Editor’s Note: Coronavirus cases are in flux across the globe. Health officials caution that staying home is the best way to stem transmission until you’re fully vaccinated. Below is information on what to know if you still plan to travel, last updated on November 25.
If you’re planning a trip to Brazil, here’s what you’ll need to know and expect if you want to visit during the global coronavirus pandemic.
The basics
Brazil has been one of the hardest hit countries by the pandemic. The country holds the second highest Covid-19 death toll in the world, second only to the United States.
At the height of the pandemic, the Brazilian government did little to limit the spread nationally. Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro criticized the use of masks and lambasted governors who adopted regional lockdown measures.
Hospitals in Brazil struggled. Intubation, medication and oxygen ran low at points during the pandemic.
The Gamma coronavirus variant was first detected in Brazil and spread rapidly across the country in early 2021.
Cases in Brazil later spiked in late 2021/early 2022 following the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Case numbers have since dropped.
Over 88% of the population in Brazil has received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine as of November 25, 2022.
What’s on offer
Brazil is a bucket list destination – a country that really does have everything. Beachside Rio de Janeiro is one of the world’s most beautiful cities, capital Brasilia is a whirl of modernist architecture, and Salvador is the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture. There are some of the best beaches on the planet, plus, of course, the main part of the Amazon rainforest – which visitors can help protect, by contributing toward the conservation economy.
Who can go
Brazil’s government, infamously relaxed about the pandemic, was initially hesitant to implement pandemic border restrictions. However, the country introduced new border measures following the emergence of Omicron.
Currently, travelers from anywhere in the world can enter Brazil – with some restrictions.
To enter Brazil, travelers must either provide proof of vaccination (either in printed or in electronic form, in Portuguese, English or Spanish) or proof of a negative or not detected antigen or PCR test taken one day prior to boarding. Travelers can also enter Brazil if they have proof of recovery from Covid-19 within the last 90 days.
Entry requirements
Current rules dictate that travelers arriving in Brazil by air for tourist purposes must be fully vaccinated or have proof of a negative PCR or antigen test result, as detailed above.
Children under 12 can enter Brazil without showing proof of vaccination or negative test.
As of November 25, 2022, face masks are mandatory in airports and in aircraft en route to Brazil. See more detail here.
Useful links
Brazil travel rules overview on Brazil’s tourism website
Our recent coverage
The Brazilian town of Encantado has a towering new statue of Jesus Christ that’s taller than Rio de Janeiro’s famous “Christ the Redeemer” statue. Read more here.
Check out this list of places in Brazil you might not have heard of, meanwhile see photos of the otherworldly landscapes of Brazil’s Lençóis Maranhenses National Park at this link.
Also, see photos of other beautiful places in Brazil here, or read the story of Brazil’s national spirit, cachaça.
CNN’s Julia Buckley and Francesca Street contributed to this report
