COVID-19 in Brazil
Last updated: March 30, 2023
Most important facts!
- The requirement to enter Brazil is a vaccination card or a negative test result. (Find more information below under 'Entry conditions'.)
- The physical vaccination card belongs in the baggage. In many places it is mandatory to show, as for example when crossing the border between Argentina and Brazil in Foz do Iguaçu or boarding a plane to Fernando de Noronha. (Find further information under "Bring along your physical vaccination card")
- In every Brazilian state, the obligation to use a mask was meanwhile canceled or relaxed. The same applies to airports and airplanes. (Find more information below under 'Obligation to use a mask'.)
- It is requested to follow established hygiene rules in Brazil.
Entry conditions
From 30 July 2020 on, non-Brazilian travelers are again permitted to enter Brazil by air and may stay in Brazil for up to 90 days with a tourist visa.
Compulsory for obtaining an entry permit is a vaccination card in english, portuguese, or spanish, proving full vaccination against Covid-19, with the second jab taken at least 14 days prior to traveling. A mere QR code is insufficient! The vaccination card has to contain the following information: name of the vaccinated person, fabrication or commercial name of the vaccine, charge number, and vaccination dates. Travelers have to show their physical vaccination card or a digital copy to the airline. The vaccine has to be accredited by the Brazilian Health Agency ANVISA, the WHO, or the home country of the traveler. Unvaccinated travelers may enter the country with a negative test (PCR or antigen test within 24 hours prior to boarding in english, portuguese, or spanish). Travelers under 12 years of age do not need a vaccine certificate or negative test result.
- Whoever counteracts the decrees, may be pursued under civil, administrative and penal law in Brazil and will be repatriated immediately.
- Brazilian regulatory agencies may install additional norms like certain sanitation protocols.
- Cases not covered by the decree, may be decided by the Department of Justice and Public Safety in Brazil.
Obligation to Use a Mask
For the duration of the pandemic, individuals in Brazil were obliged to wear masks in public spaces, in private spaces open to the public, and on public roads. These include banks, shops, industry and service companies, national parks and beaches among others. The same was/is true when using means of both public and private transportation services, including taxis. Masks of acceptable quality and standards can be manufactured industrially or at home.
The compulsory mask is nullified in public open spaces
• in the 12 federal states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Acre, Rio Grande do Sul, Ceará, Tocantins, Piauí, Pernambuco, Bahia, Amapá, Minas Gerais, and Pará.
The compulsory mask is nullified outdoors as well as indoors
• in the 14 federal states of Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, Mato Grosso, Rondônia, Alagoas, Maranhão, São Paulo (except for public transport), Amazonas, Sergipe, Paraná, Roraima, Rio Grande do Norte, Espírito Santo, and Paraíba.
• in the Distrito Federal.
Bring along your physical vaccination card
Don't forget to bring along your physical vaccination card when traveling to Brazil. Every traveler wanting to enter Brazil needs to show a vaccination card, proving full vaccination against Covid-19. Unvaccinated travelers may only enter the country with a negative test result. In major cities, visitors are obliged to show their physical vaccination card to gain entry to events, activities, and services such as fitness centers, sports stadiums, art exhibitions, fairs, conferences, and so on. Cities demanding vaccination cards are Brasília, Florianópolis, Belo Horizonte, Manaus, Rio Branco, Palmas, Belém, Porto Velho, Goiânia, Cuiabá, Fortaleza, João Pessoa, Recife, Natal, Teresina, Maceió, Salvador, and Aracaju.
Being 18 years and over, only fully vaccinated visitors are allowed to board a plane to Fernando de Noronha. Travelers from 55 years on need to prove a booster shot. Children between 12 and 17 have to show proof for at least one jab. Children up to 11 years of age do not need any proof.
Crossing the border between Argentina and Brazil in Foz do Iguaçu is only possible for fully vaccinated tourists.
The checking of vaccination cards demands some time. It is helpful to prepare oneself to be patient during a Brazil trip.
Details on the vaccination campaign and infection numbers
- The vaccination campaign in Brazil is running successfully. In Florianópolis and São Paulo more than 100% of the adult population is fully vaccinated. In Rio de Janeiro it is 95% of the adult population.
- This is the vaccination rate, in relation to the total population of Brazil: first dose: 87%, second dose: 83%, booster shots: 60%. Considering the population from 12 years on, 93% took the first jab and 87% are completely vaccinated.
- The numbers of Covid-19 cases are stable. Severe cases and hospitalisations stay under control.
- Daily updated figures of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Brazil and the rest of the world can be found here.