BRAZIL BUSINESS VISA FOR FILM SHOOTS
UPDATE: As of April 10, 2025, Brazil began requiring an Electronic Visa (eVisa) as a mandatory entry permit for citizens of the United States, Australia, and Canada visiting the country. As of January 1, 2026, Brazil has also begun requiring visas for Mexican citizens. For more information about this update, please follow this link.
If you are a producer or a production company planning on shooting your next film, video or photo project in Brazil, you may be asking yourself, “does my crew need a Visa to go and shoot a project in Brazil?” That’s an important question since citizens of certain countries must indeed obtain a business visa to carry out their shoot in Brazil.
As a reminder, citizens from most European countries DO NOT need visas to travel to Brazil. That includes the UK, France, Germany, and other countries. Please check the Visa Waived list below to make sure your crew members are exempt from a tourist or business visa when travelling to Brazil for a shoot.
LIST OF COUNTRIES AND CURRENT STATUS IN REGARDS TO VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR BRAZIL FILM AND VIDEO SHOOTS
Below is a comprehensive list of all countries in the world and the current status of its citizens in regards to visa requirements to travel to Brazil (you can also check this page on the Brazilian government website as well as this Wikipedia page for further information).
Countries whose citizens need a VIVIS visa to travel to Brazil: Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Congo (Democratic Republic of the), Congo (Republic of the), Cuba, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, East Timor, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Northern Cyprus, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Somaliland, South Ossetia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Transnistria, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Countries whose citizens do not need a visa to travel to Brazil: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela.
If you or any members of your crew are citizens of a country in the Visa Waived list above, you are good to travel to Brazil and conduct your shoot there as long as you have a valid passport (restrictions as to how long you can stay in Brazil apply) and an ANCINE Registration.
Now, if you are from a country that is in the Visa Required list above, then you will need to get a business visa in order to legally conduct your shoot in Brazil and enter the country. For business visa applications, you will need to partner up with Brazil Production Services so we can ask the government for the visa on your behalf. It will be important for you to start the process of applying for Brazilian business visas 6 weeks before your shoot at least because it can take upwards of a month for visas to be issued. As soon as you know you need to go to Brazil for a shoot, contact us so that we can help you through the business visa process.
TRAVEL SUPPORT SERVICES IN BRAZIL
No matter where in Brazil your shoot will take place, Brazil Production Services can handle all of your travel needs. Our highly skilled producers will help you and your team find the best local solutions for your stay – according to your budget and filming location – including domestic flights, airport transfers, charter flights, boat travel and accommodations (we will even give some leisure tips if you are interested).
Some productions have travel plans that are pretty simple to execute, however, we have coordinated productions that involved speed boat travel in the Amazon, chartered planes in the Pantanal, dune buggies in the Brazilian Northeast, helicopter travel to remote jungle areas, Yacht travel through the Green Cost of Rio de Janeiro state, etc. So, depending on the specific needs of your production, we have the experience, know-how and contacts to pull off some of these specialized travel plans in a centralized, customized and efficient manner.
Contact us today if you have any questions and to take your first step towards a smooth shoot in Brazil.