil charges US travelers $81 for the e-Visa as reciprocity rules continue

Brazil ended six years of visa-free entry for U.S., Canadian and Australian travelers on April 10, 2025 and the rule is still in force heading into the second half of 2026.

What changed and when

Before April 10, 2025, U.S., Canadian and Australian passport holders could enter Brazil for tourism or business without a visa. Since that date, they need a visitor visa, almost always the e-Visa, before boarding a flight. The Brazilian government has framed the shift as reciprocity: countries that demand visas from Brazilians get the same treatment back.

Despite chatter about a broader Jan. 1, 2026 expansion that would pull in EU travelers, there's no notice from Brazil's foreign ministry, the U.S. State Department or EU embassies confirming any such change has taken effect. Most EU nationals, including French citizens, still enter visa-free for short tourist stays under existing bilateral agreements. Anyone planning to live or work in Brazil long term, EU passport or not, still needs the appropriate residence or work visa, the same as before.

Who gets caught and what it costs

The e-Visa runs roughly $80 to $81 per person, paid online by card during the application on Brazil's official portal, run by VFS Global. Applicants need a passport valid at least six months past entry, a digital passport-style photo, a scan of the bio page and basic trip details.

Validity is generous: up to 10 years for U.S. citizens and up to 5 years for Canadians and Australians, multiple entry, with stays capped around 90 days per year for visitor purposes. Holders of a still-valid physical visa in the right category don't need to reapply.

The group most exposed is repeat short-stay travelers from the three affected countries, including digital nomads who used to chain together visa-free trips. They need an e-Visa in hand before the next flight and the 90-day annual ceiling means slow travelers have to track their cumulative days, not just per-trip stays. Anyone planning to base themselves in Brazil should look at proper temporary residence routes rather than stretching visitor status, as covered in our Brazil country guide.

Related moves

Brazil and China have a temporary reciprocal waiver covering 30-day visits running through Dec. 31, 2026. In the other direction, Brazilians traveling to the Schengen Area now face ETIAS pre-screening, part of the same broader push toward electronic pre-clearance on both sides of the Atlantic.