Brazil moved a step closer to full visa reciprocity with its largest trading partner this weekend. In a note released late on Friday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva confirmed that Chinese citizens will soon be able to enter Brazil for certain short-term purposes—tourism, business meetings, family visits and transit—without first obtaining a visa. The announcement mirrors Beijing’s June 2025 decision to add Brazil (and four other South-American countries) to its unilateral 30-day visa-free trial.
Although the presidential communiqué did not set an implementation date, officials at Itamaraty told journalists that the waiver will be incorporated into Decree 9.199/2017 via an inter-ministerial ordinance “within the first quarter of 2026.” Until then, Chinese nationals must continue to apply for the standard Visit Visa (VIVIS) online or at consulates.
Travelers who still need to secure a VIVIS before the waiver kicks in can simplify the process through VisaHQ, which aggregates Brazil’s consular requirements, completes digital forms, and schedules appointments on the applicant’s behalf. The platform—found at https://www.visahq.com/brazil/—is equally useful for corporate mobility teams managing multiple Chinese or third-country passports and will remain a one-stop solution once Brazil’s new e-visa system comes online.
![Brazil to Grant Short-Term Visa Waiver for Chinese Citizens]()
For multinational companies, the change removes a costly administrative step for Chinese executives who frequently shuttle between production sites and joint-venture partners in Brazil’s auto, energy and agribusiness hubs. Chinese visitors represented just 1.5 % of all arrivals in 2024; Embratur expects that share to triple once the waiver takes effect, helped by the recent up-gauge of Air China’s Beijing-São Paulo service and China Southern’s planned Guangzhou-Recife flight.
Immigration lawyers caution that the exemption will be limited to stays of up to 90 days within a 12-month period and will not cover remunerated activities, which still require a temporary work visa. Carriers also await technical guidance from the Federal Police on how electronic boarding systems will distinguish visa-exempt Chinese passengers from those still subject to Brazil’s forthcoming e-visa regime for U.S., Canadian and Australian travelers (effective 10 April 2026).
Nevertheless, the announcement is viewed as a diplomatic win for Brasília—delivered during a 45-minute phone call between Lula and President Xi Jinping—and signals that South America’s largest economy is willing to leverage migration policy to deepen trade and technology ties with China’s Belt and Road framework.
Although the presidential communiqué did not set an implementation date, officials at Itamaraty told journalists that the waiver will be incorporated into Decree 9.199/2017 via an inter-ministerial ordinance “within the first quarter of 2026.” Until then, Chinese nationals must continue to apply for the standard Visit Visa (VIVIS) online or at consulates.
Travelers who still need to secure a VIVIS before the waiver kicks in can simplify the process through VisaHQ, which aggregates Brazil’s consular requirements, completes digital forms, and schedules appointments on the applicant’s behalf. The platform—found at https://www.visahq.com/brazil/—is equally useful for corporate mobility teams managing multiple Chinese or third-country passports and will remain a one-stop solution once Brazil’s new e-visa system comes online.
For multinational companies, the change removes a costly administrative step for Chinese executives who frequently shuttle between production sites and joint-venture partners in Brazil’s auto, energy and agribusiness hubs. Chinese visitors represented just 1.5 % of all arrivals in 2024; Embratur expects that share to triple once the waiver takes effect, helped by the recent up-gauge of Air China’s Beijing-São Paulo service and China Southern’s planned Guangzhou-Recife flight.
Immigration lawyers caution that the exemption will be limited to stays of up to 90 days within a 12-month period and will not cover remunerated activities, which still require a temporary work visa. Carriers also await technical guidance from the Federal Police on how electronic boarding systems will distinguish visa-exempt Chinese passengers from those still subject to Brazil’s forthcoming e-visa regime for U.S., Canadian and Australian travelers (effective 10 April 2026).
Nevertheless, the announcement is viewed as a diplomatic win for Brasília—delivered during a 45-minute phone call between Lula and President Xi Jinping—and signals that South America’s largest economy is willing to leverage migration policy to deepen trade and technology ties with China’s Belt and Road framework.
