Brazil’s government has quietly published regulations granting unilateral visa-free entry to holders of ordinary Chinese passports for visits of up to 30 days—extendable to 90 days in any 12-month period. The decision, first announced in January and highlighted again in Xinhua’s Spring-Festival coverage on 22 February, completes a reciprocal arrangement after Beijing waived visas for Brazilians last year.
The measure eliminates one of the biggest administrative barriers facing Chinese leisure and corporate travellers, whose arrival numbers had plummeted during the pandemic and the subsequent consular backlog. Prior to Covid-19, China was Brazil’s fastest-growing long-haul source market, feeding both tourism hotspots such as Foz do Iguaçu and business hubs in São Paulo’s manufacturing corridor.
For Brazilian multinationals—from soy exporters in Mato Grosso to aerospace giant Embraer—the waiver simplifies short-term rotation of Chinese executives and engineers needed for audits, factory acceptance tests and deal-closing trips. Mobility leaders, however, must note that the decree does not alter work-authorisation rules: long-term assignees still require the standard VITEM-V permit and local labour-ministry approval.
![Brazil Confirms 30-Day Visa-Free Entry for Chinese Passport Holders]()
Even with the new exemption, many travellers and companies will still need help navigating extensions, work permissions or multi-destination itineraries. VisaHQ’s Brazil page (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) offers step-by-step guidance, document checklists and courier services for every visa category—including the VITEM-V—making it easier to keep trips compliant and on schedule.
Border officers will demand proof of onward travel, accommodation and sufficient funds; overstays incur daily fines and possible entry bans. Airlines flying between China and Brazil have already reported a surge in forward bookings for the post-Carnaval shoulder season, prompting carriers to up-gauge aircraft on the São Paulo–Guangzhou and Rio de Janeiro–Shanghai routes.
Industry observers view the move as part of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s broader strategy to diversify inbound tourism markets and court Chinese investment in critical-minerals, infrastructure and renewable-energy projects. The Foreign Ministry is expected to roll out targeted promotional campaigns at the upcoming ITB China fair in Shanghai.
The measure eliminates one of the biggest administrative barriers facing Chinese leisure and corporate travellers, whose arrival numbers had plummeted during the pandemic and the subsequent consular backlog. Prior to Covid-19, China was Brazil’s fastest-growing long-haul source market, feeding both tourism hotspots such as Foz do Iguaçu and business hubs in São Paulo’s manufacturing corridor.
For Brazilian multinationals—from soy exporters in Mato Grosso to aerospace giant Embraer—the waiver simplifies short-term rotation of Chinese executives and engineers needed for audits, factory acceptance tests and deal-closing trips. Mobility leaders, however, must note that the decree does not alter work-authorisation rules: long-term assignees still require the standard VITEM-V permit and local labour-ministry approval.
Even with the new exemption, many travellers and companies will still need help navigating extensions, work permissions or multi-destination itineraries. VisaHQ’s Brazil page (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) offers step-by-step guidance, document checklists and courier services for every visa category—including the VITEM-V—making it easier to keep trips compliant and on schedule.
Border officers will demand proof of onward travel, accommodation and sufficient funds; overstays incur daily fines and possible entry bans. Airlines flying between China and Brazil have already reported a surge in forward bookings for the post-Carnaval shoulder season, prompting carriers to up-gauge aircraft on the São Paulo–Guangzhou and Rio de Janeiro–Shanghai routes.
Industry observers view the move as part of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s broader strategy to diversify inbound tourism markets and court Chinese investment in critical-minerals, infrastructure and renewable-energy projects. The Foreign Ministry is expected to roll out targeted promotional campaigns at the upcoming ITB China fair in Shanghai.
