Brazil eVisa for US Citizens 2026 — Application, Cost, Processing Time

On 10 April 2025, Brazil reinstated the visa requirement for US, Canadian and Australian citizens — the result of a long-running diplomatic reciprocity dispute. The new system is entirely online (no consulate visits), costs R$ 434.80 plus fees, and processes in 5–10 business days. This guide walks you through the exact application flow, every document you'll upload, and the small mistakes that trigger the delayed-review queue.

Quick Answer

• Who: All US, Canadian, Australian passport holders (any age).
• Cost: R$ 434.80 government fee + ~$24 VFS service fee = ~$111 total.
• Time: 5–10 business days (allow 3 weeks buffer).
• Where to apply: brazil.vfsevisa.com only. Never a third party.
• Validity: 10 years, multiple entries, 90-day max stay per visit (extendable once to 180).
• UK/EU citizens: No eVisa needed. 90-day visa-free entry remains.

Who Needs It — and Who Doesn't

The 2025 reinstatement reversed a 2019 unilateral waiver that Jair Bolsonaro had granted. The Lula government, citing reciprocity (the US never waived Brazilian visas), brought the requirement back.

Cost & Processing Time

Breaking down what you actually pay:

• Government fee: R$ 434.80 (at April 2026 USD→BRL ≈ 5.00, that's US$ 87).
• VFS service fee: US$ 24 (non-refundable, covers the platform).
• Optional priority processing: +$60 to cut processing to 2 business days (rarely worth it — apply earlier instead).
• Total per person: ~US$ 111 standard, ~US$ 171 priority.

Processing time is the critical variable. Brazilian consular officers review each application manually. The published SLA is 5–10 business days and they hit it 90% of the time. The 10% slip happens during:

• November–January (Brazilian summer + foreigners planning winter escape)
• June–July (US summer break)
• The two weeks before Carnaval (Feb/Mar)
• When the applicant triggers a manual review flag (see "Common Rejections" below)

Step-by-Step Application on VFS

The official portal is brazil.vfsevisa.com. The form takes 30 minutes if your documents are ready.

• 1. Create account — email + password. Use the email you check daily (approval PDF goes here).
• 2. Start application — select "Visitor (VIVIS)" for tourism. Business meetings also fall under VIVIS.
• 3. Personal details — passport info, address, occupation. Match passport exactly (middle names, hyphens, everything).
• 4. Travel plans — intended arrival date, departure date, cities you'll visit. Does NOT need to match actual itinerary — "Rio de Janeiro" is fine even if you're flying into São Paulo.
• 5. Document upload — 6 files required (see next section).
• 6. Pay — credit card or PayPal. Transaction is in USD; your card does the FX.
• 7. Submit — you get an application reference number. Save it.
• 8. Track — status visible in the VFS portal + email updates. Approved eVisas arrive as a PDF attachment — print and store in your carry-on.

Required Documents

All documents are uploaded as PDFs or JPG files, max 2MB each. Use your phone camera + a free PDF-scanner app like Adobe Scan:

• Passport bio page — the page with your photo, clear and uncropped.
• Recent photo — passport-style, white background, 5cm × 7cm, taken within 6 months. Phone selfie against a white wall works if the light is even.
• Proof of accommodation — hotel booking confirmation (Booking.com PDF is fine) OR a signed invitation letter from a Brazilian resident.
• Proof of onward/return ticket — flight confirmation showing departure from Brazil within 90 days. A refundable Booking.com-style ticket is OK; the VFS system doesn't verify with the airline.
• Proof of financial means — recent bank statement showing ≥ US$ 2,000 in your account for short trips, ≥ US$ 5,000 for long stays. Credit-card statements work too.
• Travel itinerary — a simple Word doc listing cities and dates. Not enforced strictly; just shows intent.

At the Airport — What to Carry

You do NOT need to show the eVisa at the Brazilian embassy or pre-register at the airport. But you MUST have proof at US/Canada departure check-in — airline staff won't let you board without it.

• Printed PDF of the eVisa approval (keep in carry-on, not checked bag)
• PDF on your phone as backup
• Passport with 6+ months validity remaining
• Return ticket printout or screenshot
• Proof of first-night accommodation
• Yellow fever vaccination card IF visiting Manaus, Rio Negro, Pantanal or any inland Amazonas/Pará/Mato Grosso destinations

Common Rejections & Manual-Review Flags

Outright rejections are rare (<2% of US applications). But triggering a manual review can add 10–20 days. The top flags:

• Blurry passport photo — re-scan at a better angle. Biggest single delay cause.
• Passport under 6 months validity — renew passport first. Brazil requires 6 months at entry.
• Mismatched names — "John A Smith" on passport vs "John Smith" on form triggers manual review.
• Inconsistent travel dates — stated arrival 15 May but return flight 20 July = form auto-flags (over 90 days).
• Previous Brazilian overstay — if you overstayed before 2019 eVisa system remembers.
• Recent Venezuelan passport stamps or Cuban business visa — triggers manual political review in some cases.

Visa-Free Alternative — If You Hold a Second Passport

If you have an EU, UK, Japanese, Korean or any Mercosur passport, use that one for Brazil. The visa-free 90 days kicks in automatically. Dual nationals (US + UK, US + Italy, etc.) save US$ 111 and 2 weeks of processing by entering Brazil on the non-US passport. Brazilian immigration only cares which passport you present at the border.