Flying to Brazil on a US passport? Get your visa first. We handle it.
Since April 10, 2025, US citizens have needed a visa to visit Brazil, even to see family. The application is filed online, yet small details trip up many travelers. Cartório BR prepares everything, with the 2x2 photo and the consular fee included, and follows your application through to the consulate's decision.
- 2x2 photo and consular fee included
- Adults and children under 18
- Help in English or Portuguese, in person or online
For years, a US passport was all Americans needed to enter Brazil. Not anymore.
From 2019 to 2025, US citizens did not need a visa to visit Brazil. Many families got used to it: buy the ticket, show the US passport, board the plane.
Since April 10, 2025, that exemption no longer applies. A US citizen needs the visitor visa, called the e-Visa, before boarding, and the airline checks it at check-in.
The application looks simple, but it can be returned or denied over small details, such as a photo that does not meet the requirements or an unsigned passport.
When that happens, the trip is usually already booked.
Without the e-Visa, you cannot board a flight to Brazil.
The first check does not happen when you land in Brazil. It happens at check-in, while you are still in the United States. Travelers who learn this at the airport lose the ticket, the reservation and the family trip.
What is the Brazil e-Visa?
The e-Visa is Brazil's visitor visa, requested online through the portal designated by the Brazilian government (brazil.vfsevisa.com, operated by VFS Global). It covers tourism, business, transit and family visits.
The application is filed in the US citizen's name and brings together the passport details, a photo that meets the requirements, the supporting documents and the consular fee payment. The Brazilian consulate reviews it and makes the decision.
Once approved, the e-Visa arrives by email as a PDF. It is valid for multiple entries and must be printed and carried with your passport on every trip to Brazil.
A US passport alone.
A US passport and an approved, printed e-Visa.
Who needs the e-Visa?
Married to a Brazilian
A husband or wife with a US passport traveling to Brazil on vacation, to see family or for a special occasion, such as a wedding. Being married to a Brazilian does not exempt you from the visa requirement.
Children of Brazilian parents
A child or teenager born in the United States who does not yet have a Brazilian passport. Traveling only on a US passport, the child enters Brazil as a visitor and needs the e-Visa. The application requires documents and authorization from both parents.
Visiting for any reason
Any US citizen traveling to Brazil, even for just a few days.
The problem shows up at the check-in counter.
The family books the flight months in advance. Grandma in Brazil is counting the days. The bags are packed. Then, at check-in, the agent asks for the visa of the American spouse or child.
Without a visa, that person does not board. The family has to decide on the spot: the others travel without them, or nobody goes.
Even travelers who remember the visa in time stumble over the details. The photo taken at home is rejected. The bank statement is a screenshot. The passport is unsigned. The application comes back, and the clock keeps ticking.
Done early, the e-Visa is a simple process. Done the week of the trip, it is a gamble.
Without the e-Visa, all of this is at risk:
- The family trip to Brazil
- The visit to grandparents and relatives
- The wedding or baptism scheduled in Brazil
- The vacation already paid for
- The business trip
- The child's first visit to Brazil
The visa requirement for US citizens has been in force since April 10, 2025.
The visa exemption for citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia was granted by Decree No. 9,731 of March 16, 2019. Decree No. 11,515 of May 2, 2023, revoked that exemption and set a date for reinstating the requirement. That date was postponed three times and finally set by Decree No. 11,982 of April 9, 2024, art. 1, which rewrote art. 3 of Decree No. 11,515/2023: "This Decree enters into force on April 10, 2025."
The visitor visa is provided for in Law No. 13,445 of May 24, 2017 (Brazilian Migration Law), art. 12, item I, and art. 13, main text and paragraph 1. Under these provisions, the visitor visa may be granted to anyone coming to Brazil for a short stay, with no intention of taking up residence, for tourism, business, transit, or artistic or sports activities. The holder may not engage in paid work in Brazil. The length of stay is set by Decree No. 9,199 of November 20, 2017, art. 20: up to 90 days, extendable by the Federal Police for another 90, as long as the total stay does not exceed 180 days per migratory year (a 12-month period counted from the first entry, art. 1, item VIII).
The e-Visa application is filed on brazil.vfsevisa.com, the portal designated by Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (gov.br/mre) and operated by VFS Global; the Brazilian consulate reviews the application and makes the decision.
The rule is clear. What delays a trip is a poorly prepared application; the common mistakes listed below show what usually sinks one. Cartório BR prepares every application to meet the consulate's requirements.
This Decree enters into force on April 10, 2025.
Up to 90 days, extendable by the Federal Police for another 90 days, as long as the total stay does not exceed 180 days per 12-month period counted from the first entry (art. 1, item VIII).
The visitor visa may be granted to a visitor coming to Brazil for a short stay, with no intention of taking up residence, for tourism, business, transit, or artistic or sports activities, and the holder may not engage in paid work in Brazil.
