Not medical advice. Talk to your own doctor before you book. Tummy tuck, breast surgery, liposuction, nose and face surgery, buttock lifts. No surgery is risk-free, clinics abroad may not provide the follow-up, and the UK aesthetic surgeons' association (BAAPS) says the Brazilian butt lift has the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures.
Check the clinic and the surgeon
Doctors
Federal Council of Medicine: search for doctors (Busca por médicos)
Search by the doctor's name, state (UF) or CRM registration number. Ask the surgeon for their CRM number and state.
Clinics
Ministry of Health: national register of health establishments (CNES)
The government register of health establishments: check that the clinic or hospital is registered (Consultas).
The surgeon: Search the surgeon in the Federal Council of Medicine's register (Busca por médicos) with their CRM number and state. Any doctor has a CRM: for plastic surgery, check that the result shows an RQE (specialist registration) in Cirurgia Plástica; for a hair transplant, in Cirurgia Plástica or Dermatologia; for eye surgery, in Oftalmologia; for weight-loss surgery, ask the surgeon which specialist registration covers the operation and check it in the register.
The rules in Brazil
- The UK Foreign Office notes that private hospitals will not accept you unless you can show enough money or insurance to cover your treatment.
- Since 10 April 2025, citizens of Australia, Canada and the United States need a visa to enter Brazil. The e-Visa (online, brazil.vfsevisa.com) is for tourism, business, transit and some other short visits of up to 90 days: ask the Brazilian consulate which visa applies to a trip for medical treatment.
- A health service in Brazil must hold a current licence from the state or municipal health surveillance (vigilância sanitária), displayed where the public can see it (ANVISA Resolution RDC 63/2011): ask the clinic for it.
The trip
- One trip, but plan how you would go back if you need more surgery, and how much that would cost.
- The NHS advises not flying for 5 to 7 days after breast surgery or liposuction and for 7 to 10 days after facial procedures or a tummy tuck. The planner uses the longer end for the procedure you choose (7 or 10 days): ask your surgeon for your own operation.
- Rest, no holiday: No alcohol, sun, sightseeing or swimming while you recover (NHS).
- After a BBL: no sitting on your buttocks: Do not sit directly on your buttocks for at least eight weeks; if you must sit, use a pillow under your thighs so they are off the seat (American Society of Plastic Surgeons). Plan the flight home with this in mind.
- No heavy lifting, gym or physical work: Take it easy for several weeks: after a tummy tuck the NHS says about 4 to 6 weeks off work and exercise. Ask the surgeon in writing when you can lift, go back to the gym or to a physical job.
Your dates in the recovery planner · The full cost of the trip
We publish no price for cosmetic surgery in Brazil: we have no source independent of clinics for it. Ask the clinic for a written quote, with what it includes, and enter it in the true cost tool.
Red flags
- A 'consultation' only with salespeople or a coordinator.
- Discounts, all-inclusive packages with hotel and flights, or finance deals pushed through social media (NHS England warns about 'bargain-basement' BBL deals).
- Several procedures combined in one sitting to lower the price.
- A package that flies you home before the days health services advise.
- A "guaranteed" or "natural result guaranteed" promise: no surgeon can guarantee a result.
- A package that tells you to drive home within days of the operation: after a general anaesthetic do not drive for at least 24 hours, and only when you are fit to (NHS).
- A clinic that tells you not to involve your specialist, your transplant team or your doctor at home.
- No blood tests or other checks before an operation under general anaesthetic: a pre-operative assessment, often with blood tests, comes first (NHS).
Ask the clinic
- Who is the surgeon, what training and qualifications do they have, which organisations do they belong to, and how many of these operations have they done?
- Does the surgeon speak a language I understand well enough to explain the procedure and my risks?
- When are my two consultations, and how long between them and the operation?
- What happens if there are complications, where is the follow-up, and who pays if I need more surgery?
- What insurance does the clinic or the surgeon have, and does it cover me?
- I take the combined pill or HRT, or I smoke or vape: what should I stop, and how long before the operation?
- For a BBL: will the fat be injected only under the skin, above the muscle, with ultrasound guidance during the operation?
- For nose surgery: which implant or graft material will you use (for example cartilage from my ear or rib), and will its reference be in my records?
