A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has ruled that all travelers arriving in Brazil must present a vaccine passport. The ruling must be reviewed by all 11 judges of the Supreme Court next week.
This decision challenges a more lenient rule announced by Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, who has opposed mandatory immunization against the virus that can cause COVID-19.
Until the final decision, the updated entry requirements are below.
Documents Needed to Travel to Brazil
Federal Ordinance CC-PR/MJSP/MS Nº 661 was published in the Official Gazette on December 8th, 2021, and determines exceptional and temporary restrictions on the entry of persons into Brazil, as recommended by the Agency National Health Surveillance Agency – Anvisa.
TRAVEL BY AIR
The following requirements are for both Brazilians and foreign nationals that travel to Brazil by airlines.
International travelers, be they Brazilians or foreign nationals, must present to the airline, before boarding the flight with destination to Brazil, the 3 DOCUMENTS listed below:
DOCUMENT 1: a negative/non-reactive RT-PCR or Antigen COVID-19 test
- The RT-PCR exam must be taken within 72 hours before boarding. The antigen exam must be taken within 24 hours before boarding;
- The exam must be done by a laboratory authorized to operate by local health authorities;
- The exam result must be presented in Portuguese, Spanish, or English;
- Children under the age of 12 and who travel accompanied are exempt from presenting the result of the exam, as long as all persons who accompany them present a negative/non-reactive test result;
- Children over 2 years old and under 12 years old and traveling unaccompanied must present the result of the exam with a negative / non-reactive result;
- Children who are 2 years or less are exempt from presenting the result of the RT-PCR exam before boarding with destination to Brazil;
Flights with connections:
i) In the event of a flight with connections or stopovers in which the traveler remains in a restricted area of the airport, the 72 or 24 hours period will be considered in relation to boarding in the first leg of the trip;
ii) The traveler who leaves the international area of the airport during the connecting flight and exceeds the 72 or 24 hours period must present a document proving the completion of a new test with negative or non-reactive results for COVID-19 in order to board to Brazil.
Federal Ordinance 661 allows the entry into Brazil of people who contracted COVID-19 in the last 90 days, counted from the date when the first symptoms appeared, who are asymptomatic and with persistent positive RT-PCR test results for long periods. This rule aims to allow those who have already recovered from the disease to enter the country, as long as they comply with the following sanitary protocols:
- presentation of two detectable RT-PCR test results, with a time gap of at least 14 days between them, with the second test being performed within 72 hours prior to the boarding time;
- presentation of an antigen test with a negative or non-reactive result dated after the last detectable RT-PCR test result;
- presentation of a medical certificate stating that the individual is asymptomatic and able to travel, including the date of travel. The certificate must be issued in Portuguese, Spanish, or English, and must contain the identification and signature of the responsible physician.
DOCUMENT 2: proof of vaccination against COVID-19
- It can be in printed or digital format;
- The document must prove that the vaccination was administered with the use of immunologic agents aproved by ANVISA (Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency), by the WHO (World Health Organization) ou by the authorities from the country where the passenger received the vaccine;
- The document must prove that the final dose, or single dose, was administered within FOURTEEN DAYS before the boarding date.
IN THE ABSENCE OF PROOF OF VACCINATION
Travelers who do not have proof of vaccination can enter Brazilian territory as long as they follow the quarantine requirements below:
I – quarantine for five days in their final destination at the address registered on their Traveler’s Health Declaration (DVS);
II – at the end of this period, the passenger must take an antigen or RT-PCR test and, if the result is negative, end the quarantine; and
III – if the passenger refuses to be tested or if the result of the test is positive for SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) infection, the passenger must remain in quarantine.
The terms of the quarantine are clearly stated on the Traveler’s Health Declaration (DVS) and must be accepted by all travelers.
DOCUMENT 3: Traveler’s Health Declaration (DVS)
The objective of the Traveler’s Health Declaration is to provide a summary of the passenger’s health status before boarding. By filling out the declaration, the passenger also expresses their compliance with the health measures that must be observed during their stay in Brazil.
The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency made the Traveler’s Health Declaration available on its website, in Portuguese, Spanish, and English versions.
The Traveler’s Health Declaration must be completed within 24 hours prior to boarding procedures;
All travelers, regardless of nationality, must complete the declaration;
In the case of minors under 18, a legal guardian must complete the declaration;
The traveler must present to the air company, during check-in procedures, the proof of completion of the declaration that was received in the person’s registered email (printed or in a digital version).
FOREIGN NATIONALS – INTENTION OF STAY OF UP TO 90 DAYS IN BRAZIL
Persons of any foreign nationality who wish to travel to Brazil for a period of up to 90 days, besides the mandatory negative COVID-19 infection test and the Traveler’s Health Declaration, that shall be presented to the airline before boarding, must also comply with the migration requirements required by the Brazilian law, as follows:
-According to their nationality, persons who intend to travel to Brazil for a period of up to 90 days shall bear a Brazilian Visit Visa (VIVIS) for the purpose of boarding and proceeding to the immigration control performed by the Federal Police at the airport of arrival in Brazil.
-The Consulate recalls that, at the moment, nationals of the United States are exempt from bearing a VIVIS if the intended stay in the national territory is of up to 90 days, for the purposes of tourism, business, transit, and sportive or artistic activities.
FOREIGN NATIONALS – INTENTION OF STAY OF MORE THAN 90 DAYS IN BRAZIL
All persons of foreign nationality who wish to travel to Brazil for more than 90 days and do not bear a national migratory registration (former RNE), besides the mandatory negative COVID-19 infection test and the Traveler’s Health Declaration, that shall be presented to the airline before boarding, shall also present a Brazilian temporary visa for the purpose of boarding and proceeding to the immigration control by the Federal Police at the airport of arrival.
The “Visas” tab on the website of the Consulate General of Brazil in Los Angeles contains additional clarifications on the types of temporary visas provided for by the Brazilian legal system. Click here to find the page.
TRAVEL BY LAND TRANSPORTATION
According to the said Federal Ordinance, persons of any foreign nationality are not able, as a rule, to travel to Brazil by land transportation.
The restriction on the entry into Brazil of people of any foreign nationality by land does not apply, among other situations, to:
-Immigrant who holds a national migratory registration (former RNE);
-Foreign employee accredited to the Brazilian Government; and
-Foreign spouse, partner, son, father or curator of a Brazilian national.
TRAVEL BY SEA TRANSPORTATION
According to the said Ordinance, as of November 1, 2021, water transportation of passengers (Brazilians or foreigners) of cruise ships will be authorized exclusively in Brazilian jurisdictional waters.
DOCUMENT 1: proof that the person was tested (RT-PCR OR ANTIGEN) by a laboratory, aiming to detect the infection by the COVID-19 disease, with a negative / non-reactive result.
