UK ETA for Brazilian Citizens

Do Brazilian Citizens Need a UK ETA?

It would be wrong to say that every Brazilian citizen always needs one. Someone with a valid UK visa, qualifying settled status, or British or Irish citizenship is in a different position, and so is a person who is not travelling on a Brazilian passport.

The ETA is a digital permission to travel, attached to one passport. It is not a visa, it is not a stamp, and it does not decide whether you are admitted. The date that matters for the 8 January 2025 threshold is the date you travel, which puts every trip being planned today inside the requirement.

Can Brazilians Use the CIN Instead of a Passport for UK Travel?

The Carteira de Identidade Nacional, or CIN, is Brazil’s current national identity card. It uses the CPF as its unique identification number, it exists in a physical and a digital form, and it carries modern security features including a machine-readable zone.

Brazilian authorities say the card can be accepted as a travel document where Brazil has an applicable international agreement, as in some regional travel arrangements. They also say it does not replace the passport for other countries. That second point is the one that matters for the UK.

None of this means the card is never a travel document. It simply is not the one an ordinary UK ETA journey relies on.

Why Can the CIN Be Used for Some South American Trips but Not for UK ETA Travel?

The explanation lies in who has agreed what. Brazil has travel-document arrangements with certain regional countries, and under those arrangements an eligible physical identity document can stand in for a passport on qualifying journeys. The permission comes from the agreement, not from the card itself.

The United Kingdom is not part of those regional arrangements. Nothing in them reaches a flight to London, and the UK has not agreed to treat the CIN as the document an ETA is linked to. A person who gets used to travelling regionally on the card should not carry that habit over to a UK trip.

This page does not give visa or entry advice for other South American countries. If you plan a regional stop before or after the UK, check the rules for that country separately.

Is My Old Brazilian RG Still Valid for UK Travel?

The older identity-card models commonly called the RG remain generally valid in Brazil under the current transition rules, with a final date of 28 February 2032. It would be a mistake to say the RG stopped counting the moment the CIN arrived.

Two questions need to be kept apart, though. One is whether the card is still a valid Brazilian identity document. The other is whether it is the document a foreign country, or the UK’s ETA system, will look for. Brazilian validity answers only the first.

• An old RG’s validity does not make it the passport linked to an ordinary ETA.
• Acceptance of identity cards abroad depends on destination agreements, and the UK is not covered by any.
• Do not rely on an old RG for UK entry, and do not assume the 2032 date has anything to do with UK travel.

Can the Digital CIN on My Phone Replace My Passport?

After issuance, a CIN holder can use a digital version through Brazil’s digital-government services. It is handy for proving identity at home and for services that accept it.

A digital credential does not change what the card is. It does not become the passport linked to a UK ETA, and an image on a screen is not the Brazilian passport an ordinary ETA journey requires. Carry the actual passport named in your approval.

Does My CPF Number Affect UK ETA Eligibility?

The CPF is an important Brazilian identification and tax-registration number, and it is the number used within the CIN system. That makes it central to daily life in Brazil, but it has no role in the UK’s decision.

It is not a passport, not an international travel document, not an ETA and not UK immigration status. ETA eligibility follows nationality, the travel passport used, and any exemption or status. No tax advice is offered here.

Which Brazilian Document Is Linked to a UK ETA?

The Brazilian passport you enter in the application. It is the travel document the ETA is bound to, and it is the one to present when you board and at UK border control.

Brazilian passports have been issued as electronic passports with a chip for well over a decade. That is a fact about the document. It is not a route to UK eGates, because passport technology and eGate nationality eligibility are separate matters, as the eGate section below explains.

One practical habit helps. Look at the expiry date on your passport before you apply, because the approval can never outlast the booklet it is attached to. A passport with only a few months left produces a short ETA, and a traveller who plans to return to the UK later in the year may prefer to renew first and apply afterwards. Doing it in that order avoids paying attention to the same question twice and avoids the awkward situation of holding an approval tied to a document that is about to lapse.

