Brazil e-visa for Canadians: cost, validity, how to apply

Yes. Since 10 April 2025, Canadian citizens need a visa for every trip to Brazil. The e-visa costs US$80.90 (about C$115, checked Oct 2026) on the official portal, brazil.vfsevisa.com, and allows stays of up to 90 days per year.

This page covers Canadian passport holders. Americans and Australians have their own pages: US citizens and Australians.

The process is fully online and takes about half an hour if your photo and passport scan are ready. The main risks are applying too late, uploading a photo that breaks the rules, and paying on a look-alike site. This guide covers why the visa is back, where to apply, the fee and validity, documents, processing time and what happens at the border.

The e-visa at a glance

The table sums up the rules for Canadians as of October 2026. Each line is explained below.

Why Canadians need a visa again

From 17 June 2019, Decree 9.731 let Canadians visit Brazil without a visa. The same waiver covered Australia, the United States and Japan. It allowed 90 days, extendable for an equal period, up to 180 days in each 12 months.

Decree 11.515 of 2 May 2023 revoked that waiver. Brazil moved its start date three times, from 1 Oct 2023 to the final date of 10 April 2025 (Decree 11.982 of 2024). Brazil’s government bases the rule on reciprocity, since Canada requires visas from Brazilians. Older articles may show an earlier start date, so ignore them.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry visa chart, updated 8 Apr 2025, lists Canada under code 1: visa required for a visit.

A bill to cancel the requirement, PDL 206/2023, sits in the Chamber of Deputies. Its record shows a rapporteur’s opinion on 3 Mar 2026 and the status “ready for the agenda” at the Constitution and Justice Committee. Until a change passes and takes effect, the visa rule applies.

Where to apply

Apply at brazil.vfsevisa.com. VFS Global runs the portal for Brazil, and the Government of Canada’s Brazil travel page links to the same eVisa service. The eVisa is available only to citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia.

The “Apply Now” button opens bronline.vfsevisa.com, the portal’s application system. Consulates and embassies do not accept e-visa applications. Several unofficial sites charge extra to file for you. Check the address bar before you type your passport number or pay.

The portal offers two types: a tourist e-visa and a business e-visa. Study needs a different visa. A student visa is required, so ask the Brazilian Embassy in Ottawa or a consulate before you enrol.

Fee, validity and length of stay

The fee is US$80.90 per applicant, about C$115 or R$ 411 (checked Oct 2026). It is charged in US dollars, so your card issuer may add a foreign transaction fee. Treat the fee as non-refundable once you submit.

The e-visa allows multiple entries. Canadians are generally issued a 5-year term; US citizens get 10 years. The business e-visa is issued for 5 years. Check the validity dates on your approved e-visa, and ask the Embassy of Brazil in Ottawa if they look wrong.

Each year you can stay up to 90 days. The count starts at your first entry and pauses while you are out of Brazil (Decree 9.199, arts. 19 and 20). A side trip to Argentina or Uruguay in the middle of your stay stops the clock.

To stay longer, you must get an extension from the Polícia Federal before your 90 days end. It can add up to 90 days, with a ceiling of 180 days per migratory year. The fee is R$ 110.44 (about C$31, checked Oct 2026). Extensions are only for nationals of countries that treat Brazilians the same way (Decree 9.199, art. 20, para. 2).

Check before you go: if you might need more than 90 days, contact the Polícia Federal early in your stay and ask how to file for Canadian citizens. Do not wait until the last week. The steps are on how to extend your stay in Brazil.

Paid work in Brazil is not allowed on a visitor visa (Migration Law, art. 13). Staying past your date brings a daily fine, covered on overstaying in Brazil.

Documents and photo rules

The portal lists two documents for adults: a recent photograph and a color copy of your passport bio page. Consular offices may ask for more at their discretion.

Brazil’s regulation lets consulates ask visit-visa applicants for 3 extra items (Decree 9.199, art. 29, para. 11):

• Proof of transport into and out of Brazil.
• Proof of funds that fit the length and purpose of the trip.
• Documents showing what you will do in Brazil.

Have your return ticket, first booking and a recent bank statement ready as files.

Photo rules:

• 3.5 x 4.5 cm (413 x 531 pixels), in color.
• JPEG or JPG file, 2 MB maximum.
• White background, face centered.
• Head and chin not cropped.
• No glasses, no headwear, no smiling or showing teeth.

A phone photo against a white wall works if you crop it to size. Most rejections come from shadows, glasses or a cropped chin.

Your passport must be valid for the whole stay, and your airline may set a stricter rule. The portal’s own minimum is 1 month of validity before arrival. A passport valid well past your return date covers every rule.

Minors need more. The portal lists a birth certificate and an authorization letter signed by both parents and notarized. It also asks for color copies of both parents’ passport bio and signature pages, plus custody, divorce, death or adoption papers where they apply.

Processing time

Processing takes up to 10 business days after you submit a verified application. Apply 2 months before you travel. Many applications come back faster, but plan around the full 10 business days, and longer around Carnival and the December holidays.

How to apply, step by step

1. Check your passport. Confirm it stays valid past your return date and has a free page.
2. Prepare your files. Take a photo to the specs above. Scan your passport bio page in color.
3. Open the portal. Go to brazil.vfsevisa.com, select Canada as your nationality and choose “Apply Now.”
4. Pick the type. Choose the tourist e-visa, or the business e-visa for business trips.
5. Fill in the form and upload. Answer every question and upload the photo and passport scan.
6. Pay US$80.90. Pay on the portal only.
7. Track the status. Use the portal’s status tracker and check your spam folder.
8. Download and print. Print 2 copies and keep them with you.

At the border

At the airport, show your passport and a printed copy of the e-visa PDF. The Polícia Federal records your entry, and your 90 days start on the date of your first entry. Keep your boarding passes and entry date noted on your phone, so you can count days accurately.

Airlines check visas at check-in in Canada. Without a valid e-visa you will not board, so do not leave the application until the week of travel.

Health rules sit outside the visa. Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for travel to many regions of Brazil, including the Amazon and parts of the interior. Ask a travel clinic, and read Brazil vaccines and health.

If you are also Brazilian, the e-visa does not apply to you. Dual Canadian-Brazilian citizens must enter and exit Brazil on their Brazilian passport. Brazil has strict exit rules for its citizens under 18, including dual citizens, so check the travel authorization rules before a child flies out.

Before you apply

Apply 2 months ahead, print the PDF twice, and count your days from the first entry. If you may need more than 90 days, read how to extend your stay before you fly. For work, study or a long stay, compare every visa and residency route.