The Brazil government announced on Thursday that Chinese citizens can enter Brazil without a visa for short term visits. This announcement was made by the acting president Geraldo Alckmin during the opening of the 2026 Tourism Fair in Fortaleza.
Brazil has now removed the visa requirements for Chinese travellers for short term travel starting from May 2026
This initiative by the Brazil government aims to cover tourism, business, family visits or transit for up to 30 days. This is a reciprocal move and China had previously granted visa free entry for Brazilian citizens travelling to China for short stays.
China has over 1.3 billion people and leads the worldwide outbound travel. Brazil visa options make the country an attractive destination for rising middle class travelers seeking long haul vacations. Even with prior visa requirements, Chinese arrivals to Brazil increased by 35 per cent during the first quarter compared with the last year arrivals.
The new policy came into force on 11 May, 2026 and is especially suitable for business and exchange travellers who need flexibility for meetings, fairs and events with fixed dates. The ease of travel will likely strengthen the cultural exchange, tourism and economic ties between the two BRICS nations.
Before this exemption, Chinese citizens had to go through a long bureaucratic process before planning a trip to Brazil. The free entry policy allows the Chinese travellers to travel to Brazil without any prior authorization for the purpose of tourism, business, family visits, exchange and transit for stay period of up to 30 days.
The reciprocal visa exemption is the result of diplomatic negotiation that formally began in January 2026 between Lula and Xi Jinping when they decided to eliminate short term visas for ordinary passport holders. China took the first step by introducing a visa waiver for Brazilians, starting from June 1, 2025 and later extended for one year, till December 31, 2026.
Alckmin made this announcement at the opening of the Tourism Fair and granted $ 826 million in credit for the tourism sector with interest rates of 9% per year, backed by the FGO guarantee fund. The credit is meant for hotels, inns, travel agencies and tour operators who wish to improve the infrastructure for the expected wave of Chinese visitors.
