Brazil student visa: study, exchange and language courses

Brazil’s student visa, VITEM IV at consulates, is valid for up to one year. It covers degree courses, school, technical and language courses, study or research exchanges, and internships for university students. Courses must run at least 15 hours a week. You register with the Polícia Federal within 90 days of arrival and renew your residence each year until the course ends.

This page covers US and UK citizens. The study rules are the same for every nationality; consular fees and procedures differ.

The legal basis

The Migration Law (Lei 13.445 of 2017, art. 14, paragraph 4) creates the study visa for regular courses, internships and study or research exchanges. Decree 9.199 of 2017, article 37, adds three rules:

• The visa covers study at one named school or university only.
• You may do paid work that is compatible with your study hours.
• A joint act of the Justice and Foreign Affairs ministers sets the conditions.

That act is Portaria Interministerial nº 7 of 13 March 2018, published in the Diário Oficial on 15 March 2018. The Ministry of Justice still lists it among its 2018 interministerial ordinances, with no revocation or amendment note. Its 2025 and 2026 lists show no new act on study visas (checked Oct 2026). Decree 12.657 of 2025 left article 37 unchanged.

What counts as study

Article 2 of the Portaria lists four activities:

The school must be registered with a CNPJ, Brazil’s company tax number (art. 2, paragraph 1). A regular course or study exchange needs at least 15 hours of classes a week. The Portaria allows fewer hours only in exceptional, justified cases (arts. 4 and 8).

Language schools qualify under these rules. Ask the school for its CNPJ and a letter that states your weekly hours before you pay.

Documents for the visa

Articles 3 and 4 of the Portaria list what the consulate asks for:

1. A valid passport
2. The visa application form
3. Proof of payment of the consular fee
4. An international vaccination certificate, if Anvisa requires one
5. Proof of travel into Brazil and, where applicable, out of it
6. A criminal record certificate from your country of origin, or an equivalent the consul accepts
7. Proof of means to support yourself, or of the people supporting you, or of a scholarship

Then add the documents for your activity:

• Regular course: proof of enrollment or acceptance
• Exchange or internship: proof of enrollment in a degree at a foreign university
• Internship: a signed agreement between you, the host company and your home institution, confirming the fields match
• Under 18: a travel authorization signed by your parents or guardians, and the name of a guardian in Brazil

The Portaria sets no minimum-funds figure. It asks for proof of financial capacity without an amount (arts. 4 and 8). Show enough to cover tuition, rent and living costs for the year, through bank statements, a sponsor letter or a scholarship award.

Check before you go: ask the Brazilian consulate that serves your address for the current VITEM IV fee and processing time. UK applicants should also ask whether the London consulate handles VITEM IV through its electronic temporary visa process. Apply at least two to three months before your course starts.

Documents issued abroad must follow Brazil’s legalization and translation rules, which usually means an apostille and a sworn translation into Portuguese.

Applying from inside Brazil

You can also apply in Brazil. Visitors and immigrants already in the country can ask the Polícia Federal for a residence authorization for study. It is granted for one year (Portaria art. 6).

The Portaria (art. 7) asks for:

• A valid passport or ID
• Two 3x4 photos
• A birth, marriage or consular certificate, if your passport does not show your parents’ names
• The fee receipts and the application form
• Criminal record certificates from every place you lived in the last five years
• A sworn statement that you have no criminal record in any country in the last five years

Article 8 adds the same enrollment, funds and activity documents as the consular route.

The Polícia Federal residence service lists two fees:

You pay through PagTesouro, by Pix, card, digital wallet or boleto. You book the appointment online, attend in person for biometrics, then collect the card. The service estimates up to 180 calendar days in total.

Registering after you arrive

With a VITEM IV, you request registration within 90 days of entry (Portaria art. 5, and Decree 9.199 art. 64). The first residence period is up to one year. Your visa validity and your residence period are counted separately.

You need the online form, your passport, the original visa form and the R$ 204.77 CRNM fee. While you wait for the card, the registration receipt keeps your rights for up to 180 days, extendable at no cost (Decree 9.199, art. 63). Those rights include health care, public education, work and opening a bank account.

Full steps are on registering with the Polícia Federal.

Work, internships and stipends

You may work for pay if the work fits around your course, internship or exchange hours (Decree 9.199, art. 37, and Portaria art. 11). There is no fixed weekly cap in either text.

Interns may receive a stipend and other benefits under Brazil’s internship law, Lei 11.788 of 2008 (Portaria art. 12). The Portaria says the stipend does not count as pay for the purposes of the work rules.

Renewal and changes

You renew your study residence each year until you finish the activity (Portaria art. 9). Each renewal needs:

1. Proof of enrollment and academic performance
2. Proof of means of support
3. An updated Brazilian criminal record certificate

After the course ends, you can renew once more for up to 12 months to collect your diploma.

If you change course or school, tell the Polícia Federal so it updates your record (art. 10).

The Portaria sets no deadline for filing the study renewal. You can request CRNM renewal up to 90 days before the expiry date, in person at a Polícia Federal unit in Brazil. File early: a CRNM issued on temporary residence can carry a fine for each day it is overdue.

Students under 18

A minor needs a travel authorization signed by the parents or guardians, plus the name of a guardian in Brazil (Portaria art. 4). Carry the written authorization and the child’s birth certificate at the border too, because the Polícia Federal has delayed some trips without them. Read minors traveling to Brazil before booking.

Costs to plan for

The official fees are small next to tuition and rent. Budget for these items:

• Consular visa fee. Set by each consulate; ask yours.
• Polícia Federal fees. R$ 204.77 (about US$40, checked Oct 2026) for the CRNM, plus R$ 168.13 (about US$33, checked Oct 2026) if you apply from inside Brazil.
• Documents. Criminal record checks, apostilles and sworn translations.
• Tuition. Public universities in Brazil charge no tuition for degree courses. Private universities and language schools charge monthly fees.
• Living costs. Rent, food and transport vary widely by city. São Paulo and Rio cost more than most state capitals.
• Health cover. Brazil’s public health system (SUS) is open to residents, but many students add private insurance.

Practical tips

Small steps early save time at the Polícia Federal later.

• Get a CPF first. Universities, banks and phone companies ask for it. See how to get a CPF.
• Keep the enrollment letter current. You need fresh proof of enrollment at every renewal.
• Track your hours. A course below 15 hours a week can put your status at risk unless the school justifies it.
• Tell the Polícia Federal about changes. A new school or course needs an update to your record.

Who should pick another route

• You want to study for a few weeks. Check whether a visitor stay fits your nationality on every route. Decree 9.199, article 29, lets visitors take part in educational activities, conferences and seminars, but does not name courses. Ask a Brazilian consulate whether your short course fits a visitor stay before you enroll.
• You have a job offer. Look at the work visa.
• You work remotely for foreign clients and study part time. Compare the digital nomad visa.
• You are a researcher or professor. Decree 9.199, article 34, has a separate research and teaching visa.

Before you apply

Get the school’s CNPJ and a letter stating your weekly hours. Order your criminal record check and any apostilles early. Plan your Polícia Federal appointment for your first weeks in Brazil. If you study Portuguese, read learning Portuguese and the Celpe-Bras exam.