Covid Test Requirements

negative PCR test

On your return from the trip you will need the same from a brazilian lab, although I've been told by an airline that an antigen exam works to return to the U.S., that was a couple months ago and a negative result with a PCR is the safest way to go.

Ok thanks 2 all

Also, check with your airline for all requirements they may have.

You can take PCR test at GRU airport.

Antigen test was accepted recently,but that may have changed, pcr is still valid.

Trying to get more updated information on COVID testing requirements and labs for Re-entering USA after a trip to Brazil this January.  I know we need to be tested negative , but where do I get such a test in Brazil?

For my return, I will be staying in Joao Pessoa, then fly out to have a a short layover in GRU, Sao Paolo.

My understanding is it needs to be a negative PCR test within 72 hours to re-enter the USA.  I will fly Latama from Joao Pessoa to GRU. Then Delta home to USA. 

Is it true I will need a test before my first flight as that is where they will be checking the tests at the airport when I check in?

Thanks for any guidance you can provide...

MA22 wrote:

Trying to get more updated information on COVID testing requirements and labs for Re-entering USA after a trip to Brazil this January.  I know we need to be tested negative , but where do I get such a test in Brazil?

For my return, I will be staying in Joao Pessoa, then fly out to have a a short layover in GRU, Sao Paolo.

My understanding is it needs to be a negative PCR test within 72 hours to re-enter the USA.  I will fly Latama from Joao Pessoa to GRU. Then Delta home to USA. 

Is it true I will need a test before my first flight as that is where they will be checking the tests at the airport when I check in?

Thanks for any guidance you can provide...

I had my PCR test at GRU airport (in October 2021, the last time I was in Brazil).

Is it true I will need a test before my first flight as that is where they will be checking the tests at the airport when I check in? ---- Yes, you will need a test, but it doesn't necessarily must be before your first flight. Airlines check your tests before boarding to international flight not domestic one.

If you have short layover in GRU than the only option is to have your test before your first flight.

The GRU testing is fast, 2-3 hours, and very easy. Cost has been R$300. But I've heard it might have gone up to R$350. Very cheap compared to the same tests in the USA. They have been billing my insurance $280. U.S. dollars for each test at Rite Aid or at my local hospital clinic.

Oi gente,

I'm finally back in POA after being away for more than a year!  Thankfully things have really opened up here....including flying internationally.  It is a little confusing, however, concerning the need for a COVID test before returning to the USA.  I just read on the Air Canada website that "No proof of a negative pre-departure COVID-19 test results for transit" is required. 

Moreover, "Travelers with flight connections in Canada to third countries are exempt from any COVID-19 test requirement as long as they remain in the international departure area." 

Is it possible that Air Canada is the only airline not requiring this test?

11/20/21

The US accepts a negative antigen test as well.  Check the guidance on your airline's website.

We returned to the US yesterday for the first time since 2018.  We got an antigen test Wednesday morning (11/17/21) at a laboratory in Manaus, and got the results two hours later,  paper and electronic, English and Portuguese.  Uploaded them to the VeriFly app that American Airlines uses, along with our vaccination certs.  Smooth sailing from there at GRU.

There must be similar labs in João Pessoa.  The US Consulate in Recife might be able to provide some names in response to an email.

Ola ABthree!

Thank you for the update!  Flying down was easier than I thought!  Many of the negative comments I read on the net now seem to be uncalled for.  I'm already planning my next trip!!!

