To determine your required visa type, consider these key factors: duration of stay in Brazil, your nationality and purpose of your trip.
Here’s a brief overview:
1. Short stay (up to 90 days): Depending on your nationality, you might need a visa (VIVIS) to enter Brazil, or you could travel visa-free.
- Check if you need a VIVIS for Brazil travel here.
- If you have a visa exemption for stays of up to 90 days in Brazil, you can enter the country and later apply for a residence permit at the Federal Police to stay beyond 90 days. Additional documents may be required, including official translations to Portuguese and apostilles in some cases. If you plan to come to Brazil without a visa and regularize your immigration status in Brazil, pay attention to the list of documents you need to bring from your country to avoid future complications.
2. Long stay (over 90 days): Based on your trip's purpose, apply for a relevant temporary visa (VITEM) from the list below:
- VITEM I: Research or teaching - For visiting professors, researchers, and postdocs without employment ties to Brazilian institutions. Legal Basis: Resolução normativa 20 de 20/12/2017.
- VITEM I: Research or teaching - For professors with employment relationships with Brazilian institutions. Legal Basis: Resolução normativa 24 de 20/02/2018.
- VITEM IV: Study - For undergraduate and graduate students. Legal Basis: Portaria interministerial 7 de 13/03/2018.
- VITEM XI: Family Reunion - For those with family ties to Brazilian citizens or foreign citizens who are temporary or permanent residents in Brazil. Legal Basis: Portaria interministerial 12 de 13/06/2018.
- VITEM XIII: MERCOSUR Residence Agreement - For citizens of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Legal Basis: Decreto 6975 de 07/10/2009. Is it possible to study or conduct research at USP with a Mercosur visa? Some funding agencies may have restrictions on this visa, so it's important to verify with your funding agency whether it's acceptable to use the Mercosur visa or if you should apply for another visa. It's worth noting that USP does accept the Mercosur visa.
Registration requirement for stays over 90 days: All those planning to stay in Brazil for more than 90 days must complete a registration with the Federal Police to obtain the residence permit (RNM/RNE).
- Note for visa-exempt individuals staying over 90 days: Visa-exempt travelers intending to stay in Brazil for over 90 days can enter the country without a visa and subsequently apply for the corresponding residence permit based on their travel purpose. It's important to bring extra documents from your country, which need to be translated and apostilled. Furthermore, there is an extra fee for the residency application.
- For visa holders: Applicants with the appropriate visa need to provide fewer documents and only pay a single fee for the residence application process.