What you need to send
Adults (18 and older)
- Scanned US passport, signed and valid through the end of the trip
- Recent 2x2 photo (only if you are not coming to the office, where we take it for you)
- Round-trip airline ticket (the booking link also works)
- Bank statement for the last 30 days, showing a balance of at least $2,000
- Current proof of address
Children under 18
- The child's scanned US passport, signed and valid through the end of the trip
- The child's US birth certificate
- Recent 2x2 photo of the child (only if you are not coming to the office)
- Mother's valid passport
- Father's valid passport
- Bank statement from either parent
- The child's round-trip airline ticket (the booking link also works)
- Proof of address for either parent
- Parental authorization for the visa, on the consulate's form, signed by both parents (notarized when the consulate requires it)
You send the documents. Cartório BR files the application.
You talk to our team
We confirm that you need the visa, send you a quote on WhatsApp and tell you what to send. The document list is different for adults and for children under 18.
You send the documents and get your photo taken
The 2x2 photo is included: we take it at our Bothell office, to the consulate's specifications. If you live far away, we send you instructions to take it yourself. The portal does not accept documents photographed with a phone, so everything must be scanned.
Cartório BR files the application and pays the fee
The consular fee is included in the service. Before submitting, our team reviews every document and every detail of the application.
You receive the e-Visa as a PDF
Cartório BR follows up on the application until the consulate makes a decision, then sends you the visa to print and carry with your passport. The decision to grant the visa rests with the Brazilian consulate.
Why choose Cartório BR?
Experience in Brazil and the United States
Francisco Harto has lived in the United States since 2016 and has volunteered at Brazil's mobile consulate events since 2017. Cartório BR has served the Brazilian community in the United States for more than five years, mainly in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco.
Photo and consular fee included
No need to hunt for a place that takes compliant photos or to deal with the payment on the portal. Cartório BR handles both.
Reviewed before submission
Signed passport, expiration date, bank statement, ticket, photo: our team checks every item, so your application is not sent back over a small detail.
Help in English and Portuguese
You do not need to understand Brazil's e-Visa portal or its rules. We explain what matters in plain English, your Brazilian family can handle everything with us in Portuguese, and you simply provide the documents.
Mistakes that delay or sink the e-Visa application
Assuming that being married to a Brazilian means you do not need a visa.
Taking the photo at home, with shadows, a colored background or glasses.
Photographing documents with a phone instead of scanning them.
Sending an unsigned passport, or one that expires before the return date.
Sending a screenshot of your banking app instead of the full 30-day statement.
Applying the week of the trip.
For a child: forgetting a parent's passport or the authorization signed by both parents.
Apply early: processing time depends on the consulate.
Once the application is submitted, the review and the decision rest with the Brazilian consulate. The e-Visa portal states that processing takes up to 10 business days from submission, a timeframe that can stretch during peak travel periods. The portal itself recommends applying two months before your trip, and Cartório BR follows that guidance. If the consulate requests an additional document, the window to respond is short. The sooner the application goes in, the lower the risk of reaching your travel date without a visa.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Since April 10, 2025, a US citizen traveling to Brazil as a visitor has needed a visa, even when married to a Brazilian and even for a short visit. If you are also a Brazilian citizen traveling on a Brazilian document, or already hold residence in Brazil, a different rule applies. You also do not need a visa for a connection at a Brazilian airport, as long as you stay in the international transit area.
If your child travels on a Brazilian passport, no: they enter Brazil as a Brazilian. If they only have a US passport, yes, the e-Visa is required. If you prefer that route, Cartório BR can also handle your child's consular birth registration and Brazilian passport.
Coming to our Bothell office makes the 2x2 photo easier, but it is not required. If you live far away, you can take the photo following our instructions and send us scanned copies of everything.
No. The application is filed online from the United States, and the approved visa arrives by email.
For US citizens, the visitor e-Visa allows multiple entries and is valid for up to 10 years, but not beyond the expiration date of your passport. You may stay up to 90 days in total, adding up all trips within the 12-month period that starts on your first entry. The Federal Police can extend your stay by up to 90 more days, never exceeding 180 days in that 12-month period.
The visitor visa covers tourism, family visits, business, meetings and transit. It does not allow you to work in Brazil.
The decision rests with the consulate, and the consular fee is not refunded if the visa is denied. That is why Cartório BR checks the application before submitting: a wrong or missing document is a common reason for an application to be sent back.
Yes, the portal is open to the public. But the photo must meet the requirements, the documents must be scanned and the rules change. Cartório BR files the complete application, with the photo and the fee included, so you are not caught off guard right before your trip.
No. Cartório BR is a private document services company. It is not a consulate, a notary office or a government agency. The visa is granted by the Brazilian consulate.
Do not wait until the week of your trip to get your Brazil visa.
If you, your spouse, your child or anyone else with a US passport is traveling to Brazil, the e-Visa must be approved before boarding. Cartório BR takes the 2x2 photo, checks the documents, files the application on the e-Visa portal, pays the consular fee and follows it through to the consulate's decision.
Remote service for Brazilians in the United States, with a team in both countries.