Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a communiqué on 28 February 2026 confirming that Irish ordinary-passport holders may now enter Brazil visa-free for short stays of up to 30 days, renewable locally to a maximum of 90 days per 12-month period. The waiver forms part of Ordinance 18/2026, which entered into force on 24 February and covers eight countries including Ireland, China and Denmark. For Irish corporates with Latin-American interests the change removes a €120 visa fee and an application process that typically added two weeks to travel lead-times—delays that often clashed with short-notice project deployments. Energy and agri-tech firms, already active in São Paulo and Curitiba, can now mobilise specialists without consular bottlenecks, while SMEs eyeing Brazil’s fast-growing fintech scene gain cheaper access for exploratory visits. Airlines are positioning to capture expected demand. TAP Air Portugal and Air France-KLM—key one-stop options from Dublin—have requested extra summer slots, and LATAM is reportedly evaluating a Dublin–São Paulo seasonal service if traffic milestones are met. Travel-management companies caution that the waiver covers tourism, conferences and unpaid business meetings only; paid work still requires the appropriate residence visa. They advise tracking cumulative days carefully to avoid inadvertently hitting the 90-day ceiling, which would trigger overstay penalties under Brazilian law. With nearly all major Latin-American markets now visa-free for Irish passports, Ireland’s mobility profile continues to improve—an advantage recruiters say is increasingly used to entice global talent to Dublin-based roles that include frequent travel.