The lastest:
International Restrictions:
*Entry to Brazil:Entry by air: The Brazilian Government has removed the temporary suspension on entry to the country from travellers who have been physically present in the UK in the past 14 days. Foreign nationals including British can now enter the country on direct (Brazil-UK) flights or by transiting through third countries, subject to regular entry requirements. Anyone travelling to Brazil by air needs to present the airline at check-in documentary evidence of a negative PCR test for COVID-19 taken within 72 hours of boarding or a negative antigen test taken within 24 hours of boarding in English, Spanish or Portuguese. All children under the age of 2 are exempt from the requirement to present a negative test. Children under the age of 12 who are accompanied by adult(s) who have proof of a negative test are also exempt.
All travellers to Brazil are currently required to complete a Travelers Health Declaration
form within 72 hours of boarding. This can be done online. The English version is available here.
Further information is available on the website of Brazil’s Consulate General.
*Entry by land: Brazil has closed some of its land borders, except to Brazilian citizens, resident foreign nationals and foreign spouses, children, parents or guardians of a Brazilian national. The land border with Paraguay is now open.
Transiting: If you’re in a bordering country and need to cross the land border to board a flight back to your country of residence, you should get in touch with your Embassy or Consular. You will be permitted to enter Brazil with authorisation from the Federal Police following an official request from the Embassy and on presentation of flight tickets. You should travel straight to the airport once in Brazil.
*Sea ports: As of 1 November 2021, cruise ships following an entirely domestic itinerary are allowed to resume operation along the Brazilian coast. The Brazilian government continues to suspend the entry of international cruise ships and foreigners disembarking in any port or other maritime location in Brazil regardless of nationality. These restrictions do not apply to resident foreigners and foreign spouses, children, parents or custodians of a Brazilian national.
Disembarking will only be permitted when medical assistance is required or to catch a connecting flight back to the country of residence.
*Transiting Brazil: Passengers are allowed to freely transit as long as they do not leave the international airport area and have a ticket for onward travel. If you intend to transit by land, please read Entry by land.

Declaration form
https://formulario.anvisa.gov.br/?lang=en

To look up these requirements, this site is pretty good:

https://www.traveldoc.aero/

Health Alert: U.S. Embassy Brasilia, Brazil (06 December 2021)
From:   
brasiliamascot@state.gov
Sent:   
Fri, Dec 3, 2021 at 17:49
To:   
Location: Brazil, countrywide 

 

Event:  On December 6, at 12:01am EST (5:01am GMT), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will implement a one-day COVID-19 testing requirement for travelers over age two coming to the United States.  Regardless of vaccination status or nationality, any individual coming to the United States must show a negative pre-departure COVID-19 viral test taken the day before they board their flight to the United States.  You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight. 

 

If you recently recovered from COVID-19, you may instead travel with documentation of recovery from COVID-19 (i.e., your positive COVID-19 viral test result on a sample taken no more than 90 days before the flight’s departure from a foreign country, and a letter from a licensed healthcare provider or a public health official stating that you were cleared to travel). 

 

These requirements are for all air passengers two years of age or older boarding a flight from a foreign country to the United States. 

 

Actions to Take: 

Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.  
For information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19, please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.
Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for country-specific information related to COVID-19.  
Check with your airlines, cruise lines, or travel operators regarding any updated information about your travel plans and/or restrictions, including potential COVID vaccine or testing requirements for countries you are transiting through.
Visit the U.S. Embassy Brasilia COVID-19 webpage for information on conditions in Brazil. 

I guess this will apply to flights transiting through the USA. Correct????

Yes the airline will require the test before bording

Does anyone have experience with Covid Self-test kits?  Now that requirement to re-enter USA from any foreign country is  negative Covid Test 24 hours before boarding, it seems this might be a good option.  Are these PCR or Antigen or?  Good companies to get them from?  How do they work?  Thanks for any advice!  I leave for Brazil in about one month and would like to know if this is a good option that I can order here in USA and bring with me...

MA22,
From the CDC website:
You can use a self-test (sometimes referred to as home test) that meets the following criteria:

The test must be a SARS-CoV-2 viral test (nucleic acid amplification test [NAAT] or antigen test) with Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The testing procedure must include a telehealth service affiliated with the manufacturer of the test that provides real-time supervision remotely through an audio and video connection. Some FDA-authorized self-tests that include a telehealth service may require a prescription.
The telehealth provider must confirm your identity, observe the sample collection and testing procedures, confirm the test result, and issue a report that meets the requirements of CDC’s Order (see “What information must be included in the test result?” below).
Airlines and other aircraft operators must be able to review and confirm your identity and the test result details. You must also be able to present the documentation of test results to U.S. officials at the port of entry and local/state health departments, if requested.
Some countries may restrict importation of tests that are not authorized or registered there. If you are considering bringing a U.S.-authorized test with you for use outside of the United States, contact authorities at your destination for information before you travel.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nc … 1635127081

12/05/21

I just returned to Brazil from the US yesterday.   Brazil still required a PCR test within 72 hours of departure and completing ANVISA's Health Declaration.   With US requirements tightening this week, though, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Brazil follow suit, so travelers should check with their airlines frequently.

