Entry and Immigration Regulations of Brazil

One visa is not necessary, when Germans, Austrians, Australians, New Zealandians and the most Europeans are traveling to Brazil as tourists or business travellers. Since October 2012 the EU citizens and also Germans can stay in Brazil only for 90 days per half year without one possiblity of prolongation of the stay for further 90 days, one second 90 day period in Brazil is only possible after leaving to stay for 3 months in another country or in the homeland to then travel to Brazil for 90 days again. Please tender your passport, fullfilled entry form, fullfilled declaration form and (new, important!!) return ticket to the officer from Polícia Federal, the officer will check your return ticket whether the stay time is not more than 90 days to authorize your stay. If you are from the U. K., Ireland, Poland, Portugal or one of the most countries worldwide, can further prolongate your stay in Brazil, you can make this only one time per year for 90 days more and have to apply one tourist visa not later than 2 weeks before the expiration of the stay period of 90 days at the Policia Federal, but you have to show sufficient financial funds, in the form of credit cards (the account balance on your giro account in your homeland must be sufficient) or money. During the flight you get one entry form to fill it out and to tender it together with your passport at the passport control at the Policia Federal. The form and the passport will be stamped, you take one copy from the form again with your passport and should store them together carefully, and you have to tender it, when you leave Brazil or want to prolongate your stay (only for tourists and business travellers).

If you stay illegally more than 180 days (if you are one EU citizen and not from the U. K., Ireland, Poland or Portugal illegally more than 90 days) in Brazil, you have to pay one fine (multa, R$ 8.29 per overstay day), it is the best when you pay the whole fine before leaving Brazil, but you have to pay the fine in the case of one reentry after 180 days "stay under constraint" in your homeland or another country, otherwise you cannot entry anymore and will get one entry denial until you do have paid the fine completely.

If you do want to move to Brazil completely, you need one resident permit. There are several possiblities. If you are retired and do have one monthly income in the minimum of R$ 6,000 (the pension annuity or disablitiy pension must be the larger part, the other incomes like the rental incomes the smaller, by one favorable R$ rate, this will work together, according of one Brazilian lawyer after one intensive enquiry), then you can apply one visa for pensioners and will be able to stay legally in Brazil for ever. You have to check your health and work ablitiy, but your pension insurance will not always allow you to retire, but there are still another alternatives for you. Or you marry one Brazilian citizen and will be able to apply one visa for family members, but you have to live with her or him for more than 5 years together and share table and bed with her or him, otherwise your permement resident permit will be invalid. The Policia Federal makes sometimes control visits to check  whether there is one ficitious marriage or not. This is totally like in the U. S. A. or Germany. Or you make one baby with one Brazilian and apply one visa for family members after the birth of your Brazilian child, but this has one detriment, the foreign father have to pay aliments. Or you conceive one child or let make you pregnant. And then travel to Brazil to bring your child into the world there. The child is then automatically one Brazilian citizen, even if its parents are foreigners and only entried as tourists. Then the parents are able to apply visas for family members. Or you have R$ 600,000 is or more and want to invest in Brazil into one business or company or you build your company or business in Brazil, then you can apply one visa for investors. If your amount is under R$ 600,000 (minimum amount R$ 150,000), you have to generate 10 employments within 3 years. But you must tender one plausible business plan! However the laws and regulations are always changing, please always take nearer infos from the Brazilian embassy or consulate in your area and contact it, if necessary. There are also other visas existing, which are able to allow one permament stay in Brazil. But the mayor and the town hall are not responsible for visa infos. The Polícia Federal does only prolongate and treat visa or issues visas for tourists and business for further 90 days of stay, for all other visa kinds is only the Brazilan embassy responsible. Until you receive one visa, you have to run through one long bureaucratic procedure, so this are my infos directly from the Polícia Federal. Regulations to stay for war or civil war refugees or political refugees are similar to the German or U. S. regulations.

Updated by Joachim Jaeck on September 25th, 2013