Can a Brazilian Driving Licence Replace My Passport?

The Carteira Nacional de Habilitação, or CNH, is a driving document, and it may be used for identification in some domestic settings. It is not the Brazilian passport linked to an ordinary UK ETA, and it does not substitute for it at the border.

What If I Live in Brazil but I Am Not a Brazilian Citizen?

Brazil issues the Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório, or CRNM, to foreign nationals who are registered there. Holding a CRNM, or living in Brazil under any residence permission, does not make someone a Brazilian citizen.

A foreign resident of Brazil should work out the UK position from the passport or travel document they will really use, their UK immigration status and any exemption that applies. The Brazilian-citizen rules on this page should not simply be applied to them, and no Brazilian immigration advice is given.

What If a Brazilian Citizen Already Has UK Immigration Permission?

Brazil is outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, so the national ID card arrangements written for those nationals do not apply to Brazilians. Treat this as a separate case.

• A valid UK visa or eVisa covering the journey means no extra ETA where the rules exempt permission holders.
• Qualifying settled or pre-settled status means no ETA is needed for a person travelling as a status holder.
• Keep your UKVI account and passport details current.
• Holding UK status does not turn a CIN or an RG into a UK border document.

If you are unsure whether your permission covers a trip, check your own documents, and see our UK visa guide for the wider picture.

What If I Am Brazilian and British?

British citizens do not need an ETA, so a person who is both Brazilian and British is not asked for one when entering the UK as a British citizen. Travel with the British document that shows your status. Nothing here speaks to how Brazil treats a second nationality.

What If I Am Brazilian and Irish?

Irish citizens do not need an ETA either, and a valid Irish passport is the plain way to show it. No Brazilian nationality-law advice is offered.

How Should I Enter My Brazilian Name on a UK ETA Application?

Brazilian names often carry accents and other marks, such as á, â, ã, ç, é, ê, í, ó, ô, õ and ú. The travel passport is the authority. Enter your details the way the application asks and in line with the passport.

• Do not make up an English spelling.
• Do not drop or change a name because another Brazilian record formats it differently.
• Where the application asks for machine-readable passport details, follow the passport and the on-screen instructions.

We do not set out conversion rules here, because inventing them would risk a mismatch with your passport.

Flying from Brazil to the UK with an ETA

Travellers set out from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Salvador, Curitiba, Porto Alegre and many other places. We promise no direct routes and publish no timetables. The ETA rule does not change with the airport.

• Apply with the Brazilian passport you will really carry.
• Check that the booking matches the passport.
• A carrier may verify digital permission before boarding.
• You are not asked to print an approval. It is digital.
• The ETA does not replace the passport and does not promise admission.

For timing, see our guide to UK ETA processing time.

What If My UK Journey Connects Through Another Country?

Many itineraries from Brazil include a stop, in Europe, North America or elsewhere. A connecting route does not by itself alter the UK’s ETA rule, because that rule depends on you and your passport.

Visa and transit requirements of the connecting country are separate, and we make no determinations for Portugal, Spain, France, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada or any other country. Check each leg yourself.

Do Brazilian Schoolchildren Need a UK ETA?

There is no Brazil-specific school exemption. The special school-party provisions, ETA 1.9 for France and ETA 1.10 for Germany, are written for qualifying schools in those two countries. A school organised in Brazil should not assume they apply.

It is not accurate to say that every Brazilian pupil always needs an ETA, either. A Brazilian national who actually studies at a qualifying school in France or Germany may fall within those provisions if every condition is met, and individual exemptions or UK status can apply too.

Do Brazilian Children and Babies Need Their Own UK ETA?

Where an ETA applies, each traveller needs one, and a baby is a traveller. A parent’s approval does not cover a child.

A child’s CIN or RG does not replace the child’s travel passport for an ordinary UK ETA trip. Our guide to children, babies and families has the details.

Do Brazilian Citizens Need an ETA for UK Airport Transit?

