This article covers the diplomatic relationship between India and Brazil: its establishment, the Strategic Partnership, visits by leaders, parliamentary exchanges and the institutional mechanisms through which the two governments work. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief dated 13 July 2026.

A Strategic Partnership

According to the MEA brief of July 2026, the relationship between India and Brazil was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2006. The brief describes the relationship as close, and as based on a common global vision, shared democratic values and a commitment to foster inclusive economic growth.

The brief states that the two countries enjoy excellent cooperation in plurilateral groupings such as IBSA, BRICS, G20, G-4, the International Solar Alliance, the Global Biofuel Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure, and in multilateral bodies including the UN, WTO, UNESCO and WIPO.

Establishment of relations

Diplomatic relations were established in 1948, and both countries opened embassies in the same year. Details of the two countries' missions are given in this guide's practical article.

President Lula's State Visit, February 2026

President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva paid a State visit to India from 18-22 February 2026, in conjunction with the AI Impact Summit 2026. According to the brief, he was accompanied by the largest ever Brazilian delegation to India, comprising 11 Ministers, the Governor of the State of Bahia, several heads of government institutions, civil society members and about 300 business leaders.

Besides a Joint Declaration, 11 Agreements and MOUs were signed between state entities of the two countries, covering:

  • Digital Partnership
  • Rare Earths and Critical Minerals
  • Mining for Steel Supply Chain
  • Postal Services
  • Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Entrepreneurship and Handicrafts
  • pharmaceuticals cooperation between ANVISA and CDSCO
  • Electronic Certificates of Origin
  • Access to the Digital Library of Traditional Knowledge (TKDL)
  • Digital Transformation in Education
  • cooperation between the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication
  • cooperation between the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) and the School of Communication and Arts of the University of São Paulo (ECA-USP)

Prime Minister Modi's visit, July 2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Rio de Janeiro from 5-7 July 2025 for the 17th BRICS Summit, and then paid a bilateral State Visit to Brasilia on 7-8 July. The brief notes that this was a State Visit after 57 years. He held wide ranging talks with President Lula, and six Agreements and MOUs were signed in the fields of:

  • Combating International Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime
  • Renewable Energy
  • Digital Solutions for Digital Transformation
  • Intellectual Property
  • Agricultural Cooperation
  • Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information

The brief adds that the two leaders have held several meetings on the margins of multilateral events on a very regular basis.

The Prime Minister's visit was followed by a visit to India from 15 to 17 October by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who is also Minister of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services. His delegation included José Múcio Monteiro Filho, Minister of Defence, and Alexandre Padilha, Health Minister, as well as top military leaders and senior members of government agencies.

High-level visits over the years

The brief lists the following VVIP visits.

From India to Brazil:

  • Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Vice President (1954)
  • Ms. Indira Gandhi, PM (1968)
  • Dr. Manmohan Singh, PM (2006, 2010, 2012)
  • Ms. Pratibha Patil, President (2008)
  • Shri Narendra Modi, PM (2014; 2019, BRICS; 2024, G20; 2025, BRICS and bilateral State Visit)

From Brazil to India:

  • Mr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, President (1996)
  • Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President (2004, 2007 and 2008)
  • Ms. Dilma Rousseff, President (2012, BRICS)
  • Mr. Jair Bolsonaro, President (2020)
  • Mr. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President (2023, G20; 2026, bilateral State Visit and AI Impact Summit)
  • Mr. Geraldo Alckmin, Vice President (2025)

Parliamentary exchanges

The brief describes parliamentary exchanges as another important pillar of the relationship. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha constituted a bilateral Parliamentary Friendship Group (PFG) in March 2026, while both houses of the Brazilian Parliament already have PFGs.

Speaker Om Birla, with Harivansh, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, visited Brasilia from 3-6 June 2025 for a meeting of the BRICS Parliamentary Forum. The Speaker held bilateral meetings with Hugo Motta, President of the Chamber of Deputies, and Senator Rodrigo Pacheco, President of the Senate. Shri Harivansh had earlier led a 6-member delegation to the 10th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' (P20) Summit in Brasilia from 6-9 November 2024.

An all-party 7-member parliamentary delegation led by Dr. Shashi Tharoor visited Brasilia on 1-2 June 2025 to brief Brazilian interlocutors on cross-border terrorism following Op-Sindoor. It met Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, Celso Amorim, Special Diplomatic Advisor to President Lula, the presidents of both Parliamentary Friendship Groups and the Acting Foreign Minister. In October 2025, the Speakers of the Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh Assemblies visited Brazil on study tours after the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.

Institutional mechanisms

As Strategic Partners, the two countries have a range of institutional mechanisms. These include the Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) at Foreign Minister level, a Strategic Dialogue between National Security Advisers, Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) at Secretary level, the Trade Monitoring Mechanism, an Economic and Financial Dialogue, a Dialogue on Consular and Mobility Issues, Joint Committees on Defence, Science & Technology and Agriculture, and a Cyber Dialogue.

Recent meetings recorded in the brief:

  • The 9th JCM was co-chaired by EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar and Ambassador Mauro Vieira on 27 August 2024 in New Delhi.
  • The 2nd FOC was held in Brasilia on 20 June 2023.
  • The 6th meeting of the Strategic Dialogue was held in New Delhi on 3 October 2025, co-chaired by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Celso Amorim.
  • The first meeting of the Cyber Dialogue was held in Brasilia on 26-28 November 2025.

Engagement with Brazilian states

Engagement at sub-national level included visits to India by Ronaldo Caiado, Governor of the State of Goiás, from 10-21 February 2025, and by Eduardo Corrêa Riedel, Governor of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, on 6-8 August 2025.