Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has formally waived short-stay visitor visas for Irish citizens, effective 4 March 2026, under Inter-Inter-Ministerial Ordinance 18/2026. The change—part of the country’s ‘Open Doors 2026’ strategy—permits visa-free stays of up to 90 days per 12-month period for tourism, conferences and short business meetings. Irish travellers must still hold an ordinary passport valid on exit, proof of onward travel and evidence of sufficient funds. The policy, announced on 9 March by immigration-intelligence site VisaVerge, eliminates the €110 e-visa fee and a two-week processing time that previously constrained last-minute corporate travel. Trade bodies IBEC and Enterprise Ireland welcomed the move, noting that Brazil is the second-largest Latin-American export market for Irish medical-technology firms. While the waiver simplifies entry, it does not authorise remunerated work. Long-term assignments still require a Temporary V work visa, and overstays are subject to daily fines. Travellers are advised to track cumulative days carefully; a single extension to 90 days is possible only once per year. Airlines and travel-management companies expect a 20 per cent uptick in Irish bookings via Lisbon and Paris as conference season ramps up. Brazil’s unilateral gesture also signals a softening of its reciprocity stance. It extends similar privileges to seven other nationalities, but Ireland is the sole English-speaking EU member on the list—an advantage for Dublin-based start-ups seeking South-American partners ahead of Brazil’s World Expo 2027 bid.
Source: VisaVerge
