Do I need to undergo medical examinations for the Brazil Working Holiday?

Volare Editorial | March 26, 2026

When preparing the application file for the Brazil Working Holiday Visa, health accreditation is a fundamental requirement to ensure that the participant is fit for cultural and work exchange. Unlike other destinations where a health declaration is optional or limited to an internal form, the Brazilian system requires formal and verifiable medical documentation. Below, we detail the guidelines for presenting the medical certificate according to the regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty).

Mandatory Medical Certificate

Are medical examinations necessary? Yes, it is mandatory. Every applicant for the VITEM VI visa must include an original medical certificate in their application folder. This document is a key piece for the consular officer to validate the young person's physical suitability before stamping the visa.

• Time Validity: The certificate must have been issued recently, generally no more than 90 days prior to the time of application.

• Professional Issuance: The document must be issued by a registered health professional in the applicant's country of origin or residence. It must clearly and legibly contain the doctor's signature, seal, and registration number.

  
  

Specific Content of the Document

For the certificate to be accepted by the Brazilian consular authorities, a generic note of good health is not enough. The text must explicitly confirm the following points:

1. General Health: A clear statement confirming good physical and mental health to carry out holiday and work activities.

2. Absence of Diseases: Certification that the applicant does not suffer from infectious-contagious diseases that could represent a risk to public health in Brazil.

3. Program Fitness: A mention of the individual's capacity to reside abroad for a period of 12 months.

   
   

Language and Legalization Requirements

Following Brazil's general regulations for foreign documents, the medical certificate must meet linguistic validity criteria:

• Sworn Translation: If the original medical certificate is not written in Portuguese, it must be accompanied by a Sworn Translation carried out by a certified professional.

• Reference Language: Although some consulates might review documents in English during the digital upload stage in the E-Consular system, the physical presentation of the file usually requires the Portuguese version for its official record.

  
  

Relationship with Medical Insurance

It is important to distinguish that the medical fitness certificate is a different entry requirement from the international medical insurance policy. While the certificate credits your current health, the insurance guarantees your coverage for future eventualities. Both documents are complementary and indispensable for the Government of Brazil to approve temporary residency.

More information

If you wish to know the specific formats accepted by each diplomatic office or the steps for digital document uploading, we invite you to consult the full section on the Brazil Working Holiday Visa on our Volare website.