The numbers
Brazil runs its electronic visa through a contracted portal. These are the published figures.
An $80 consular fee plus a $0.90 processing charge. Paid online and not refunded if refused.
Multiple entry for US citizens, which makes the cost per trip small if you return.
The ten years is how long the visa lasts, not how long you may stay.
Days is typical, but allow up to about ten business days in peak season.
What it actually costs
There is one price. Anything above it is somebody adding a service charge to a form you can fill in yourself.
brazil.vfsevisa.com. No consulate appointment and no interview.
Third-party sites resell the same application. The visa you receive is identical.
The fee is not refunded if your application is refused, so it is worth taking care over the photo and the name fields the first time.
Which site is the real one
Brazil is an unusual case. The official portal is run by a private contractor, which makes the usual advice about government addresses misleading.
brazil.vfsevisa.comOfficialgov.br/mreOfficial, foreign ministrybrazilevisa.com.brNot the governmentevisabrazil.infoNot the governmentVFS Global is a commercial company, but it is the channel Brazil has appointed, and brazil.vfsevisa.com is the genuine application portal. That is why you cannot simply look for a government address here. What you can rely on is that Brazil has exactly one online route, so any other site is a reseller.
The pattern to remember. A country either runs its own portal or appoints one contractor. It never has several competing official sites, so if you find three places selling the same visa, at most one of them is real.
Photo and document rules
Rejections cluster around two uploads and one field.
- The photograph
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A recent colour portrait on a plain white background, face forward, head uncovered, no glasses. Upload as an image file, not a scan of a printed photo.
Shadows behind the head and tight crops that clip the chin are the usual reasons for a rejection.
- The passport page
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A clear image of the full data page with all four corners visible. Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your arrival.
- Proof of onward travel and funds
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Brazil asks for evidence you intend to leave and can support yourself. A return flight booking and a recent bank statement normally satisfy this.
You do not need a hotel booking for the whole trip, but you do need an address for your first night.
How to apply
There is no interview and no appointment. It is a form, two uploads and a card payment.
- Go to brazil.vfsevisa.com and select United States as your nationality.
- Complete the form using your name exactly as printed in your passport.
- Upload the portrait photo and the passport data page.
- Attach proof of onward travel and evidence of funds.
- Pay $80.90 by card. The fee is not refunded if the application is refused.
- Wait for the decision by email, then save and print the visa before you fly.
What goes wrong
Three failures specific to Brazil, all avoidable.
- Assuming you still do not need one. Brazil waived visas for Americans between 2019 and 2025. Plenty of guides, and plenty of friends, still say no visa is needed. That advice is now out of date.
- Leaving it to the last week. Most decisions land in two or three days, but peak season stretches to around ten business days and there is no official express option.
- A name that does not match the passport. The fee is not refundable, so a typo means paying $80.90 again.
What changed
This requirement was announced, delayed, and then introduced. The delays are why so much wrong information is still circulating.
Brazil drops visa requirements for Americans, Canadians and Australians.
Reinstatement is announced and then postponed more than once, which is why so many guides never updated.
The visa requirement returns. Americans need one again.
The e-visa portal is fully operational, so the whole process is now online.