Naturism in Brazil: laws and customs

At a glance

What the law says

Article 233 of the Criminal Code punishes anyone who commits an "obscene act" in a public place, or one open or exposed to the public: detention from 3 months to 1 year, or a fine (Planalto, Código Penal). The law does not mention nudity, but outside naturist places nudity can fall under this article.

There is no federal law on naturism. A 2018 bill (PLC 64/2018) was approved by two Senate committees in 2019 and has been ready for a floor vote since 2023, but it has never been voted on (Senado Federal).

So it is the municipalities that regulate beaches, naturist beaches included.

Where you can be naked

• Naturist beaches: CNN Brasil lists eight, including Abricó in Rio de Janeiro (recognised by law in 2014), Tambaba in Paraíba, Massarandupió in Bahia (nudity only on a 2 km stretch) and Barra Seca in Espírito Santo (CNN Brasil). Some of those beaches, however, have lost the law that recognised them (see below).
• The rules are strict. On many beaches nudity is compulsory in the naturist area and single men are not admitted. At Tambaba, for example, the municipal law bans clothing, entry for men without women, photos and videos of naked people without their consent, and sexual gestures; supervision can be entrusted to the local naturist association (Sociedade Naturista de Tambaba, which reproduces the text). At Barra Seca, on an island reached by boat, there are marked-off areas for single men (Prefeitura de Linhares).
• Naturist stays: you can find them in the list of naturist places in Brazil.

Tolerated beaches and bans

A beach's recognition depends on the municipality, and the municipality can also withdraw it. In Santa Catarina, three recent cases show how things change:

• Praia do Pinho (Balneário Camboriú), Brazil's first recognised naturist beach: in December 2025 the municipality revoked naturism, claiming that the beach had become a place of unlawful acts and sexual offences (Migalhas). In January 2026 a judge prohibited arrests for nudity alone on the sand and in the sea: "nudity, in itself, is not a crime" in a historically naturist place (G1). In March 2026 a request to suspend the municipal law was rejected and the case continues (Página 3): the outcome is not yet clear.
• Galheta (Florianópolis) had lost its law in 2016. In March 2026 the Court of Justice ruled that non-sexual naturist nudity on the sand and in the sea "is not an obscene act", and prohibited arrests until the municipality passes a new law. Criminal law, the judges wrote, must not be used to "impose moralism" on a peaceful and traditional practice (G1 SC).
• Pedras Altas (Palhoça) has no law recognising it, but the mayor considers it an "established" naturist area and the federation recognises it, with compulsory nudity (G1 SC).

Even where judges have protected nudity, the protection applies only to the sand and the sea: trails, rocks, decks, car parks and access paths are excluded.

The local mood

Brazil is a very religious country. Showing skin is normal on the beach, but full nudity stays confined to a few dedicated beaches, each with its own rules, which municipalities can revoke. We have not found any national surveys on nudity.

The main problem on these beaches is people who go there for sex: hence the strict rules and the closures. Personal accounts describe Abricó as a place where "nothing is sexualised", but on weekdays it is mostly men and women on their own can be bothered (Reddit r/sexualidade).

Naturist associations

• Federação Brasileira de Naturismo (FBrN): the national federation, a member of INF-FNI, the international federation. Its code of ethics requires the person's permission for photos or videos of naked naturists intended for the media, and forbids using the words "naturismo" and "naturista" for sexual activities.
• Local associations, including the Sociedade Naturista de Tambaba, the Associação Massarandupiana de Naturismo, NatES in Espírito Santo and the Associação Amigos da Galheta.

We have not verified whether places require a naturist membership card: it is best to ask beforehand.

LGBTQ+ travellers

No legal risk: same-sex relations have been legal since 1831, same-sex couples have been able to adopt since 2010, and since 2019 the law has covered hate crimes (ILGA).