Over the past few years, Brazil has been back and forth about its visa entry requirements specific to citizens from the United States, Canada and Australia.
On April 10, 2025, Brazil once again reinstated its visa policy, requiring that citizens of the above three countries apply for e-visas if they are not already in possession of valid physical visas.
For quite some time, Brazil has enforced its visa policy on a reciprocal basis, but in 2019, then-President Jair Bolsonaro dropped this requirement for the U.S., Canada and Australia as a way to boost the country’s tourism industry. When President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva came into power in 2023, he announced the return of the visa policy to maintain reciprocity.
Due to implementation issues, they were only able to resume acceptance of applications from April 10, 2025. This was mainly due to them switching to an online eVisa system, making it easier and cheaper for would-be travelers to apply.
“Starting from April 10th, 2025, passport holders from Australia, Canada, and the United States will require a visa for entry into Brazil. If you already possess a valid physical visa in your passport for your visit’s purpose, you do not need to apply for a new visa.
“For those arriving in Brazil by air, sea, or land, the online visa application form is accessible here.
“If your arrival is scheduled on or after April 9th, we strongly recommend applying for your eVisa in advance to prevent travel disruptions caused by delays or missed connections.”
Here’s the part that U.S. citizens need to take note of. Brazil will now require that nationals from all three countries above show proof on income, and those from the U.S. must show that they have a minimum average of US $2,000 in savings over the past three months prior to the application.
If the applicant cannot fulfill this requirement, they will be required to be sponsored by someone else, and said sponsor will also have to show proof of income to meet the minimum $2,000 savings requirement. Applicants must also show proof of either a return or onward ticket.
Weeks after the new visa policy came into effect, there’s been a lot of online chatter complaining about the financial requirement. The reality is this is the norm and custom that outsiders wanting to visit the United States have dealt with for decades. This latest change is not surprising given that Brazil has almost always issued visas based on reciprocity.
