What Foreign Visitors Should Know About Brazil’s October 25 Runoff
Brazil’s presidential runoff is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, with voting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time. Only Brazilian citizens may vote, so foreign residents without citizenship cannot cast ballots. Alcohol restrictions vary by state, with Amazonas, Amapá and Pará announcing rules for the runoff.
Brazil’s second-round presidential vote follows the 4 October first round, where no contender secured an outright majority. The runoff is set for Sunday, 25 October 2026, with polls open 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Brasília time. The contenders are incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro. Only Brazilian citizens may cast ballots; foreign residents who have not naturalised cannot vote, while naturalised citizens can.
Election-day alcohol rules are not nationwide. States or local electoral judges set them. For the runoff, Amazonas, Amapá and Pará have announced restrictions, while São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro had none in the first round. The TSE administers the vote, and electronic-machine results typically emerge within hours of closing.
The runoff may affect foreign visitors and residents mainly through practical disruptions, such as local alcohol restrictions and travel or hospitality changes. Brazilian citizens, especially those in states with voting-day rules, could face altered routines. Because only citizens vote, expatriates without citizenship may experience the day as observers rather than participants. The outcome could shape the country’s political direction, but immediate effects on non-citizens are likely indirect and vary by location.