Brazil Runoff Day on 25 October for Foreign Visitors
Brazil votes again in 14 days. For a foreign visitor or resident, the practical questions are who may vote, what is closed or restricted that day, and when the result is known.
Key Facts
- The date Brazil’s presidential runoff is on Sunday 25 October 2026, three weeks after the first round on 4 October. Voting runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time, so polls close an hour or two earlier on clocks in the western states.
- Who votes Only Brazilian citizens. Foreign residents who have not become Brazilian citizens have no vote.
- Alcohol There is no national ban. State and local authorities decide. Amazonas, Amapá and Pará have announced restrictions for the runoff, and São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro had none in the first round.
- Time zones Polls close at 5 p.m. Brasília time, which is 4 p.m. in New York and 8 p.m. in Lisbon on that day (Lisbon’s clocks go back earlier that morning).
- Prediction markets Polymarket prices Flávio Bolsonaro at about 88% and Lula at 11.5% to win the presidency (US$180.0 million traded; bets, not polls). Stand: 11 October 2026, 00:31 ET.
Who Can Vote and Who Cannot
Voting is for Brazilian citizens. A foreign resident who has not naturalised has no ballot, even after many years in the country. Naturalised citizens are Brazilian citizens and do vote.
The runoff takes place because no candidate won an outright majority on 4 October. The two candidates in the second round are the incumbent president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Flávio Bolsonaro. The date comes from the electoral court’s calendar: Sunday 25 October 2026, with voting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time.
The electoral court, known as the TSE, runs the vote. Results from the electronic voting machines usually arrive within hours of the polls closing.
Alcohol Rules Differ by State
Brazil has no national “dry law” on election day. Each state or local electoral judge decides. In the first round on 4 October, seven states restricted alcohol across their whole territory: Amazonas, Amapá, Acre, Roraima, Piauí, Pará and Maranhão. Five more had limits in some electoral zones: Bahia, Tocantins, Sergipe, Mato Grosso and Goiás.
For the runoff, Brazilian media report restrictions in Amazonas (from 2 a.m. to 5 p.m.), Amapá (from 10 p.m. on Saturday 24 October to 6 p.m.) and Pará (from midnight to 6 p.m.). We did not find final runoff orders for the other states. São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and most other states had no restriction on 4 October.
If you travel on that weekend, ask your hotel or restaurant whether a local order applies. The rule affects sales and public consumption, and it can change before the day.
What Else Changes on the Day
Expect heavy news coverage and campaign messages in the days before. Foreign residents are free to follow the vote, but the campaign is domestic politics, and Brazilian law is strict about election conduct. If in doubt, do not join campaign events.
Money markets are not open on a Sunday. Brazil’s stock exchange, B3, trades again on Monday 26 October. The PTAX fixing, the central bank’s reference dollar rate, was 4.9892 reais on Friday 9 October, and R$1,000 is about US$200 at that rate. Currencies often move on election news, in either direction, and one result rarely sets a long trend.
Brazil’s central bank sets its Selic rate (Brazil’s benchmark interest rate, now 13.75%) on 3 and 4 November, nine days after the runoff.
What Is Not Known
We do not know the result. Prediction markets show Flávio Bolsonaro as the favourite, but they are bets, and they differ from opinion polls. Polls and the vote itself decide the outcome.
We also do not know which states will announce alcohol restrictions beyond the three above. The picture has two sides. The vote is scheduled and orderly, and the rules are mostly local. A calm approach is to confirm local rules a day before you travel, then follow the day as it comes.
Sources
- Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (TSE), electoral calendar 2026: runoff date and voting hours.
- Mercado & Consumo, “Lei seca: confira onde haverá restrição a bebidas nas eleições 2026” (state restrictions, 4 October 2026).
- Banco Central do Brasil (PTAX, Olinda API, 9 October 2026; Copom calendar).
- Polymarket, “Brazil Presidential Election”, read 11 October 2026, 00:31 ET.
More on the region: Brazil hub. Related coverage: today’s LatAm Expat & Nomad Daily Guide, Brazil Rent and Power Bills After 4.58% Inflation and South America Holiday Closures on 12 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can foreigners vote in Brazil’s runoff?
No. Only Brazilian citizens vote in Brazil’s presidential runoff on Sunday 25 October 2026. Foreign residents who have not naturalised have no ballot.
What time do the polls open and close?
Voting runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time on Sunday 25 October 2026, so polls close an hour or two earlier on local clocks in the western states. At 5 p.m. in Brasília it is 4 p.m. in New York and 8 p.m. in Lisbon.
Is alcohol banned on election day in Brazil?
Not nationwide. State and local authorities decide. For the runoff, restrictions have been reported in Amazonas, Amapá and Pará. São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro had no restriction in the first round.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief