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I am a dual citizen (American/Brazilian) living in the US and have booked a round-trip to Brazil in July for 2 weeks. I found out my Brazilian passport expired in May. The American passport is fine.

  1. I found out I can enter Brazil, but will I be stopped in the US? (Because I assume they see where you are going)

  2. Can I leave Brazil to go back?

  3. I'm passing through Panama on my way to Brazil and on my way back. Does that affect anything?

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    (1) The US has no government-operated passport control on exit. They do occasionally screen departing passengers directly, but even if they do this, they don't pay attention to your admissibility at your destination. Your valid US passport satisfies US immigration law with respect to your departure from the US. The airline will stop you by refusing to let you on the plane if they don't think you will be admitted at your destination; you should therefore be certain that TIMATIC notes that expired Brazilian passports are valid for entry into Brazil. (2) I don't know. (3) It shouldn't.
    – phoog
    Commented Jun 21, 2018 at 19:50

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The question of whether you can enter Brazil with your expired passport has already been answered here on Travel.SE - Can I return to Brazil with a recently expired passport?

However returning to the US will be a different matter. According to the Brazilian Consulate in Houston website :

Brazilian citizens, even those with dual citizenship, must enter and leave Brazil with a Brazilian passport.

So you're fine to enter Brazil, but not to leave.

Your options are either to obtain a new Brazilian passport (either in the US or Brazil), or to renounce your Brazilian citizenship, at which point you will be able to travel with your US passport.

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  • In light of the consulate's statement and the fact that an expired passport satisfies it for entry, how do you conclude that the expired passport does not satisfy it for exit?
    – phoog
    Commented Jun 22, 2018 at 15:08
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    Because that's not how passports work.
    – Doc
    Commented Jun 22, 2018 at 15:12
  • "how passports work" varies from country to country based on each country's laws. Some countries allow citizens to return with expired passports, others nominally don't. The same could be true for departure, especially for dual citizens with a valid foreign passport. Unfortunately my Portuguese and my knowledge of Brazilian online legal resources are both insufficient for me to investigate this myself.
    – phoog
    Commented Jun 22, 2018 at 16:36
  • According to the Brazilian government site, if you show your other nationality passport and not your Brazilian ID ("RG"), you will be treated as a foreigner. This applies to both when entering or leaving Brazil.
    – sourcream
    Commented Jan 27, 2023 at 20:21
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It appears that you'll be OK to travel to Brazil. From Timatic (italics mine):

Destination - Brazil (BR)

Passport

Passport required.

Passport Exemptions:

Nationals of Brazil with a national ID card . Nationals of Brazil with an emergency passport.

Document Validity:

Nationals of Brazil are allowed to enter with an expired passport.

When nationals of Brazil travel with an emergency passport, a Laissez-Passer issued by Brazil or a national ID card, it must be valid on arrival.

...

Transit - Panama (PA)

TWOV (Transit Without Visa): Passengers with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country within 12 hours. They must stay in the international transit area of the airport and have documents required for the next destination.

You'll need to carry both of your passports to prove to the airlines' satisfaction that you'll be admitted to Brazil upon your arrival.

Edit: The return trip is dicier. If you can get to the departure gate, the airline will probably let you board, as a US passport is sufficient to travel to the US via Panama.

However, as pointed out by Doc's answer, Brazilian law requires Brazilian citizens to enter and exit the country using a Brazilian passport. If you attempt to conceal your Brazilian citizenship from the Brazilian exit officers, your US passport will not have a valid visa or entry stamp from your visit, which will raise questions. (One way to get around this would be to renew your passport while you're there, which would obviate the whole problem.)

Upon your return, you should be OK traveling on your US passport alone. However, if there are exit controls upon leaving Brazil, you may need to show them your expired Brazilian passport to prove that you entered the country legally.

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    But will Brazil let the traveler leave with an expired Brazilian passport?
    – phoog
    Commented Jun 21, 2018 at 20:13
  • @phoog: why does it matter? The OP can leave Brazil (and enter the US) using his valid US passport.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Jun 21, 2018 at 21:49
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    @David Brazil could have a law requiring Brazilian citizens to have a valid passport in order to leave the country. The US passport will not have a Brazilian visa or entry stamp, so it will be necessary to claim Brazilian citizenship on exit.
    – phoog
    Commented Jun 21, 2018 at 22:06
  • Brazilian citizens must enter and exit the country using a Brazilian passport.
    – Doc
    Commented Jun 22, 2018 at 2:32
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    @phoog Can you name a country on the planet where you can use an expired passport to depart?
    – Doc
    Commented Jun 22, 2018 at 3:35

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