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Brazil stops requiring visas from Chinese citizens for entry into the country starting Monday (May 11), according to an announcement made by acting president Geraldo Alckmin at the opening of the 2026 Tourism Fair in Fortaleza, according to the Metrópoles portal. The exemption is reciprocal: Brazilians also no longer need a visa to enter China. The agreement covers tourism, business, family visits, exchange, and transit, valid for up to 30 days per stay. The measure was published in the Official Gazette of the Union and opens Brazil’s doors to the world’s second most populous country, with 1.3 billion inhabitants.
Starting Monday (May 11), 1.3 billion Chinese can enter Brazil without a visa, and the change immediately transforms the tourism and business relationship between the two countries. Acting president Geraldo Alckmin made the announcement during the opening of the 2026 Tourism Fair in Fortaleza and highlighted the scale of the decision: “We are talking about the world’s second most populous country, 1.3 billion people.” The exemption was published in the Official Gazette of the Union and comes into effect on Monday.
The measure is reciprocal: Brazilians who wish to go to China also no longer need a visa. The exemption covers tourism, business, family visits, exchange, and transit, lasting up to 30 days per stay. The agreement between the two countries was settled between President Lula and China’s President Xi Jinping in January 2026, and China had already removed the visa requirement for Brazilians in 2025. Now, with the publication in the DOU, Brazil completes its part, and the exemption becomes valid in both directions.
What changes in practice for Chinese who want to come to Brazil
Until this week, a Chinese citizen who wanted to visit Brazil had to go through a bureaucratic process that included scheduling an appointment at the consulate, submitting documents, proving financial means, and waiting days or weeks for visa approval. Starting Monday, all that’s needed is a valid passport and a ticket to board for Brazil, without the need for prior authorization for stays of up to 30 days in the categories of tourism, business, family visits, exchange, and transit.
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The simplification is especially relevant for business and exchange travelers, who often need agility for meetings, fairs, and events with fixed dates. The previous visa process could make last-minute trips unfeasible, a problem that now disappears for short stays. For tourism, the expectation is a significant increase in flow: in 2025, the number of Chinese tourists in Brazil had already grown by 35%, according to Alckmin, and the visa exemption tends to accelerate this trend.
What changes for Brazilians who want to go to China
China had already removed the visa requirement for Brazilians in 2025, in a unilateral decision that benefited travelers for tourism, business, family visits, exchange, and transit for up to 30 days. With reciprocity now formalized by Brazil, the relationship becomes symmetrical: citizens of both countries can travel freely without consular bureaucracy for short stays.
For Brazilians who do business with China, and there are many considering that China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner for over a decade, the exemption eliminates a barrier that consumed time and money. Businesspeople who needed a visa for every prospecting trip, fair, or meeting can now embark with the same ease as they would for Argentina or Chile. The impact is especially strong for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs who did not have the structure to deal with Chinese consular bureaucracy.
The context: how the agreement was built between Lula and Xi Jinping
The reciprocal visa exemption did not come out of nowhere: it is the result of diplomatic negotiation that formally began in January 2026, when Lula and Xi Jinping agreed to eliminate short-stay visas between the two countries. China took the first step by exempting Brazilians back in 2025, a gesture that Brazil now reciprocates with the publication in the Official Gazette.
The timing of the announcement is also strategic. Alckmin made the announcement at the opening of the 2026 Tourism Fair in Fortaleza, an event that brings together representatives from the 26 states and the Federal District with a three-day program that includes cultural presentations, gastronomy, travel packages, and debates on the development of national tourism. Lula is in the United States on an official visit at the invitation of the White House, and Alckmin is serving as interim President.
The impact on tourism and the economy: what the numbers indicate
Brazil receives relatively few Chinese tourists compared to the potential of the market. With 1.3 billion inhabitants and a rapidly growing middle class, China is the largest outbound tourism market in the world, with over 150 million international trips per year in the pre-pandemic period. The 35% growth in the flow of Chinese to Brazil in 2025, cited by Alckmin, started from a low base, which means there is enormous room for expansion.
The elimination of the visa is considered by the tourism industry to be the single factor that most influences the destination decision of international travelers. Countries that exempted Chinese from visas in recent years, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, recorded jumps of 40% to 100% in the flow of Chinese visitors in the months following the measure. Brazil, with its natural attractions, cultural diversity, and position as the largest economy in Latin America, can follow a similar trajectory.
The R$ 826 million credit and the 2026 Tourism Fair
In addition to the visa exemption, Alckmin announced at the opening of the Fair the granting of R$ 826 million in credit for the tourism sector through the General Tourism Fund (Fungetur), with interest rates of 9% per year and a guarantee from the Operations Guarantee Fund (FGO). The credit is aimed at hotels, inns, travel agencies, and tour operators who wish to invest in infrastructure to accommodate the expected increase in visitors.
The 2026 Tourism Fair, with the theme “On the Side of the Brazilian People,” continues until Saturday (May 9) with free admission. The event is the largest showcase of national tourism, and the choice of Fortaleza as its venue reinforces the strategy of decentralizing tourism promotion beyond the Rio-São Paulo axis, positioning the Northeast as a priority destination for Chinese tourists who are expected to start arriving in the coming weeks.
Would you travel to China now that you no longer need a visa, or do you think Brazil should have done this sooner? Tell us in the comments if you have visited China and what you think about 1.3 billion Chinese being able to enter Brazil without bureaucracy.
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