Brazil

Visas & Permits

Visas & Work Permits

Most Western nationals travelling to Brazil, as tourists, can enter visa-free for stays of up to 90 days.

With regards to obtaining a business visa for filming, once the project contract is settled, an ANCINE approved Brazilian service company or fixer will register the project with ANCINE, which will then contact a local consulate to approve the business visa. Each crew member needs to submit their passport to the consulate to have the visa stamped. The process takes up to a month but can generally be expedited to a week.

For co-productions, ANCINE rules require that two-thirds of the crew are Brazilian. Journalistic projects are exempt.

Please contact a local embassy, consulate or representative for more information. Alternatively, there are specialist companies that provide visa and immigration support to the media industry, and may be able to assist.

Film Location Permits

Applications for film permits can only be made by ANCINE-approved production service companies and fixers. Generally speaking, permits aren’t required for small footprint b-roll shoots, which don’t require exclusive use of public space. However, it is still a good idea to have the local service producer or fixer engage with local authorities to make sure everything is covered.

Larger projects requiring exclusive use of public space will require permits from one or multiple permitting authorities. Traffic control on a city street usually takes about a week to process and is recommended to shoot over the weekend. Filming in national parks requires permission on both a local and federal level.

Drone filming is permitted and Brazil has experienced locally-based drone operators. Although the practice isn’t strictly regulated, local permits are required.

Customs

For productions looking to bring in film equipment, Brazil is not an ATA carnet country.

Crews looking to bring in their own equipment will need advance customs clearance, which can be tricky and very expensive. Alternatively, this can be done through either a local production service company or customs broker.

When to Film

When to Film

Brazil is a huge country with several climate zones, ranging from the arid interior to the wet Amazon. Except for the extreme south of Brazil, which has a four season climate, the rest of Brazil has a semi-tropical climate with a wet summer season and a dry winter season.

The Amazon regularly experiences wildfire smoke in the summer months, which may affect visibility for filming in affected areas.

Brazil is a predominately Christian country, so those holidays are observed.

Public Holidays

Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in Brazil.

Costs & VAT

Brazil is one of the more expensive countries in South America, but currency devaluations have made it a more cost competitive place to film. In more remote areas, cash is king.

At the time of writing, the VAT rate in Brazil ranges from 17% to 25%, depending on the state, as well as the type of goods and services.