Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has authorised visa-free entry for holders of ordinary Chinese passports travelling for tourism, business, family visits, academic exchanges or transit. The measure, revealed on 24 January 2026 after a telephone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, mirrors the trial policy Beijing introduced in June 2025 that already allows Brazilians 30 days’ visa-free stay in China.
Under the new Brazilian rules, Chinese travellers will be able to enter for up to 30 days per trip and a cumulative 90 days in any 12-month period. Precise implementation details—such as the start date and airport systems updates—will be set out in a forthcoming joint circular from the ministries of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) and Tourism. Officials say the goal is to have the exemption in place before the peak July-August holiday season, when Guangdong-to-São Paulo flights routinely operate at 95 % load factors.
For visitors who still want expert assistance navigating Brazil’s evolving entry formalities, VisaHQ can help streamline every step—from pre-trip eligibility checks to courier handling of optional documents—through its dedicated Brazil portal at https://www.visahq.com/brazil/. The service provides up-to-date guidance, live customer support and tailored solutions for both leisure travellers and corporate mobility teams.
![Brazil Announces Visa-Free Entry for Chinese Visitors on Short-Term Trips]()
While Brazil already offers unilateral visa-free access to citizens of most South-American neighbours and the EU, it has traditionally kept Asia on a short list of countries whose nationals still need visas. Tourism boards estimate that removing the barrier for the world’s largest outbound market could lift Chinese arrivals by 60 % in 2026, restoring pre-pandemic growth trajectories. Business groups are equally enthusiastic: the Brazil-China Business Council notes that China is Brazil’s top trading partner, accounting for US $ 157 billion in two-way commerce last year; easier travel should accelerate deal-making in agritech, green hydrogen and fintech.
Airlines are already adjusting capacity. China Southern confirmed it will reopen its Guangzhou–Rio de Janeiro route in October 2026 with four weekly Boeing 787-9 flights, while LATAM is in talks to extend its São Paulo–Johannesburg service onward to Shenzhen via a codeshare. Airport operator GRU forecasts that Guarulhos will handle an additional 120,000 Chinese passengers in the first full year of the waiver, enough to justify a Mandarin-language arrivals channel and new duty-free concessions aimed at high-spending travellers.
For global-mobility managers the change removes weeks of lead-time previously needed to secure Brazilian visas for China-based executives. Nevertheless, companies are being advised to keep robust travel logs: overstays beyond the 90-day annual cap will incur daily fines and may jeopardise future entry. HR teams should also watch for Brazil’s complicated tax-residency trigger—183 days in a rolling 12-month period—especially for assignees who combine multiple short trips with longer postings.
Under the new Brazilian rules, Chinese travellers will be able to enter for up to 30 days per trip and a cumulative 90 days in any 12-month period. Precise implementation details—such as the start date and airport systems updates—will be set out in a forthcoming joint circular from the ministries of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) and Tourism. Officials say the goal is to have the exemption in place before the peak July-August holiday season, when Guangdong-to-São Paulo flights routinely operate at 95 % load factors.
For visitors who still want expert assistance navigating Brazil’s evolving entry formalities, VisaHQ can help streamline every step—from pre-trip eligibility checks to courier handling of optional documents—through its dedicated Brazil portal at https://www.visahq.com/brazil/. The service provides up-to-date guidance, live customer support and tailored solutions for both leisure travellers and corporate mobility teams.
While Brazil already offers unilateral visa-free access to citizens of most South-American neighbours and the EU, it has traditionally kept Asia on a short list of countries whose nationals still need visas. Tourism boards estimate that removing the barrier for the world’s largest outbound market could lift Chinese arrivals by 60 % in 2026, restoring pre-pandemic growth trajectories. Business groups are equally enthusiastic: the Brazil-China Business Council notes that China is Brazil’s top trading partner, accounting for US $ 157 billion in two-way commerce last year; easier travel should accelerate deal-making in agritech, green hydrogen and fintech.
Airlines are already adjusting capacity. China Southern confirmed it will reopen its Guangzhou–Rio de Janeiro route in October 2026 with four weekly Boeing 787-9 flights, while LATAM is in talks to extend its São Paulo–Johannesburg service onward to Shenzhen via a codeshare. Airport operator GRU forecasts that Guarulhos will handle an additional 120,000 Chinese passengers in the first full year of the waiver, enough to justify a Mandarin-language arrivals channel and new duty-free concessions aimed at high-spending travellers.
For global-mobility managers the change removes weeks of lead-time previously needed to secure Brazilian visas for China-based executives. Nevertheless, companies are being advised to keep robust travel logs: overstays beyond the 90-day annual cap will incur daily fines and may jeopardise future entry. HR teams should also watch for Brazil’s complicated tax-residency trigger—183 days in a rolling 12-month period—especially for assignees who combine multiple short trips with longer postings.