- I have a health condition or take medicines (for example diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or asthma): has the anaesthetist seen this before the day, in writing?
- Facelift or eyelid surgery: who checks my blood pressure, my eyes and my tear film before the operation? I have dry eyes, wear contact lenses or had thyroid eye disease.
- Where do I spend the nights after the operation: a licensed hospital or a recovery house? Who is on duty at night, and which hospital takes me if something goes wrong?
- Will the drains be removed before I fly, and who removes them otherwise?
- I have had caesareans or a hernia: will it be repaired during the tummy tuck, by whom, and what does it change for recovery?
- Breast implants: which maker, surface (smooth or textured) and model, is it registered in this country, and will I get the implant card?
- What exactly does a free revision cover, and who pays the trip back?
- Male chest reduction: has a doctor checked the cause (hormones, steroids, medicines), will it be liposuction, cutting the tissue out or both, and how long do I wear the compression vest and avoid lifting?
- I have a bleeding disorder (for example von Willebrand disease or haemophilia), or I bruise or bleed easily: who plans the operation with my haematologist, and which blood tests do you do before it? (NHS: tell your specialist team before surgery or dental treatment)
Back home
🇬🇧 If you live in the United Kingdom
The NHS (Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland) does not pay for private treatment you choose abroad, and your EHIC or GHIC does not cover planned treatment. Standard travel insurance does not normally cover you if you travelled for elective surgery: you may need specialist cover.
The NHS is not liable for negligence or failure of treatment abroad, and the Foreign Office cannot usually help: planned treatment is treated as a commercial arrangement. Plan your aftercare and how records will be shared before you go.
🇮🇪 If you live in Ireland
The HSE Cross Border Directive scheme only refunds planned care in another EU or EEA country that is publicly funded in Ireland, with a referral, up to what it would cost in the Irish public system; travel and accommodation are not refunded. So cosmetic treatments, hair transplants and laser eye surgery, which are not publicly funded in Ireland, are outside it.
Ask your GP before you go how follow-up would work once you are home, and check whether your travel insurance covers planned treatment and its complications: many policies exclude it.
🇫🇷 If you live in France
Purely aesthetic procedures and their follow-up are not reimbursed by the Assurance Maladie, in France or abroad. Other planned care in another EU country is refunded only if it is reimbursable in France, and at most at the French rate: care without a night in hospital, such as most dental care, needs no prior authorisation; send the paid invoices with form S3125 to your CPAM. Outside the EU, the EU rules on refunds for planned care do not apply: planned treatment there is at your own cost (EU).
Ask your CPAM (health insurance office) and your mutuelle (top-up insurer) before you go how care for a complication would be covered once you are home, and check your travel insurance.
🇺🇸 If you live in the United States
Check whether your health plan covers anything abroad: most do not cover planned treatment, and Original Medicare generally does not pay for care outside the United States, with limited exceptions. Consider supplemental cover, including medical evacuation.
Seek care promptly if a complication develops, during travel or after you return, and bring your overseas records in English. Legal recourse abroad may be more limited than in the United States.
🇦🇺 If you live in Australia
Medicare doesn't cover you when you're overseas, reciprocal health care agreements only cover some situations, and basic travel insurance rarely covers medical tourism: get a specialised policy for your procedure, its complications and medical evacuation, and tell your insurers everything. Ask your private health fund whether it pays anything for complications of surgery done overseas, and about waiting periods for treatment at home.
You, your family or your insurer pay for further care or an evacuation. Consular staff can contact your family and give lists of English-speaking hospitals and lawyers, but cannot pay bills or recommend surgeons. Smartraveller advises taking someone with you.
🇳🇿 If you live in New Zealand
Make sure your travel insurance covers complications and medical evacuation, and talk to your health practitioner in New Zealand about the procedure and its risks before you go. ACC does not pay for treatment costs overseas: ask ACC before you go what it would cover if you are injured by the treatment and need care once you are home.
Get copies of your surgical details before you leave: problems can appear once you are home, and your practitioner in New Zealand will need them. Check with a health practitioner before flying after surgery.
