Border control at Brazilian airports: what happens to travellers and their data

Arriving: the steps at the border

Article 38 of the Migration Law, Law No. 13.445 of 24 May 2017, gives the Federal Police the role of maritime, airport and border police at points of entry and exit ³.

Foreign travellers go to Federal Police booths. In August 2026 Viracopos Airport in Campinas said its new automated gates were only for Brazilian citizens, native-born or naturalised, and that foreign passengers still use the booths ⁶.

Article 45 of the Migration Law lets officers bar a person from entering after an individual interview and a reasoned decision. Grounds include an expulsion still in force, a passport that is invalid, expired or shows signs of forgery, a purpose of travel that does not match the visa, and fraud in a visa application ³.

The law says no one may be barred from entering on grounds of race, religion, nationality, membership of a social group or political opinion ³.

Entry permission: visas and the eVisa

Brazil began requiring visas from citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia on 10 April 2025, under a presidential decree. Travellers apply online through the eVisa site before departure. The fee is US$80.90, and the visa allows stays of up to 90 days ¹.

Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the decision, first taken in May 2023, follows the principle of reciprocity. The three countries do not exempt Brazilians from visas ¹.

In March 2025 the Senate approved a bill to suspend the requirement for these countries and Japan. As of April 2025 the Chamber of Deputies had not voted on it. Japan was no longer on the list, after a reciprocal exemption in 2023 ². We could not confirm any later change as of 19 October 2026.

Article 13 of the Migration Law covers the visit visa for short stays without the intent to settle ³. Article 11 lets officials refuse a visa to people who fall under several of the entry bars in Article 45 ³.

Biometrics and automated gates

Automated gates opened at RIOgaleão airport in Rio de Janeiro in June 2016. At launch they served Brazilian citizens aged 18 or older with an electronic passport. The gate compared a live face photo with the image in the passport chip and checked each case in real time against the Federal Police SATI system ⁷.

On 18 August 2026 Viracopos Airport said it had nine ABC gates working: six for arrivals and three for departures. Each gate reads the passport and uses face recognition. The operator said each unit can process up to six passengers a minute ⁶.

The Viracopos rollout follows a Federal Police ordinance published in July 2025, which set rules and deadlines for installing such gates ⁶.

We could not confirm from an official source whether officers take fingerprints or face images from foreign visitors at arrival.

Passenger data: API and PNR

ANAC Resolution No. 255 of 13 November 2012 governs API and PNR. It applies to Brazilian and foreign airlines on international flights to, from or through Brazil, except air taxis. Its stated aims are to prevent unlawful interference with aviation and to speed up migration, customs, health and agricultural checks ⁵.

API data on passengers and crew must be sent before departure in the UN PAXLST format. Required fields include document number, issuer, type, expiry, name, nationality, date of birth and sex ⁵.

Airlines must make PNR data available from their booking systems. The first PNR message is due 72 hours before departure, with updates at 24 hours, 6 hours and flight closing. Annex II lists 22 groups of data, such as contact details, payment, itinerary, ticketing, check-in and baggage ⁵.

The Federal Police set the technical rules and run the secure channels that receive the data. ANAC sets penalties for missing, late or incomplete data. Airlines must tell passengers in their contracts that booking data will be shared with the authorities. The resolution took effect on 22 July 2014 and does not set a retention period ⁵.

Watch lists and checks

Article 45 of the Migration Law lets officers bar a person whose name is on a list of restrictions set by court order or by a commitment Brazil made to an international body ³. People convicted of or charged with terrorism, genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or aggression can be barred too ³.

At RIOgaleão in 2016, each automated gate transaction was screened in real time through the Federal Police SATI backend ⁷. Airlines must give API data before departure, which lets the authorities check passengers before they board ⁵.

Your data: the law and how to ask for records

Brazil's General Data Protection Law (LGPD), Law No. 13.709 of 2018, gives people the right to confirm that their data is processed, to access it, to correct it and to learn which public and private bodies received it. Requests are free. People can petition the national data protection authority (ANPD) about a controller ⁴.

Article 4 of the LGPD says the law does not apply to processing done only for public security, national defence, state security or criminal investigation. A specific law is meant to govern these areas, and the ANPD can issue opinions and ask for impact reports ⁴.

The Migration Law guarantees migrants equal rights with nationals in areas such as life, liberty, equality and security ³. We could not find a published retention period for Federal Police border records as of 19 October 2026.

Who runs the systems

The Federal Police run border control and receive API and PNR data ^3,5. The National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) writes the API and PNR rules and aviation security rules ^5,8. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains visa policy ¹.

Airport operators install gates in partnership with the Federal Police and ANAC, as at Viracopos ⁶. We did not find an official publication naming the contractors behind the federal systems.

Security screening on departure

ANAC's powers over civil aviation security come from Law No. 11.182 of 2005. Decree No. 7.168 of 2010 sets the National Civil Aviation Security Programme (PNAVSEC) ⁸.

ANAC's regulation RBAC 107 sets airport zoning. Aircraft aprons and passenger boarding areas must be restricted security areas, which carry extra security controls. The Federal Police share powers in this field ⁸.

We could not open an official ANAC page on liquids limits or on who staffs passenger checkpoints as of 19 October 2026.