Brazil Announces New Entry Requirements

Planning to travel to Brazil for the holidays? Make sure you keep up with the latest entry requirements. Every day it seems there are new rules - from closed borders to testing to insurance. And now there’s even a health declaration.

Starting on December 30, all visitors arriving to Brazil by air must present a negative Covid test to the airline and sign a health declaration. That’s according to a December 17th directive from the Brazilian government. The requirements apply both to Brazilian and foreign travelers.

The negative Covid test is nothing new. While this hasn’t been required for some time, Brazil did enforce this requirement at the beginning of the pandemic. The test should be a PT-PCR test and be taken within 72 hours of boarding.

The health declaration, however, is something new. In fact, it’s so new that the government hasn’t even created the form yet. But you can expect it to require that visitors observe certain sanitary measures while in Brazil.

In the past, Brazil has required that foreign visitors have health insurance in case they need medical care. While the US still recommends international insurance for its citizens, it’s not currently a requirement for entry into Brazil.

Keep in mind that land entry into Brazil is still restricted for most non-residents, so flying is likely your best option. Just make sure you plan well in advance as it seems the entry requirements are a fast moving target. You don’t want to get caught uninformed during the holidays.