Hi,

I returned to Brazil from Canada (via the USA) last Wednesday,  and an antigen test (much cheaper than PCR) taken less than 24  from the TIME OF INITIAL DEPARTURE was acceptable. When I arrived the test results were about 35 hours old but that was no problem.

MA22 wrote:

Does anyone have experience with Covid Self-test kits?  Now that requirement to re-enter USA from any foreign country is  negative Covid Test 24 hours before boarding, it seems this might be a good option.  Are these PCR or Antigen or?  Good companies to get them from?  How do they work?  Thanks for any advice!  I leave for Brazil in about one month and would like to know if this is a good option that I can order here in USA and bring with me...

______________
The PCR in my lab takes about 12 hours to run samples, (our system is about 5-years old and cost about a quarter-million $U.S. then)  New PCR processing systems have this down to 6 hours of run/cycle time, while the ones currently used in the airports' cycle in 4- hours, I do question how and how well that works.  Current antigen tests are run in about 15-minutes.  I believe the best accuracy of current antigen tests is still only around 85% with a high rate of false-negative results, 15/100 and about 1/100 false positives.

The problem everyone is having with the self-test kits is actually knowing who, if anyone, was tested

Drjmagic wrote:

Hi,

I returned to Brazil from Canada (via the USA) last Wednesday,  and an antigen test (much cheaper than PCR) taken less than 24  from the TIME OF INITIAL DEPARTURE was acceptable. When I arrived the test results were about 35 hours old but that was no problem.

Thank you.  Did you have your antigen test done at the airport or? How much was the antigen test?  I'm obviously looking for the most efficient, reliable, and cost effective test. And it seems the antigen would be the way to go if I can find locations here in St. Paul/Minneapolis...

The antigen tests are free almost everywhere. Here in Oregon/Washington. every Walgreens, Rite-Aid, etc. offer them at no cost at all.  At PDX and SEA, we have a private service that provides results in 30-minutes for $69 dollars. My wife had one done today at SEA, cost, $69, in and out in about 35 minutes.

You can try https://mn.gov/covid19/get-tested/testi … /index.jsp

At the airport there, MSP, you can try:
https://www.mspairport.com/airport/covi … sting-site

My antigen test cost $40 CAN (~$31USD), at a pharmacy. I think lots of airports have testing services.

BRASÍLIA
The Brazilian government will require five days of quarantine for travelers who come to the country and cannot prove that they have taken a vaccine against Covid, announced ministers Marcelo Queiroga (Health) and Ciro Nogueira (Casa Civil).

In addition to proof of immunization, it will be necessary to present the negative result of a test to detect coronaviruses performed up to 72 hours before.

It is the first comprehensive measure by Jair Bolsonaro's management of travelers since the more transmissible omicron variant was identified.

". . . The Brazilian government will require five days of quarantine for travelers who come to the country and cannot prove that they have taken a vaccine against Covid . . . "

I wonder what they will accept as "proof" of vaccination.

". . . The Brazilian government will require five days of quarantine for travelers who come to the country and cannot prove that they have taken a vaccine against Covid . . . "

I wonder what they will accept as "proof" of vaccination.

Vaccination card/passport

Drjmagic wrote:

". . . The Brazilian government will require five days of quarantine for travelers who come to the country and cannot prove that they have taken a vaccine against Covid . . . "

I wonder what they will accept as "proof" of vaccination.

_____
Hey there.  Do you happen to have a link to this information you can share?  My wife arrived at GRU this morning, the easiest trip she has had in a year. She had a PCR test done through Rite Aid in Renton, WA., then flew Delta from Seattle, through Atlanta, to SP. Thanks

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internaci … lers.shtml

Excellent! Thanks

Travel Advisory:  New Brazil COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement - 17 December 2021
  
Location: Brazil, countrywide  
  
Event:  Effective immediately, all individuals ages 12 and older traveling to Brazil by air must present proof of COVID-19 vaccination, in addition to a Traveler's Health Declaration (DSV) and proof of a negative COVID-19 test, either an RT-PCR test performed within 72 hours of boarding or an antigen test performed within 24 hours of boarding.  Unvaccinated travelers who are Brazilian citizens or legal residents will be allowed to enter but will be required to complete five days of quarantine after reaching their final destination in Brazil at the address indicated on their DSV form.  At the end of the five-day quarantine, unvaccinated travelers must take a new RT-PCR or antigen test.  If the test is positive, they must follow Brazilian Ministry of Health guidelines; if the test is negative, they can travel as planned throughout the country.

