Last updated August 29, 2023
Some World Sleep congress attendees will need to obtain the appropriate visa to travel to Brazil, and other attendees will be exempt from this requirement. Your nationality determines the appropriate steps you will need to take to enter Brazil.
Receive Your Letter of Invitation from World Sleep
Some World Sleep attendees will need to secure a Letter of Invitation from the conference organizer (World Sleep Society) in order to apply for a visa. You must already be registered for World Sleep 2023 in order to receive a Letter of Invitation.
The Letter of Invitation must include your passport information. Please do not email your scanned passport or passport information to World Sleep Society.
Please complete the secure request form on the World Sleep Society membership platform to submit your passport information. You should receive your letter within five (5) business days.
Will I Need a Visa?
Your nationality determines your visa requirements (if any).
Review the list of countries and the Brazilian government’s visa entry requirements:
https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/consulado-washington/consulate-general-of-brazil-in-washington-dc/QGRV_simples_ing_12DEC22.pdf (NOTE: If you hold a United States, Australia, or Canada passport, please review the updates below to verify your visa requirements.)
Entry Visas for Citizens of Australia, Canada, and the United States
August 28 Update
The Brazilian government has announced a postponement in the requirement for travelers from the United States, Canada, and Australia to obtain a visa to travel to Brazil.
This means that if you travel with a United States, Canada, or Australia passport, you will NOT need a visa to travel to Brazil for the World Sleep congress in October.
Find the update from the Brazilian government posted here: https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/embaixada-camberra/English/visitor-visas-for-citizens-from-australia-canada-and-the-united-states-of-america
August 10 update: The Brazilian government has announced that they expect the e-visa platform to go live approximately September 1. We will monitor this and communicate the platform widely once it is accepting applications. Read more here: https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/embaixada-singapura/english/news/visit-visa-for-citizens-of-australia-canada-japan-and-the-united-states
Please also note that travelers from Japan no longer need a visa to travel to Brazil, according to the August 10 announcement linked above.
Original March 2023 Update
Effective October 1, 2023, citizens of Australia, Canada, and the United States will need to hold a visitor visa to enter Brazil.
Previously, there was an exemption for the citizens of these four countries. On March 13, 2023, the Brazilian government announced that the exemption will be removed October 1, 2023.
Read the complete announcement here: https://www.gov.br/mre/en/contact-us/press-area/press-releases/visitor-visas-for-citizens-of-australia-canada-japan-and-the-united-states
The Brazilian government has stated that the system called “e-visa” will be reinstated for these four countries. The e-visa system was first instated in 2017 and operated until 2019. The e-visa system was designed specifically to make the visa process simple and easy for travelers from Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United States. It involved the use of an online portal to complete a form and pay the visa fee, which generated a visa printable at a home or office. This process was significantly easier than the older, more traditional visa application process, which included visiting a consular office or mailing your passport to one.
As of this update on July 5, the Brazilian government has not released the online infrastructure to operate the e-visa process, but we are expecting news about it soon. When available, World Sleep Society will communicate it widely and assist affected attendees in beginning the e-visa process online.