Travelers under 18 years of age and their parents should carefully review the visa application requirements for the consular post at which they are applying. The adjudicating official may require a birth certificate and notarized travel authorization.

Travelers are subject to local law. Showing contempt to a Brazilian government official at the port of entry, or elsewhere, is a serious offense. Fines for such offenses are based on the offender’s claimed income. 

Additionally, if you have recently visited certain countries, including most other Latin American countries (check Brazilian Embassy website linked below), you may be required to present an inoculation card indicating you had a yellow fever inoculation or you may not be allowed to board the plane or enter the country. 

Visit the web site of the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, D.C. for the most current visa information.

For current entry and customs requirements for Brazil, travelers may contact the Brazilian Embassy, which is temporarily located at1025 Thomas Jefferson St, NW, Suíte 300W (3rd floor), Washington, DC 20007-5250 Phone: (202) 238-2805. Travelers may also contact the Brazilian consulates in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, or San Francisco. Addresses, phone numbers, web and e-mail addresses, and jurisdictions of these consulates may be found at the Brazilian Embassy website.

U.S.citizens and other foreign travelers must fill out a small immigration form on arrival that will be stamped and handed back by immigration officials at the airport. It is important to retain this form to hand in to immigration officials upon exit from the country. According to the Brazilian Embassy’s website, visitors who lose this form will have to get clearance from the Brazilian Federal Police to leave the country and may have to pay a fine.

U.S. citizens also possessing Brazilian nationality cannot be issued Brazilian visas and must obtain a Brazilian passport (from the Brazilian Embassy or Consulate nearest to their place of residence) to enter and depart Brazil. Airport officials will check for Brazilian visas upon arrival and departure. In addition to being subject to all Brazilian laws affecting U.S. citizens, dual nationals may also be subject to other laws that impose special obligations on Brazilian citizens. 

Brazilian minors age 17 years and under, including minors who have both Brazilian and U.S. citizenship, are subject to strict exit requirements. Brazilian minors departing Brazil, if not accompanied by both parents, must prove that both parents authorized the departure. If accompanied by only one parent, the minor must have a notarized letter from the other parent indicating permission to depart the country, a court order proving that the accompanying parent has sole custody, or a Brazilian court order authorizing the child’s departure. If accompanied by neither parent, the minor must have a notarized letter from the parents authorizing departure or a Brazilian court order authorizing the same. There are no exceptions, even in cases where one parent expected the child to remain in Brazil only a short time. The authorization must be notarized by a Brazilian notary to be considered valid by the Brazilian authorities. If prepared in the U.S., the authorization must be in Portuguese or accompanied by an official translation into Portuguese, and must be either notarized by the Brazilian Embassy or a Brazilian consulate, or notarized by a U.S. notary public and then authenticated at the Brazilian Embassy or consulate. Note that children adopted from Brazil are still considered Brazilian citizens and must be documented as such should they return to Brazil.

Minors age 17 years and under who are not Brazilian nationals are not technically subject to the same strict travel requirements as Brazilian minors. However, there have been cases where the travel of non-Brazilian minors has been delayed or not authorized when accompanied by only one parent or a third party. To avoid potential difficulties, parents of non-Brazilian minors may want to follow the same procedures above if their children will be traveling to Brazil accompanied by only one parent or by a third party.

The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of Brazil.

MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION: Medical care is generally good, but it varies in quality, particularly in remote areas, and it may not meet U.S. standards outside the major cities. Expatriates in Brazil regularly use the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. It is inspected and certified by the Joint Commission International and offers international service assistance. The hospital phone is (55-11) 3747-1233. Prescription and over the counter medicines are widely available. Emergency services are responsive. Travelers may call a private ambulance company or call 193 and request an ambulance for a public hospital. Callers must stay on the line to provide the location as there is no automatic tracking of phone calls.

Many insect borne-illnesses are present, including Yellow Fever, Malaria, Dengue, and Leishmaniasis. Insect precautions are encouraged in all areas of Brazil. Schistosomiasis is present in many areas. Travelers should avoid freshwater exposure.