Which Brazil visa do you need? For most of our clients the answer is simpler than they expect: a European, British or Swiss passport enters Brazil without any visa for 90 days, Americans, Canadians and Australians now need an electronic visa that takes a few days online, and nobody needs a residence permit to buy an apartment in Rio de Janeiro. The visa question only becomes real when you want to stay longer than six months a year, work remotely from Brazil, retire here or move permanently. This guide explains every Brazil visa route that matters to a foreign buyer, renter or new resident in 2026, with the official thresholds, where to apply and what changes once you cross 183 days in the country.
Planning to stay for good? Our guide to permanent residency and citizenship in Brazil explains what comes after the visa – every route to indefinite residence, naturalisation timelines and dual citizenship.
| Route | Who it is for | Key requirement | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa-free entry | EU, UK, Switzerland, most of Latin America and many others | Valid passport, return ticket | 90 days, extendable to 180 per year |
| Tourist eVisa | USA, Canada, Australia | Online application, US$ 80.90 | 90 days per visit, 180 per year; valid 10 years (US) or 5 years (CA, AU) |
| Digital nomad visa (VITEM XIV) | Remote workers paid from abroad | US$ 1,500/month or US$ 18,000 in savings | 1 year, renewable once |
| Retirement visa (VITEM XIV) | Pensioners | Pension of US$ 2,000/month transferred to Brazil | Up to 2 years, renewable |
| Investor visa (VITEM IX) | Property or business investors | R$ 1,000,000 in real estate (R$ 700,000 in the North and Northeast) or R$ 500,000 in a company | Residence, permanent after the investment is confirmed |
| Family reunion (VITEM XI) | Spouse, partner, parent or child of a Brazilian | Proof of the family tie | Residence, permanent |
| Mercosur residence | Citizens of Mercosur and associated states | Passport, clean record | 2 years, then permanent |
Citizens of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, most of Latin America and many other countries enter Brazil as tourists without a visa. You get 90 days on arrival, and the Federal Police can extend that to a total of 180 days within any twelve-month period if you apply before the first 90 days run out. Those 180 days a year are enough for most second-home owners: many of our clients spend the European winter in their apartment in Ipanema or Leblon and never need anything beyond a passport.
Since 10 April 2025 Brazil again requires a visa from citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia. It is an electronic visa applied for online, not at the consulate: you upload a passport scan, a photo, your itinerary and proof of accommodation, pay US$ 80.90 by card and usually receive the approval within a few working days (the official window is up to ten business days, longer around Carnival). The eVisa is valid for ten years for Americans and five years for Canadians and Australians, with multiple entries, 90 days per visit and 180 days per year. Since early 2026 airlines check the eVisa code before issuing a boarding pass, so apply at least two to three weeks before you fly. Our Brazil tourist visa guide walks through the application step by step.
If you work remotely for an employer or clients outside Brazil, the digital nomad visa created by Resolution CNIg 45/2021 lets you live in Brazil for one year, renewable once for a second year. You need to show income of at least US$ 1,500 a month from foreign sources, or US$ 18,000 in available savings, plus health insurance valid in Brazil, a clean criminal record and proof of where you will live. You apply at a Brazilian consulate abroad; converting from tourist status inside Brazil is possible at some Federal Police offices but slower and less predictable. Remember that the visa does not change the tax rule: from day 184 in any twelve-month period you become a Brazilian tax resident and owe income tax on your worldwide income. Our digital nomad visa guide for Rio de Janeiro covers the documents, the renewal and where remote workers actually live in the city.
Retirees apply under Resolution CNIg 40/2019 for a temporary residence of up to two years, issued as a VITEM XIV visa at the consulate or as a residence authorisation inside Brazil. The requirement is a retirement pension or survivor’s pension of at least US$ 2,000 a month that you transfer to Brazil, together with Brazilian health insurance, a criminal-record certificate and the usual passport and form. There is no minimum age in the resolution. The residence can be renewed for a further period or, on request, for an indefinite term, and after four years of legal residence you may apply for naturalisation. Pensions paid from abroad become taxable in Brazil once you are a tax resident, so the budget needs to include that. We wrote a separate guide to retiring in Rio de Janeiro with costs, neighbourhoods and healthcare.