🇸🇦 If you live in Saudi Arabia
The Ministry of Health sends patients abroad at its expense only by royal order or on the decision of the High Medical Commission. Planned treatment you choose yourself, such as cosmetic surgery, is private and at your own cost.
Ministry-referred patients are followed by the Saudi health attaché in the country of treatment. If you go privately, nobody follows you: get supplemental insurance that includes medical evacuation before you go (CDC), and ask what it pays for treating a complication, talk to your doctor in Saudi Arabia before you leave, and if a problem starts once you are home, see a doctor at once and bring your records.
🇩🇪 If you live in Germany
Statutory insurance (GKV) can refund planned care from a provider in another EU or EEA country or Switzerland, at most what it would pay in Germany and only for care it covers; hospital treatment needs your fund's approval first (§13 SGB V). Cosmetic surgery is not covered. Private insurance (PKV) depends on your policy: ask before you book. If an aesthetic operation that was not medically needed leads to an illness, your statutory fund must make you pay a fair share of the treatment and can refuse or reclaim sick pay for that time (§52(2) SGB V).
Check your travel insurance for complications, and agree with your doctor at home who will see you afterwards.
🇨🇦 If you live in Canada
Provincial and territorial health plans rarely cover any of the cost of care outside Canada, and then usually only a small part (Government of Canada). In Ontario, OHIP pays for planned treatment abroad only with written prior approval from the Ministry of Health before the treatment, applied for by your doctor, and only if the procedure is not available in Ontario (or a delay would be life-threatening or cause serious irreversible harm); travel, accommodation and meals are never covered. Other provinces have their own rules: ask your plan before you book. Provincial plans pay for medically required care: do not count on any cover for a cosmetic operation, its revision or its follow-up, at home or abroad; ask your plan in writing. Rules differ by province (Ontario's prior-approval rule is above): check your own plan's out-of-country rules, for example BC's MSP, Quebec's RAMQ or Alberta's AHCIP, before you book.
Buy travel medical insurance that covers the treatment's complications and transport home: Ontario encourages it even when the treatment has prior approval. Foreign hospitals can be very expensive and may ask for cash in advance (Government of Canada).
🇳🇴 If you live in Norway
For care received in another EEA country, Norway refunds only care you would have had cover for in Norway, at most what it would have cost the public system there; hospital treatment follows separate rules and may need prior approval. A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not care folketrygden pays for in Norway, so HELFO does not refund it abroad either. Outside the EEA the refund rules for care in another EEA country do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost.
Talk to your doctor or dentist in Norway before you go, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications. If the care is something folketrygden covers and you had it in the EEA, apply to HELFO within the time limit.
🇸🇪 If you live in Sweden
For planned dental care in the EU or EEA, Försäkringskassan can refund what you would have received for necessary dental care in Sweden, afterwards; cosmetic dental work is not refunded, and you can ask for an advance decision (förhandsbesked) on the amount. For other planned care you can apply in advance; you pay travel and lodging yourself (1177). A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not care the Swedish public system pays for, so it is not refunded abroad either: refunds are only for care you would have had in Sweden (1177). Outside the EU and EEA the cross-border refund rules do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost.
Agree with your region or health centre (vårdcentral) how the follow-up works once you are home, keep every record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇧🇪 If you live in Belgium
For planned care in another EU or EEA country you are refunded at most what the Belgian insurance would pay, and only for care it covers in Belgium; care with a night in hospital or very specialised care usually needs your mutualité's prior authorisation (INAMI; EU). Travel and accommodation are yours to pay (EU). A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not care the Belgian insurance covers, so it is not refunded abroad either. Outside the EU and EEA, the EU rules on refunds for planned care do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost (EU).
Talk to your doctor or dentist in Belgium before you go, ask your mutualité in writing what it would refund, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇳🇱 If you live in the Netherlands
Your basic insurance refunds care abroad only if the same care is insured in the Netherlands, up to the usual Dutch rate; ask your insurer beforehand, as it can set conditions such as a referral (Zorginstituut Nederland). For adults the basic insurance covers surgical dental care, X-rays and removable dentures; implants only in special cases (Rijksoverheid). A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not insured care in the Netherlands, so the basic insurance does not refund it abroad either.
