In a welcome boost for Irish passport holders and the companies that move them, Brazil has formally added Ireland to the list of nationalities that can visit without a visa. Inter-Ministerial Ordinance 18/2026, published in the Brazilian Official Gazette on 9 March 2026, exempts Irish citizens with ordinary passports from short-stay visa requirements for tourism, conferences and many forms of short-term business travel. The measure is part of Brazil’s wider “Open Doors 2026” strategy, which also waived visas for travellers from China, Denmark, France, Hungary, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and the Bahamas. Irish visitors may spend up to 90 days in Brazil in any 12-month period and can apply locally for one 90-day extension, giving a theoretical maximum stay of 180 days a year.
![Brazil grants visa-free entry to Irish citizens, opening South American market]()
Whether you’re organising a corporate delegation or planning a personal adventure, VisaHQ can help you verify Brazil’s entry rules, generate any supporting documents and secure additional visas you might need for onward travel—all through a quick online process. Check out the Ireland-specific portal at https://www.visahq.com/ireland/ to keep every trip compliant and hassle-free.
The waiver does not cover paid employment, long-term assignments or residence permits; companies will still need to secure the appropriate work authorisation if staff will provide services or receive Brazilian-sourced remuneration. For multinationals with a footprint in Latin America, the change eliminates consular lead-times that routinely stretched to three weeks, removes the €120 e-visa fee and simplifies last-minute travel for project kick-offs, due-diligence visits and trade-show attendance. Irish-Brazilian trade bodies have already signalled plans for joint roadshows to capitalise on pent-up travel demand; Tourism Ireland projects a 25 per cent increase in outbound leisure bookings to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in 2026 compared with 2025. Immigration advisers caution that travellers must still meet Brazil’s general entry rules: proof of onward travel, accommodation details and funds of at least US $80 per day. They also urge corporate mobility teams to update travel-approval workflows so that “visa not required” is correctly flagged for Irish nationals—failure to do so could lead to unnecessary application costs routed through legacy systems. With Ireland already enjoying visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 190-plus destinations, the Brazilian move further strengthens the Irish passport’s value for globally mobile staff. HR directors in pharma, tech and agribusiness—sectors with growing Brazilian operations—are expected to incorporate Brazil into short-term assignment programmes that were previously limited to Mexico, Chile and Colombia.
Whether you’re organising a corporate delegation or planning a personal adventure, VisaHQ can help you verify Brazil’s entry rules, generate any supporting documents and secure additional visas you might need for onward travel—all through a quick online process. Check out the Ireland-specific portal at https://www.visahq.com/ireland/ to keep every trip compliant and hassle-free.
The waiver does not cover paid employment, long-term assignments or residence permits; companies will still need to secure the appropriate work authorisation if staff will provide services or receive Brazilian-sourced remuneration. For multinationals with a footprint in Latin America, the change eliminates consular lead-times that routinely stretched to three weeks, removes the €120 e-visa fee and simplifies last-minute travel for project kick-offs, due-diligence visits and trade-show attendance. Irish-Brazilian trade bodies have already signalled plans for joint roadshows to capitalise on pent-up travel demand; Tourism Ireland projects a 25 per cent increase in outbound leisure bookings to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in 2026 compared with 2025. Immigration advisers caution that travellers must still meet Brazil’s general entry rules: proof of onward travel, accommodation details and funds of at least US $80 per day. They also urge corporate mobility teams to update travel-approval workflows so that “visa not required” is correctly flagged for Irish nationals—failure to do so could lead to unnecessary application costs routed through legacy systems. With Ireland already enjoying visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 190-plus destinations, the Brazilian move further strengthens the Irish passport’s value for globally mobile staff. HR directors in pharma, tech and agribusiness—sectors with growing Brazilian operations—are expected to incorporate Brazil into short-term assignment programmes that were previously limited to Mexico, Chile and Colombia.