This is the route most relevant to our buyers. Under Resolutions CNIg 13/2017 and 36/2018, a foreigner who invests at least R$ 1,000,000 in urban real estate in Brazil (R$ 700,000 in the North and Northeast regions) can obtain residence as an investor, with permanent residence once the investment is confirmed. A single apartment in Ipanema, Leblon or Copacabana usually clears the threshold on its own; the property must be registered in your name and paid with money brought in through the Central Bank system. Alternatively, R$ 500,000 invested in an operating Brazilian company, or R$ 150,000 in a startup backed by a recognised incubator, qualifies for the business version. The full requirements, the registration of the investment and the timeline are in our Brazil Golden Visa guide.
The spouse or stable partner (união estável), parent or child of a Brazilian citizen or resident qualifies for a family reunion visa (VITEM XI) and permanent residence without any income or investment test; a stable union is proven with shared contracts, accounts and witness statements. Citizens of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru can apply for Mercosur residence with a passport and a clean record, two years at first and then permanent. There are also work visas for employees of Brazilian companies, student visas and a one-year naturalisation track for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries. Naturalisation normally requires four years of permanent residence and basic Portuguese, reduced to one year for the spouse of a Brazilian or the parent of a Brazilian child, and Brazil does not require you to give up your original nationality.
Every residence visa has to be registered with the Federal Police within 90 days of arrival to receive the CRNM, the national migration card that works as your identity document in Brazil. Independently of any visa you will need a CPF, the taxpayer number, to buy property, open a bank account, sign a lease or even a phone contract; tourists can get one too, and our CPF and financing guide shows how. The rule that matters for every long stay is the 183-day rule: once you spend more than 183 days in Brazil within twelve months, or hold a permanent visa, you are a Brazilian tax resident and file an annual return on worldwide income. Plan the calendar before you plan the move.
Foreigners can buy urban property in Brazil without residency or any visa: a passport, a CPF and a Brazilian bank route for the funds are enough, and the deed is registered in your name like a Brazilian’s. Many of our clients buy first on a tourist entry and decide about residence later, sometimes using the purchase itself for the investor visa. Our guide to buying property in Rio de Janeiro as a foreigner explains the steps and the roughly five percent of closing costs; the moving to Brazil guide covers the first weeks after arrival, and Americans will find the US tax angle in living in Brazil as an American. If you would like a short briefing on which route fits your plans, contact us; we work with immigration lawyers in Rio and can connect you.
No. Citizens of all EU countries, the UK and Switzerland enter visa-free for 90 days, extendable to 180 days per year at the Federal Police.
US$ 80.90, applied for online. Most approvals arrive within a few working days; the official limit is ten business days, so apply two to three weeks before travel.
Yes. Property ownership does not depend on your visa; you need a CPF number and the purchase money sent through a Brazilian bank. Residence is a separate question.
Only through the investor visa: at least R$ 1,000,000 in real estate (R$ 700,000 in the North and Northeast). Below that amount, buying a property does not grant any immigration status.
A pension of at least US$ 2,000 a month transferred to Brazil, under Resolution CNIg 40/2019. Consulates may ask for more when dependants are included.
The digital nomad visa (VITEM XIV): one year, renewable once, with US$ 1,500 a month of foreign income or US$ 18,000 in savings. Working for Brazilian clients is not allowed on it.
We are a licensed brokerage in Ipanema working with foreign buyers and tenants in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. If you are weighing a long stay, a purchase that doubles as your investor visa or simply your first winter in Rio, a free 30-minute briefing with real prices is the fastest way to decide.
Sources: Lei de Migração 13.445/2017, Resoluções CNIg 13/2017, 36/2018, 40/2019 and 45/2021, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs eVisa portal. Thresholds and fees are those published for 2026 and can change; confirm the current rules with the Brazilian consulate responsible for you or an immigration lawyer before applying. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice
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