Talk to your GP (huisarts) or dentist before you go, ask your insurer in writing what it would refund, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇸🇬 If you live in Singapore
MediShield Life is designed for subsidised bills at public hospitals in Singapore and does not cover treatment overseas; MediSave can be used for elective hospitalisation and day surgery abroad only at accredited hospitals (Ministry of Health, 2024).
Ask your Integrated Shield Plan insurer in writing what it covers abroad, agree the follow-up with a doctor in Singapore before you go, keep every record, and get insurance that covers complications.
🇦🇪 If you live in the United Arab Emirates
What your UAE health insurance pays for planned treatment abroad depends on your plan: ask your insurer in writing before you book, and get insurance that covers complications and transport home.
Agree with a doctor or dentist in the UAE who will see you once you are back, keep every record and invoice, and check what your insurer pays for treating a complication of care done abroad.
🇩🇰 If you live in Denmark
For care bought in another EU or EEA country you can get the subsidy you would have had in Denmark, never more than you paid; planned hospital treatment with at least one night in hospital needs your region's prior approval (Styrelsen for Patientsikkerhed). You pay first and claim afterwards. A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not care the Danish public system pays for, so there is no subsidy for it abroad either. Outside the EU and EEA the subsidy rules for care bought abroad do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost.
Talk to your doctor or dentist in Denmark before you go, ask your region's patient office what it would pay, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇦🇹 If you live in Austria
For planned care in another EU or EEA country you are refunded only for care you are entitled to under Austrian law: outpatient care at 80% of the Austrian contract tariff (the Wahlarzt rule), never more than you paid; hospital treatment needs your insurer's approval first (oesterreich.gv.at). A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not care Austrian health insurance pays for, so it is not refunded abroad either. Outside the EU and EEA the EU rules on refunds for planned care do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost.
Talk to your doctor or dentist in Austria before you go, ask your health insurer in writing what it would refund, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇫🇮 If you live in Finland
Kela can refund treatment in another EU or EEA country if it is medically necessary and part of the services of the Finnish public system, at most what it would have cost in your wellbeing services county; you pay first, claim within 6 months of paying, and can ask Kela well in advance how much it would refund (Kela). A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not part of the services of the Finnish public system, so Kela does not refund it abroad. Outside the EU and EEA, Kela's rules for treatment in another EU or EEA country do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost.
Talk to your doctor or dentist in Finland before you go, ask Kela for advance information, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇨🇭 If you live in Switzerland
Basic insurance covers treatment in Switzerland and emergencies abroad, not planned treatment abroad: the exception is a treatment not available in Switzerland, when your doctor applies to the insurer's medical adviser first (FOPH). Supplementary insurance may cover more: ask it in writing. Switzerland is outside the EU: the EU cross-border refund rules do not apply to Swiss residents, wherever the clinic is.
Agree the follow-up with a doctor or dentist in Switzerland before you go, ask your insurer in writing what it covers, keep every record, and get insurance that covers complications.
Official travel advice
- GOV.UK travel advice: Brazil, health
- LATAM: if you had surgery 15 days or less before your flight, send a medical certificate at least 48 hours before travel
Your own government's advice on Brazil: Ireland (DFA) · France (Diplomatie) · Australia (Smartraveller) · New Zealand (SafeTravel) · Germany (Auswärtiges Amt) · Canada (travel.gc.ca) · United States (CDC travel health) · Sweden (UD, Sweden Abroad) · Norway (UD: choose the country) · Austria (BMEIA) · Switzerland (EDA: choose the country) · Denmark (Udenrigsministeriet) · Finland (UM) · Belgium (SPF Affaires étrangères) · Netherlands (Nederland Wereldwijd) · Singapore (MFA)
Questions patients ask
How do I check a surgeon or a clinic in Brazil?
Use Brazil's official registers: Federal Council of Medicine: search for doctors (Busca por médicos); Ministry of Health: national register of health establishments (CNES). Search the surgeon in the Federal Council of Medicine's register (Busca por médicos) with their CRM number and state. Any doctor has a CRM: for plastic surgery, check that the result shows an RQE (specialist registration) in Cirurgia Plástica; for a hair transplant, in Cirurgia Plástica or Dermatologia; for eye surgery, in Oftalmologia; for weight-loss surgery, ask the surgeon which specialist registration covers the operation and check it in the register.
