Crossing into Brazil by land: border posts and stamps

Brazil’s Migration Law puts the Polícia Federal (PF) in charge of migration control at every entry and exit point (Lei 13.445, art. 38). At a land border, that means you stop at a PF post and get your entry recorded before you travel on. Most PF border units keep weekday office hours, such as 8 a.m. to noon in Corumbá.

This page covers travelers of any nationality entering Brazil overland from Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. Document rules by nationality are on entry rules for South Americans, the US e-visa and the UK visa pages.

Read the safety advice first

Several of Brazil’s land borders carry a government travel warning. The US State Department rates Brazil Level 2 overall, but advises: “Do not travel to international land borders due to crime and kidnapping.” It tells travelers to avoid anywhere within 160 km (100 mi) of Brazil’s borders with Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Paraguay. Argentina and Uruguay are not on that list. US government staff need special approval to enter that zone, though they may visit Iguaçu and Pantanal national parks.

On this page, that zone covers Assis Brasil, Corumbá and Ponta Porã. Foz do Iguaçu also faces Ciudad del Este in Paraguay.

The regional picture is on is Brazil safe. If you cross anyway, travel in daylight, use an official post with a PF desk, and do not carry packages for anyone.

The main crossings

Each main crossing has a PF unit that handles migration, with its own desk hours. The table lists the unit, its hours Monday to Friday and its phone.

On holidays, PF offices close to the public, but duty service and migration control keep running. Expect slower service and longer waits on holidays and at the start of school vacations.

Check before you go: some crossings have a control booth at the bridge or road with different hours from the office in the table. If you plan to cross at night, early in the morning or on a weekend, call the PF unit first and ask where and when entry is recorded.

Notes by crossing

Assis Brasil / Iñapari (Peru). This crossing on the Interoceanic Highway links Acre with Puerto Maldonado and Cusco. The nearest PF unit listed for migration is DPF Epitaciolândia, at Avenida Santos Dumont 2000. Ask at the Peruvian Migraciones post in Iñapari where to record your Brazilian entry, and call DPF Epitaciolândia ahead so you know whether to stop in Assis Brasil or continue to Epitaciolândia.

Corumbá / Puerto Quijarro (Bolivia). This is the gateway between the Pantanal and eastern Bolivia, including the train route to Santa Cruz. The Posto de Migração Terrestre de Corumbá is at Praça da República 51, Centro. WhatsApp: (67) 99160-7714. Get your Bolivian exit stamp at the border before you cross, then go to the PF post in Corumbá during its morning hours.

Ponta Porã / Pedro Juan Caballero (Paraguay). The two towns share a street, so you can walk from one country into the other without noticing. This is the only unit in the table with published weekend and holiday hours for migration. Get your Paraguayan exit stamp from Paraguay’s migration office in Pedro Juan Caballero before you go to the PF.

Foz do Iguaçu / Puerto Iguazú (Argentina). This is the busiest crossing for travelers visiting both sides of the Iguaçu falls. DPF Foz do Iguaçu has its main office at Avenida Paraná 3471 and a unit at the airport. Local buses and taxis cross the Tancredo Neves bridge many times a day. If you are entering Brazil to stay, tell the driver you need both exit and entry stamps, since some buses do not wait while you queue. Day visitors to the falls on the other side should ask at migration whether a stamp is needed for their trip.

Uruguaiana / Paso de los Libres (Argentina). This is a major trucking crossing over the Uruguay River. DPF Uruguaiana is at Rua Andradas 1878. Its on-duty phone is (55) 99163-0939.

Santana do Livramento / Rivera (Uruguay). These twin towns are divided by a park and a street. DPF Santana do Livramento is at Rua Silveira Martins 1257, Centro. Its on-duty phones are (55) 3241-9098 and (55) 99943-2570. Since you can move between the towns freely, you must go to migration yourself if you are traveling on into either country.

Chuí / Chuy (Uruguay). The main avenue of these twin towns is the border. DPF Chuí is listed at Rua General Canabarro 330, Santa Vitória do Palmar, CEP 96230-000. Its customs line, (53) 3264-9099, runs 24 hours. Long-distance buses between Montevideo and southern Brazil cross here. Ask the driver to stop at both migration posts, and call DPF Chuí to confirm where the Brazilian post sits before you arrive.

Other posts exist. The PF also runs a migration desk in Jaguarão, across from Río Branco in Uruguay, open 8 a.m. to noon.

Two stamps, two countries

You leave one country and enter the other. Get the exit recorded by the neighbor’s migration service, then the entry recorded by the PF. Brazil gives both an entry and an exit stamp, and your passport needs one blank page per stamp.

Check that the officer stamps your passport before you walk away. A missing stamp can bring a fine when you leave Brazil, and it can make your stay hard to prove. Overstaying brings a daily fine under the Migration Law (art. 109). Read overstaying in Brazil before you count your days.

If you enter on a national ID card, there is nothing to stamp. Ask the PF desk for proof of entry, and keep whatever it gives you with your ID until you leave Brazil.

Twin towns and border residents

Several crossings are twin towns, such as Santana do Livramento and Rivera. Brazil has a special status for people who live in a neighboring border town, the “residente fronteiriço” (Decreto 9.199, art. 1, IV). It lets them enter a named Brazilian border municipality (art. 86). The PF offers this registration to Argentine, Bolivian, Uruguayan and Guyanese nationals.

That status is for local residents, not travelers. If you are traveling on into Brazil, get your entry recorded at the PF post. Shops, buses and hotels beyond the border towns may ask to see proof of legal entry.

Documents to carry

• South Americans: nationals of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela can enter with a national ID card. See entry rules for South Americans.
• US citizens: a passport and an approved visa. Travelers without a visa cannot enter Brazil. See the US e-visa.
• UK citizens: a passport valid at least 6 months after the date you arrive. Visits of up to 90 days need no visa.
• Children: an accepted document and any exit permit their own country requires. See minors traveling to Brazil.

If you drive your own car across, you also deal with customs. Foreign-registered tourist vehicles need a temporary admission from Receita Federal at the border customs post. Carry the vehicle registration, your driver’s license and the cross-border insurance that Mercosur countries require.

Check before you go: ask the Receita Federal customs office at your crossing how long your car can stay and which papers it wants. Rules differ for rental cars, which often cannot leave their home country at all.

Practical tips at the border

A few habits make land crossings smoother:

• Arrive early in the day, when the migration desks are open and staffed.
• Carry some cash in both currencies for buses, taxis and snacks.
• Keep a copy of your visa approval or e-visa on paper as well as on your phone.
• Do not change money with street dealers at the bridge.
• Allow extra time at holiday weekends, when lines can stretch for hours.

Checklist

1. Read the safety advice on land borders.
2. Check your crossing’s PF desk hours and phone in the table.
3. Get your exit recorded by the neighbor country first.
4. Get your Brazilian entry recorded by the PF, and check the stamp before you walk away.
5. Keep your ticket and entry record until you leave Brazil.

For onward travel, see long-distance buses in Brazil. For the rules once you are inside, start with money in Brazil.