Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on May 7 that it will implement a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports starting from May 11. Chinese citizens with ordinary passports can enjoy short-term visa-free entry, with a maximum stay of 30 days per entry.
Among Brazil’s population of 213 million, over 1% are of Asian descent. The Chinese community has been rooted in Brazil for over 200 years, forming Chinatowns in cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Brazil is also China’s largest trading partner in Latin America, with long-standing commercial ties fostering stable business and tourism demand.
This year’s Labor Day saw a surge in bookings for Brazilian destinations, with a year-on-year growth of over 100% in tourism products, according to data from Feizhu. Chinese travelers still favor destinations in Southeast Asia, South Korea, and Europe.
Brazil boasts favorable natural conditions, with minimal natural disasters. 80% of its territory lies in the tropics, with the southernmost part belonging to the subtropical climate. The Amazon rainforest in the north has an equatorial climate, with an average annual temperature of 27-29°C.
Brazil’s tourism resources are centered around world-class natural wonders and infectious urban culture. Major tourist cities and attractions include Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador, Brasília, Iguazu Falls, and the Pantanal wetlands.
Following the announcement, online travel platforms like Qunar and Tongcheng Travel saw a surge in searches for flights to Rio de Janeiro and Brasília, with the top five departure cities being Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Chengdu. The most popular destinations were São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília.
In 2012, China and Brazil upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. In 2024, the two countries further elevated their ties to a “China-Brazil Community of Shared Destiny,” with a memorandum of understanding on strengthening tourism cooperation signed in November.
According to the Chinese Consular Network, Brazil has a relatively high crime rate, particularly in major cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with frequent cases of robbery, theft, and violent attacks on Chinese citizens. Credit card skimming is also a common issue.
The Consular Department advises tourists to travel in groups, dress modestly, avoid wearing valuable jewelry, and minimize cash carrying. It also recommends avoiding areas with poor security, poverty-stricken neighborhoods, and nighttime outings with cash and cameras.
Visa-free policies symbolize close national relations, mutual trust, and open cooperation. Unilateral visa-free policies, on the other hand, indicate a country’s willingness to allow citizens of another nation to enter without a visa, based on comprehensive risk assessments.
According to data from the National Immigration Administration, Chinese passport holders can currently enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to nearly 100 countries and regions worldwide. China’s passport ranking has risen from 72nd in 2021 to 60th, with its “value” continuously increasing.
China has signed mutual visa exemption agreements with at least 29 countries as of 2025. The government has also expanded its 240-hour visa-free transit policy to 55 countries, with 65 entry points.
The benefits of visa-free policies continue to unfold, with online travel agencies (OTAs) sensing more opportunities in the international market. The National Immigration Administration reported that during the Labor Day holiday, border control authorities handled 11.279 million entries and exits, with a daily average of 2.256 million, a 3.5% increase from the previous year.
Commerce Minister Yu Dong stated in February that the Ministry of Commerce will continue to promote the construction of internationalized consumption environments in pilot cities, supporting the development of high-quality consumption supplies, international consumption clusters, and friendly commercial districts for inbound tourists.
Yu Dong also mentioned that the Ministry of Commerce will vigorously develop tax-free shopping for outbound tourists, encouraging more stores to become tax-free shops, optimizing tax-free services, and improving the level of convenience, thereby attracting more foreign tourists to shop in China and stimulating the potential of inbound consumption.
