Noonsite.com - The Ultimate Cruisers Planning Tool

Brazil: Mandatory Pre-Arrival Visas for US, Canada and Australia Passport Holders

Cruisers who are citizens of Australia, Canada and the United States of America (as well as some other countries) are reminded that they once again need a visa to travel to Brazil. The application process is lengthy, so know the process and start applying well in advance. Arriving without a valid visa will result in entry being denied, according to recent reports from cruisers.

Published 2 days ago

Brazil Entry Requirements for Sailors

Important Notice for United States, Canadian and Australian Passport Holders

Since April, 2025, citizens of Australia, Canada and the United States of America once again need a visa to travel to Brazil on tourism, transit or business visits.

Nationals of these countries can apply for electronic visas (e-visa) through the website Brazil | VFS Global | Official partner of the Government

These visas must be obtained prior to arrival. If you arrive without a valid visa, you will be denied entry and asked to leave.

Apply in Advance

Australian cruiser Sarah Ovens from SV Excelsior, has just crossed the Atlantic from St. Helena with her husband and two children. She reports from Brazil;

“The visa process took many weeks. We had to get minor authority forms and birth certificates for the kids, signed by a public notary (which isn’t even a “thing” in St Helena, but a solicitor who was once Governor General graciously signed our forms for us). However, we were very dismayed when one child’s forms were accepted and the other’s rejected. We called VFS daily trying to get our visas across the line which was exceedingly frustrating. There was no real understanding of our situation having started crossing the Atlantic before the new visa requirement was implemented. We had to get the Australian Embassy and Consulate involved, who told us that they were having many teething issues.”

Advice for Visa Application

Sarah has shared some useful tips and warnings for cruisers applying for Brazil visas in advance:

1. Start early

The application process can take several weeks, even with expedited services. Allow up to a month for all paperwork to be completed. Expedited services can cost over $1000 and still may not actually speed up the process.

2. Be meticulous with passport photos

Photos are frequently rejected for minor issues such as:

Ears not visible
Face not perfectly straight
Background not purely white
Image resolution too low or high

3. If traveling with children you will need:

Notarised minor declaration forms
Birth certificates.
This paperwork is required even if both parents are traveling with the child.

4. Follow up!

Even if you’re using an agent or fast-track service, it’s critical to:

Call and email your visa consultant
Submit images/documents directly to them

Sarah also reports; “The [VFS] website has an upload limit for files, yet they will reject images and documents that aren’t high resolution. So in the end we would call VFS and ask the agent to stay on the line while we emailed what they required, directly to them. I would go as far to say that it would be best to apply for your visa (at least) a month in advance to allow for all the back and forth. We are lucky we had Starlink and could correspond whilst at sea.”

Denied Entry

Sarah reports that she knows of two groups of cruisers who have been turned away on arrival in Brazil, as they didn’t have visas in hand. One boat had paid to have their visas expedited and on arrival they still had not been approved so the Police Federal told them they had to leave.

If you are planning to sail to Brazil and need a visa – start your application in plenty of time.

If crossing the Atlantic from South Africa, the e-visa can be obtained at the Brazilian Consulate-General in Cape Town: Triangle House 2nd Floor, 22 Riebeck Street, Cape Town. Tel: +27 (0)21 421 4040. The process takes at least five working days, so be sure to leave enough time. The Consulate is open Monday to Friday from 0900-1400.

It should be noted that many nationalities are exempt from needing a visa for Brazil. More details about visa requirements for Brazil can be found at Brazil Immigration on Noonsite.

…………………………………

Search

Navigate To Country

Navigate to Cruising Resource

Navigate Noonsite