It depends on whether you pass through UK border control. If you stay airside throughout a qualifying connection, no ETA is needed. If your route puts you landside, for instance to move between terminals or collect checked bags, an ETA may be required where it applies to your passport.

So it is wrong to say all UK transit needs an ETA, and equally wrong to say none does. Ask your airline how your tickets are arranged. See our transit and layovers guide.

Brazilian Citizens, Ireland and the UK

The Republic of Ireland is a separate country from the UK, and Northern Ireland is part of the UK. Going through Ireland does not automatically remove the need for an ETA.

A qualifying lawful resident of the Republic of Ireland who travels to the UK from elsewhere in the Common Travel Area may fall within a specific exemption in the current rules. It is narrow and conditional, so it should not be read as a general route.

Can Brazilian Citizens Use UK eGates?

Not on nationality alone. Brazil is not one of the nationalities with automatic ordinary eGate eligibility, and a biometric Brazilian passport plus an ETA does not create it. Some other country guides describe eGates differently, so please do not assume the same applies here.

Follow Border Force directions on arrival. A separate Registered Traveller programme exists, and eligible Brazilian members may be able to use the ePassport gates under its rules. Use of a gate is never guaranteed.

Contactless eGates

Contactless eGates are a newer, separate rollout and for now they are limited to British citizens. Brazilian travellers, including Registered Traveller members, should not expect to use them unless the UK authorities announce a change.

Can Brazilian Passport Holders Join Registered Traveller?

Brazil is listed as an eligible passport nationality for Registered Traveller. Membership has its own requirements: applicants must be at least 18, hold an eligible passport, and either have an eligible UK visa or, if they do not need a visa to visit, have a record of recent previous UK visits.

Many Brazilian visitors travel without a visa, so the previous-visit condition is the one that usually matters. We do not publish the price or link to the scheme.

Keep the two ideas apart. An ETA is travel authorisation where one is required. Registered Traveller is a separate border-facilitation membership. One does not replace the other. Our fees and processing options page covers our own service.

Business Travel from Brazil to the UK

An eligible Brazilian business traveller can use an ETA for activity that fits the Visitor business rules: meetings, conferences, negotiations, qualifying site visits and similar permitted business. It does not give ordinary employment permission. Read more in our business visits guide.

Can Brazilian Citizens Work in the UK with an ETA?

An ETA does not itself grant ordinary employment. Four things should be kept distinct:

• permitted Visitor business, in our business visits guide
• Permitted Paid Engagements
• the Creative Worker concession
• ordinary employment, which normally calls for a work visa. See the UK visa guide.

Can Brazilian Citizens Study in the UK with an ETA?

Short periods of study can sit within the Visitor rules, as our short-term study guide explains. An ETA does not replace a Student visa where one is required, so anyone planning a full course should begin with the visa guide.

Visiting the UK from Brazil for Tourism or Family

Holidays, sightseeing and visits to relatives or friends are common reasons to travel, and they fall within the eligible Visitor activities. See our guides to tourism and visiting family and friends.

How Long Is a UK ETA Valid for Brazilian Citizens?

Up to two years from the date of grant, or until the linked passport expires, whichever is sooner. Multiple journeys are possible while it is valid. It is not continuous residence. See our guide to ETA validity, multiple trips and new passports.

What If I Renew or Replace My Brazilian Passport?

The ETA is bound to the passport used in the application. That covers renewal, expiry, loss, theft, damage and any replacement with new details. Where an ETA applies, a new passport generally means a new ETA.

A CIN, RG, CPF or digital CIN cannot move an approval across to a new passport.

How Long Can Brazilian Citizens Stay in the UK?

Eligible Visitor travel can generally involve seeking permission to enter for up to six months where the Visitor rules are met. That is a ceiling. The ETA does not hand over six months automatically, and an approval lasting two years is not a two-year stay.

Can Brazilian Citizens Make Multiple UK Trips on One ETA?