While Brazil’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements may change, the CDC recommends that U.S. citizens should not travel internationally until they are fully vaccinated.
 
Vaccines must be approved by the World Health Organization or by relevant health authorities in the country where the vaccine was administered.  To be considered fully vaccinated, the traveler must have received the final dose of the vaccine at least 14 days prior to boarding. 

For more details on Brazil's COVID-19 entry requirements: 
•    Review the December 8 Brazilian government announcement outlining new entry requirements. 
•    Visit the U.S. Embassy Brasilia COVID-19 webpage for information on conditions in Brazil.
•    Check with your airlines, cruise lines, or travel operators regarding any updated information about your travel plans and/or restrictions, including potential COVID vaccine or testing requirements for countries you are transiting through. 

Assistance:  
•    U.S. Embassy and Consulates General in Brazil
•    U.S. State Department – Consular Affairs
•    Brazil Country Information
•    Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts. 
•    Follow the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

I assume it is the same for Canadians travelling to brazil?

Yes, this is for all travelers.

New advisory:
Travel Advisory: U.S. Embassy Brazil (21 December 2021)

Location: Brazil, countrywide 

Event:  The Government of Brazil announced additional entry requirements on December 20, 2021, including the following:

All individuals ages 12 and older traveling to Brazil by air must present proof of COVID-19 vaccination (electronic or printed), in addition to a Traveler’s Health Declaration (DSV) completed no more than 24 hours prior to boarding, and proof of a negative COVID-19 test, either an RT-PCR test performed within 72 hours of boarding or an antigen test performed within 24 hours of boarding.  However, the proof of vaccination requirement is waived for travelers:

(I)  with a health condition that contraindicates vaccination, certified by a medical report;

(II)  not eligible for vaccination due to age, according to criteria defined by the Ministry of Health in the National Plan for the Operationalization of Vaccination against COVID-19 and published in the Ministry of Health website;

(III)  due to humanitarian issues (as detailed in the December 20 portaria); or,

(IV)  arriving from countries with low vaccination coverage published on the Ministry of Health website.

Unvaccinated travelers who are Brazilian citizens, legal residents, or those waived in categories I – IV (see above) will be allowed to enter but must complete a fourteen-day quarantine after reaching their final destination in Brazil at the address indicated on their DSV form. After the fifth day of quarantine, if the traveler is asymptomatic and has received a negative RT-PCR or antigen test result, the quarantine may be discontinued.

Brazilians and legal residents who left Brazil by December 14, 2021 are exempt from presenting proof of vaccination and from quarantining on return.

Vaccines must be approved by the World Health Organization or by relevant health authorities in the country where the vaccine was administered.  To be considered fully vaccinated, the traveler must have received the final dose of the vaccine at least 14 days prior to boarding. 

While Brazil’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements may change, the CDC recommends that U.S. citizens should not travel internationally until they are fully vaccinated.

For more details on Brazil’s COVID-19 entry requirements: 

Review the December 20 Brazilian government announcement outlining new entry requirements. 
Visit the U.S. Embassy Brasilia COVID-19 webpage for information on conditions in Brazil.
Check with your airlines, cruise lines, or travel operators regarding any updated information about your travel plans and/or restrictions, including potential COVID vaccine or testing requirements for countries you are transiting through.
Assistance:  

U.S. Embassy and Consulates General in Brazil
U.S. State Department – Consular Affairs
Brazil Country Information
Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts. 
Follow the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Thanks for all the updated info on Vaccination requirements .

by the way....(red-faced me!) when you go looking for the Health Travelor Document .... there are a number of shady organizations who will butt in line to offer to help you ...for a fee ...but all they do is gather your personal information and then feed it to the AVISA website, so make sure you just go to
https://formulario.anvisa.gov.br