Brazil Visa for US Citizens: The e-Visa, How Long You Can Stay, and When You Need More

The short version

Question	Answer	Source
Do I need a visa to visit?	Yes, an e-Visa, since April 10, 2025	San Francisco consulate
Fee	US$80.90	San Francisco and Chicago consulates, read November 3, 2026
Stay per visit	Up to 90 days	Decreto 9.199, art. 20
Extension	Up to 90 more days, only where reciprocity applies, asked for before the stay ends	Decreto 9.199, art. 20, §§2 and 4
Yearly cap	180 days in a migratory year	Decreto 9.199, art. 20
Staying longer	A temporary visa or a residence authorization	Migration Law and CNIg resolutions

This is general information as of November 3, 2026. Visa rules for US citizens changed in 2025 and may change again, so re-open each source before you travel. If you are planning to live in Brazil rather than visit, the hub lays out the order: Moving to Brazil from the US.

The e-Visa

The San Francisco consulate (page updated December 12, 2025) says that since April 10, 2025, people using passports from Australia, Canada and the United States to visit Brazil for tourism and business are again subject to a visa, and must request an e-Visa through the VFS Global portal (brazil.vfsevisa.com). Questions about the e-Visa go to VFS Global; general visa questions go to the consulate.

What it asks for

The page lists:

• a valid passport, signed, valid for the whole trip, with two blank visa pages;
• the online application form;
• a 2 x 2 inch passport-style photo on a white background;
• the e-Visa fee, US$80.90;
• a flight reservation showing entry into and exit from Brazil;
• a bank statement showing transactions for the last 30 days and at least US$2,000 for travel.

Business travelers also need a letter from their US or Brazilian company stating, among other things, the purpose of the trip, the Brazilian contacts, the company's financial support, and that the traveler will not provide technical assistance or perform salaried work in Brazil, which the page says require a temporary work visa. Minors have extra requirements, including parental authorization.

The Chicago fee table lists the same US$80.90 for the US, Canada and Australia e-Visa, next to a separate US$185 line for US citizens' visit visas.

How long the visa itself is valid

Two different clocks apply: how long the visa can be used to enter, and how long each stay can last. On the first, the Migration Law regulation says a visit visa is valid for one year with multiple entries, unless the Foreign Ministry decides otherwise (art. 15), and that an electronic visit visa may be valid for longer at the Ministry's discretion (art. 15, §3). The e-Visa page does not state a validity period, so read the dates on the e-Visa you receive.

Two passport points matter for an electronic visa. An electronic visa cannot be carried over to a new passport the way a sticker visa could (art. 9, sole paragraph), and its validity may be tied to your passport's expiry date (art. 17).

How long you can stay

The rule is in art. 20 of the regulation:

• Up to 90 days per stay on a visit visa.
• The Federal Police may extend the stay by up to 90 days,
• as long as the total does not pass 180 days in each migratory year.
• The count starts at your first entry and is suspended whenever you leave Brazil (§1).

The articles we read use "ano migratório" (migratory year) without defining it, so the safest way to read the cap is from your first entry. Count your days yourself; the Federal Police can also grant a shorter stay or reduce it (§3).

The "90 days in 180" rule is not the US rule

The Foreign Ministry's entry visa table (updated October 7, 2026) marks some visa-exempt countries with "maximum stay of 90 days every 180 days". The United States row carries no such mark: it says "visa required". For US citizens the regulation's rule above applies: 90 days, a possible extension, and a 180-day cap in the migratory year.

Extending a visit

The Federal Police service is called "Prorrogar Estada como Turista no Brasil". Its gov.br page (last modified July 24, 2026) sets out:

• Who: visitors whose country of origin allows the extension under the Foreign Ministry's visa table. The regulation adds that an extension is only possible for nationals of countries that give Brazilians reciprocal treatment (art. 20, §2).
• When: the request must be made before the original stay ends (art. 20, §4).
• Documents: a valid passport, proof that the fee was paid, and the Federal Police request form. The officer may ask for more, such as proof of accommodation, means of support for the extra time or a return ticket.
• Fee: R$110.44.
• How: an online form and an in-person appointment at a Federal Police unit; the page says some units do not require an appointment.

Not confirmed: the visa table we read does not show, country by country, who may extend. Whether a US e-Visa holder can extend therefore depends on how the Federal Police applies the reciprocity condition. Ask the Federal Police unit before you plan on the extra 90 days.

If you overstay

• Staying after your permitted stay ends is an infraction with a fine for each day of excess, plus deportation if you do not leave or regularize within the period you are given (art. 307, II).
• For an individual, fines run from R$100 to R$10,000 (art. 301, V).
• The Federal Police page says that after the visitor period runs out, the person is fined and notified to regularize or leave within 60 days.
• A visitor who has no stay left in the current migratory year can be refused entry (art. 171, XI), and paying the fine does not change that (art. 300, §3).

What you may do as a visitor

The regulation lists tourism, business, transit, and artistic or sports activities, among others (art. 29). The visitor may not carry out paid activity in Brazil (art. 29, §1).

Remote work for a foreign employer is the exception people ask about. The digital nomad rule, CNIg Resolution 45/2021, says its activities "may be carried out by the immigrant in visitor status", subject to the stay limits and visa rules for their nationality (art. 2). That covers remote work for a foreign employer within your 90 days; it does not let you work for anyone in Brazil.

When you need more than a visit

The New York consulate puts the line simply: temporary visas are for people who intend to establish temporary residence, for more than 90 days. The main routes for Americans without a Brazilian employer:

• Remote work for a foreign employer: Brazil Digital Nomad Visa for Americans.
• Retirement income: Brazil Retirement Visa.
• A Brazilian spouse or partner: Brazil Spouse Visa.
• Real estate: Brazil's Real Estate Residency.
• Routes to an indefinite stay: Brazil Permanent Residency.

A visit visa can also be turned into a residence authorization by request from inside Brazil (Decreto 9.199, art. 124), within your stay. After a temporary visa or a residence grant, registration with the Federal Police has its own deadline: see Brazil Federal Police Registration.

Myths checked against the sources

• "Americans don't need a visa for Brazil." The San Francisco consulate says US passport holders have been "once again" subject to visa requirements since April 10, 2025. They now need the e-Visa.
• "You get 90 days in any 180." That wording appears in the visa table for some visa-exempt countries. For a US visitor, the regulation sets 90 days per stay, a possible extension, and 180 days per migratory year.
• "Anyone can extend to 180 days." The extension is discretionary, limited to reciprocity countries, and must be asked for before the first 90 days end.

Where to go from here

• The whole move, in order: Moving to Brazil from the US.
• The route for remote workers: Brazil Digital Nomad Visa for Americans.
• Registering once you hold a temporary visa: Brazil Federal Police Registration.
• If your visit is the first step toward the nomad visa, the Brazil Digital Nomad Visa Kit has the document trackers and the 90-day arrival timeline to fill in yourself.