Yes, while the ETA is valid. The Visitor rules apply on each visit, and frequent or successive visits must not add up to living in the UK. The UK system has no invented 90 or 180 day rule.

Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man

The Crown Dependencies run their own ETA schemes, and an ETA became relevant for travel from 23 April 2026. In the circumstances the rules set out, a UK ETA and a Crown Dependency ETA are mutually recognised. The Common Travel Area has its own arrangements, so check the position for your island shortly before you travel.

UK ETA Requirements for Brazilian Citizens

You will generally need:

• the Brazilian passport you will travel on
• an email address you can read
• a clear photograph of your face
• personal and passport details, copied accurately
• answers to the application questions
• a payment method for the payment stage

A CIN, an RG or a CPF is not a substitute for the passport. See the full requirements page and our fees and processing options.

How to Apply for a UK ETA from Brazil

1. 1

   Confirm that you need one

   Work out whether an ETA applies or whether UK permission or an exemption already covers the trip.

2. 2

   Pick the passport

   Choose the Brazilian passport you will actually carry, and make sure it is in date.

3. 3

   Copy the details

   Take your name and passport data from the passport itself, accents included where the form allows.

4. 4

   Add the photo and passport information

   Provide what the application asks for, with a clear and suitable facial image.

5. 5

   Check name, number and expiry

   A single wrong character can break the link between the ETA and your passport.

6. 6

   Select a UKETA.sg service option

   Choose the level of handling that suits your timing.

7. 7

   Submit and pay

   Keep your confirmation and reference.

8. 8

   Watch your email

   Look in spam as well, and wait for the outcome before you fly.

9. 9

   Travel on the same passport

   Present the passport named in the approval when boarding and at UK border control.

Common UK ETA Mistakes for Brazilian Citizens

1. Assuming the CIN replaces the passport for UK ETA travel. It does not.
2. Carrying regional identity-card habits over to the UK. Those agreements do not cover the UK.
3. Reasoning that an old RG valid until 2032 can be used for the UK. Brazilian validity is a different question.
4. Confusing the digital CIN with an international passport. It is a digital identity credential.
5. Treating the CPF as a travel document. It is an identification number.
6. Treating a CNH as the ETA-linked passport. It is not.
7. Mixing up residence or a CRNM with Brazilian citizenship. They are different.
8. Expecting an electronic Brazilian passport to open the ordinary UK eGates. Nationality eligibility is separate.
9. Confusing Registered Traveller with the ETA. They are separate things.
10. Assuming a Brazilian school group inherits the France or Germany exemption. Those provisions are specific.
11. Counting on a parent’s ETA to cover a child. Every traveller needs their own.
12. Making blanket assumptions about airport transit. Airside and landside differ.
13. Flying on a replacement passport with an ETA tied to the old one. Plan for a new approval.
14. Reading the ETA as permission to do ordinary work. It gives none.
15. Treating approval as a promise of admission. The border officer decides.
16. Muddling Ireland with Northern Ireland. Only Northern Ireland is in the UK.

Before You Travel from Brazil to the UK

• ✓You have confirmed whether an ETA, UK status or an exemption applies.
• ✓The Brazilian passport in your bag is the one named in the ETA.
• ✓You have not mistaken the CIN for your passport.
• ✓You are not applying regional identity-card rules to a UK trip.
• ✓An old RG is not being relied on for the UK journey.
• ✓The digital CIN is not being treated as a travel passport.
• ✓CPF and CNH are not being confused with a travel document.
• ✓Each child has been checked individually.
• ✓If it is a school trip, the France and Germany provisions have been read properly.
• ✓A renewed or replaced passport has been taken into account.
• ✓You are not assuming that you can use the eGates.
• ✓Registered Traveller, if relevant, has been checked on its own terms.
• ✓Your transit itinerary has been checked.
• ✓Booking and passport details match.
• ✓The purpose of the trip fits the Visitor rules.

UK ETA FAQs for Brazilian Citizens

Want more answers? Browse our UK ETA FAQs or contact us. You can also go back to the eligibility checker.