Visa and Passport Requirements for South America: Chile, Argentina, Columbia, Peru and Brazil
I’m heading to Brazil this October, and getting my visa sorted has been a lot more frustrating than I expected. If you’re planning a trip to South America this year, here’s what you actually need to know before you book anything — because the answer is different depending on where you’re going, and one of these will probably surprise you.
Chile: No Visa Needed 🇨🇱
Chile is about as easy as international travel gets for US citizens. No visa, no reciprocity fee — that was eliminated back in 2014 — just a valid passport and you’re in. You’ll get a tourist stamp good for up to 90 days. Bring your passport, and that’s genuinely most of the prep work.
Argentina: No Visa Needed 🇦🇷
Same story in Argentina. US citizens can enter visa-free for tourism, stay up to 90 days, and no fee at the border. Argentina used to charge a $160 reciprocity fee, but that was dropped in 2016, so you won’t run into it now. Just make sure your passport has some validity left and a blank page or two for stamps.
Colombia: No Visa Needed 🇨🇴
Colombia also does not require a visa for US citizens — you’ll get a 90-day tourist stamp on arrival, and you can stay up to 180 days total per calendar year if you extend. I visited a friend in Colombia in early 2024 and had no problems entering the country.
Peru: No Visa Needed 🇵🇪
Peru is the same: no visa needed. You enter on arrival with a valid passport (6+ months validity, blank pages), typically good for 90 days.
Brazil: You Now Need an e-Visa 🇧🇷
Here’s the one that trips people up, especially if you’ve traveled to Brazil before and remember it being visa-free. That changed — US citizens (along with Canadian and Australian passport holders) now need an e-visa for any tourist visit. This isn’t a new complication layered on top of the old system; it’s a full reinstatement of a visa requirement that had been waived for years.
- Apply only through the official portal — brazil.vfsevisa.com. There are third-party sites that will charge you extra to do the same thing the official site does for free beyond the visa fee itself, so don’t get talked into paying more than you need to.
- Fee is $80.90. Once approved, it’s good for 10 years with multiple entries — so this is a one-time hassle that pays off if you plan on going back.
- Print two copies. If approved, check your email for the visa, download the pdf and then print it. Make sure you have to copies with you when you travel.
- Passport requirements: valid for at least 6 months beyond your travel dates, with at least one blank page.
- Apply early. Processing times have been inconsistent — everything from a couple of days to closer to two weeks — so don’t wait until the week before your flight.
If the Payment Won’t Go Through
I’ll be honest — I’ve hit this wall myself trying to get my own Brazil visa squared away. The application form works fine, but the payment step just won’t cooperate. If that happens to you, here are a few things worth trying before you assume something’s broken on your end:
- Use a credit card, not a debit card — some processors reject debit cards outright.
- Turn off any VPN. The portal can flag non-US IP addresses and block the transaction.
- Try a different browser, and go incognito to rule out extensions or ad blockers interfering with the payment redirect.
- Have your card details ready before you start — if the payment session times out while you’re digging for your card, you may have to start over.
It’s frustrating, but it’s a fixable kind of frustrating. Give yourself buffer time in case you need a few attempts. My payment was finally accepted on August 5 and I received an email on August 7 with my pdf Brazil visa attached, issued on August 7. Two days!
The Bottom Line
If Chile, Argentina, Colombia or Peru are on your list, you can relax — pack your passport and go. If Brazil is in the mix, build in time for the e-visa before you finalize your flights. It’s not hard, but it’s also not instant, and it’s one more thing on the list that used to not exist at all. Plan for it now so it’s one less thing to worry about later.
Buddy and I look forward to Brazil in October to not only see how beautiful it is, but experience the food, drink, architecture, history, and see my wife’s relatives and friends. We also told you our South American bucket list in this post. Argentina, Chile and Peru are countries we will be visiting in the future, with a return trip to Colombia. With my wife and daughter being Brazilian, we will be a frequent visitor to that country.
Buddy and Jordan
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