How long should I stay in Brazil after cosmetic surgery?
Plan at least 7 to 10 days (by procedure) before you fly home. The NHS advises not flying for 5 to 7 days after breast surgery or liposuction and for 7 to 10 days after facial procedures or a tummy tuck. The planner uses the longer end for the procedure you choose (7 or 10 days): ask your surgeon for your own operation. One trip, but plan how you would go back if you need more surgery, and how much that would cost.
What are the rules for cosmetic surgery in Brazil?
The UK Foreign Office notes that private hospitals will not accept you unless you can show enough money or insurance to cover your treatment. Since 10 April 2025, citizens of Australia, Canada and the United States need a visa to enter Brazil. The e-Visa (online, brazil.vfsevisa.com) is for tourism, business, transit and some other short visits of up to 90 days: ask the Brazilian consulate which visa applies to a trip for medical treatment. A health service in Brazil must hold a current licence from the state or municipal health surveillance (vigilância sanitária), displayed where the public can see it (ANVISA Resolution RDC 63/2011): ask the clinic for it.
Is it safe to get cosmetic surgery in Brazil?
We do not rate countries or clinics: what matters most is the clinic and the surgeon. Check both in the official registers, ask the clinic the questions on this page, and walk away at a red flag, for example: a 'consultation' only with salespeople or a coordinator. This is not medical advice: talk to your own doctor before you book.
Compare
Cosmetic surgery in other countries: Turkey · Hungary · Poland · Spain · Mexico · Thailand · South Korea · Malaysia · India · Czechia · Croatia
Other treatments in Brazil: Hair transplant · Dental implants and veneers · Weight-loss surgery · Laser eye and lens surgery
Sources
- Conselho Federal de Medicina: Busca por médicos portal.cfm.org.br · checked 7 Nov 2026
- CNES: Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimentos de Saúde cnes.datasus.gov.br · checked 7 Nov 2026
- GOV.UK: Brazil travel advice, health gov.uk · checked 7 Nov 2026
- Federal Council of Medicine (CFM): the RQE specialist registration portal.cfm.org.br · checked 25 Oct 2026
- Consulate General of Brazil in New York: e-Visa for US, Canadian and Australian passports gov.br · checked 7 Nov 2026
- Ministério da Saúde: ANVISA RDC 63/2011 (good practice requirements for health services) bvsms.saude.gov.br · checked 7 Nov 2026
- Federal Council of Medicine: Resolution 2.429/2025 on bariatric and metabolic surgery portal.cfm.org.br · checked 7 Nov 2026
- LATAM: if you had surgery 15 days or less before your flight, send a medical certificate at least 48 hours before travel latamairlines.com · checked 8 Nov 2026
- NHS: Cosmetic surgery abroad nhs.uk · checked 7 Nov 2026
- NHS England: NHS warns of 'bargain basement' BBLs (21 Dec 2024) england.nhs.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- NHS: General anaesthetic nhs.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- BAAPS and BOMSS joint statement on surgical tourism (20 April 2023) baaps.org.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- Smartraveller (Australia): medical tourism smartraveller.gov.au · checked 25 Oct 2026
- CDC Yellow Book: Medical tourism cdc.gov · checked 7 Nov 2026
- NHS: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) nhs.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- BAAPS: Bottoms up (gluteal fat grafting guidelines, 2022) baaps.org.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons: recovering from a Brazilian butt lift plasticsurgery.org · checked 25 Oct 2026
- NHS: Liposuction nhs.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- NHS: Nose reshaping (rhinoplasty) nhs.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- NHS: How and when to take clopidogrel nhs.uk · checked 26 Oct 2026
- NHS: Facelift nhs.uk · checked 26 Oct 2026
- NHS: Eyelid surgery nhs.uk · checked 26 Oct 2026
- FDA: breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) fda.gov · checked 26 Oct 2026
- NHS: Gynaecomastia nhs.uk · checked 27 Oct 2026
- NHS: Tummy tuck nhs.uk · checked 27 Oct 2026
- NHS: Von Willebrand disease nhs.uk · checked 27 Oct 2026
More on cosmetic surgery abroad and on treatment in Brazil.