The Brazilian tourist visa allows some passport-holders the ability to stay in Brazil for some time (usually 6 months per year) without a visa. The rules about exactly how this works are not clearly described, which has caused me a lot of wasted trips to the Federal Police. In this post I’ll explain how the rules work in clear terms.
If you plan to travel in Brazil on a tourist visa, there are a few things you will need to know:
- Can I travel to Brazil on a tourist visa, given my passport?
- How long am I entitled to stay in Brazil on a tourist visa?
- How can I extend my stay in Brazil on a tourist visa (a ‘tourist visa extension’)?
- How do I book / modify / cancel an appointment with the Federal Police for the purpose of extending my tourist visa?
In this blog post, and at the links provided, you’ll find answers to all these questions. I’ve done the research so you don’t have to.
I’ve spent far too long commuting back and forth to appointments with the Federal Police, only to discover that I never needed one at all. Even in Rio de Janieiro, tourist capital of Brazil, the staff in the Federal Police office mostly do not speak any English. It’s best to do your research before embarking on an appointment, and if possible, bring a native speaker along with you!
Finally, at a recent appointment with the Federal Police in Santos Dumont, we clarified the rules for tourist visa extensions.
Key documents
The key documents you will need to know:
- The rules about stays in Brazil
- Tourist visa extensions
- The official legal text
Key terms
In this guide I will use the following key terms:
migration period = A one-year period of time, starting from the date you first entered Brazil and repeating every year thereafter.
migration period allowance = The amount of time you are entitled to stay in Brazil within a single migration period, based on your passport nationality.
migration period balance = The amount of days you have left to spend in Brazil under your migration period allowance.
continuous stay allowance = The amount of days you can stay within Brazil continuously (without leaving the country).
Rules for tourist visas
Here are the rules for tourist visas in Brazil:
- For most people, your passport entitles you to stay for up to 180 days per
migration period(one year duration). I will refer to this as themigration period allowance.- A
migration periodis one year in duration, and cannot be extended. - I will refer to the amount of days you have left as your
migration period balance. This is calculated as:[migration period allowance] - [number of days you have stayed in Brazil within the migration period] - Each day that you stay in Brazil, your
migration period balancediminishes by 1. - Your migration period start date is set on the first date that you entered Brazil (ever). A new migration period begins on the same date every following year. For example, my first date of entry into Brazil was 15 February 2023. Therefore my migrations years will be as follows:
- 15 February 2023 — 14 February 2024
- 15 February 2024 — 14 February 2025
- 15 February 2025 — 14 February 2026
- A
- You can stay for 90 days continuously (without leaving the country), by default. I will refer to this as the
continuous stay allowance.- You can extend your
continuous stay allowanceup to a maximum of90 additional days OR [migration period balance], whichever is lower.
- You can extend your
- Every time you enter Brazil, you begin a new
stay period.- The border officer will stamp your passport and write the number of continuous days you are entitled to stay from that date onwards (your
continuous stay allowance). - The number of days you are granted on entry is
90 days OR [migration period balance], whichever is lower.
- The border officer will stamp your passport and write the number of continuous days you are entitled to stay from that date onwards (your
- To extend the
continuous stay allowanceof your currentstay periodfor longer than the default 90 days, you need a tourist visa extension from the Federal Police. This enables you to remain within Brazil for a continuous period of longer than 90 days.- Extending your tourist visa involves booking and attending an in-person appointment with the Federal Police in Brazil.
- You do not need to receive a tourist visa extension before entering the country. You can make a booking and attend the appointment after arriving in Brazil.
- These are the printed documents required for a tourist visa extension:
- Passport.
- Booking.
- Proof of fee payment.
- Proof of sufficient funds to cover the remainder of your stay.
- Proof of accommodation in Brazil for the duration of your stay.
- Proof of outbound flight (departing after the end of your
continuous stay allowanceperiod) to demonstrate that you require a tourist visa extension for the completion of your trip. If you have a flight ticket that departs within your currentcontinuous stay allowance, you probably don’t need a visa extension and will be denied.
- You can only apply for an extension within 30 days of the end of the
continuous stay allowance. If you book a visa extension appointment with the Federal Police for an earlier date than this, they will tell you to return later.- For example, if your current
continuous stay allowanceis 90 days long (the default), this means you can only apply for an extension after 60 days have passed, and 30 days remain.
- For example, if your current
- If successful, you will receive an extension to your
continuous stay allowanceequivalent to theamount of days necessary to stay until your flight departs, and no more.
Scenarios
To demonstrate exactly how these rules apply, I provide a set of scenarios. For all of the scenarios below, we will assume:
- A) that I hold a British passport (which grants me 180 days per migration period);
- B) that I first arrived in Brazil on 15 February 2023, meaning my current migration period is 15 February 2025 — 14 February 2026.
Scenario 1: Simple Visit Within Allowance
Migration period balance: 180
🛬 Arrival: 1 March 2025 | 🛫 Departure: 20 May 2025 (80 days later)
Explanation:
- Upon entry you receive 90 days allowance (your full
continuous stay allowance), since you still have your fullmigration period balanceof 180 days. - You leave after 80 days, well within both your 90-day continuous limit and your 180-day annual limit.
- Your
migration period balanceis now 180 – 80 = 100 days remaining until 14 February 2026.
Scenario 2: Short Return Trip with Reduced Balance
Previous Days in Brazil: 80 | Migration period balance: 100
🛬 Arrival: 1 August 2025
Explanation:
- You now have a
migration period balanceof 100 days. - On re-entry, the border officer grants you 90 days, since that is less than your remaining 100-day balance.
- You plan to stay 60 days, then leave again — well within your remaining
migration period balance.
Scenario 3: Entry With Only 40 Days Left in the Year
Previous Days in Brazil: 140 | Migration period balance: 40
🛬 Arrival: 10 January 2026
Result:
- On arrival, the officer grants you 40 days, the lower out of: 90 days (your default
continuous stay allowance) or 40 days (your remainingmigration period balance) - You are not allowed to stay longer, even if you apply for an extension — since you’ve reached your
migration period balancelimit.
Scenario 4: Applying for Tourist Visa Extension
Migration period balance: 180
🛬 Arrival: 1 July 2025 | 🛫 Departure: 15 November 2025 (137 days)
Step-by-step:
- You’re granted 90 days on arrival (1 July – 28 September)
- After 60 days, you can apply for an extension — so anytime after 30 August.
- You book your visa extension appointment for 10 September. Your documents show a booked flight on 15 November, which is 47 days beyond the default allowance.
Result:
- You are granted a 47-day visa extension, allowing you to stay until your flight.
Scenario 5: Early Extension Attempt Denied
🛬 Arrival: 1 May 2025
You try to extend on: 15 May 2025 (only 15 days into your stay)
Explanation:
- You are too early to apply for a visa extension.
- Federal Police tells you to return after 30 July (60 days after entry), when your remaining
continuous stay allowanceis under 30 days.
Scenario 6: Stay Extension Not Possible Due to Migration Period Limit
Previous Days in Brazil: 120 | Migration period balance: 60
🛬 Arrival: 1 September 2025 | 🛫 Departure: 14 January 2026 (135-day stay)
Calculation:
- Remaining
migration period balance= 180 – 120 = 60 days - On entry, you are granted 60 days (because it’s less than the default 90).
- You try to apply for a tourist visa extension to stay longer.
Result:
- Extension denied — you have no more days left in your migration period balance.
- You must leave before 31 October 2025.
Please submit any feedback and corrections to me at: taylorjns.04@gmail.com
The published thoughts and ideas of Taylor Jones.
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