Did your flight delay cause you to go past your reservation time? At the official parking facilities at Guarulhos (GRU), Viracopos (VCP), Confins (CNF) and Congonhas (CGH), you pay for the extra time before leaving, at the walk-in rate, without the online discount.
Without a reservation, the rate bracket determines the total: at the official Guarulhos parking facility, in the Standard category, 6 to 10 days cost R$ 450,00 in total, with no extra charge from the seventh through the tenth day; 11 to 17 days cost R$ 480,00, and 18 to 30 days cost R$ 505,00 (rate table on the official GRU Airport website, checked on 05/11/2026).
Returning early almost never gets you a refund, and a refund for a cancelled flight depends on the deadline set by the channel where you booked: from 3 hours before entry with Estapar Reserva to 3 days before entry for a 90% refund under the Xpark cancellation policy. At private lots, each operator has its own policy; confirm it with the operator before booking. You can find its listing on the airport page.
Extra time: how each channel charges
At the official parking facilities, time beyond your reservation is charged separately. The terms for the official Guarulhos facility, operated by Indigo, say that extra hours are charged at the current rate, and the booking FAQ states that the website price only applies to those who book. At BH Airport, in Confins, the barrier will not open until you pay the difference, calculated at the walk-in rate.
With Estapar Reserva, the booking channel for the official facilities at Congonhas and Viracopos, time beyond your reservation is charged at the walk-in rate, and the grace periods for entry and exit are stated in your reservation.
For a reservation made through Xpark, each day is 24 hours from the stated entry time, with no grace period for the first hour, according to the cancellation policy. Anything beyond the last 24-hour block is not included in what you paid, and the policy does not specify how this extra time is charged: ask the facility before going to the payment desk.
How much extra time costs at official rates
A delay can last hours or days, so the table shows both, using rates for customers who arrive without a reservation. For reservations, the terms say extra time is charged at these rates, but no operator publishes the exact calculation.
| Official parking lot | A few hours | Days | Cost of an extra day |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRU Standard (Terminals 1 and 2) | Up to 1 h: R$ 31,00. Up to 4 h: R$ 70,00 | 1 day: R$ 76,00. 6 to 10: R$ 450,00. 11 to 17: R$ 480,00. 18 to 30: R$ 505,00 | From 6 to 10: no change. From the 10th to the 11th: an extra R$ 30,00 |
| GRU Premium, Edifício Garagem and Flex | Up to 1 h: R$ 38,00. Up to 4 h: R$ 89,00 | 1 day: R$ 104,00. From 6 to 10: R$ 540,00 | From 6 to 10: no change |
| VCP Edifício Garagem (Estapar) | Up to 1 h: R$ 25,00. Up to 8 h: R$ 81,00 | R$ 83,00 each, up to R$ 830,00 for 10 | Same price for each day |
| VCP Economy Lot F | Not published | R$ 31,00 | Only the daily rate is published |
| CNF BH Airport Econômico 3 (E3) | 30 min: R$ 18,00 | R$ 60,00 | Only the daily rate is published |
| CNF BH Airport Premium 1 (P1) | Hourly rate: R$ 35,00 | R$ 85,00 | Only the daily rate is published |
| Official CGH parking (Estapar) | Not disclosed | Reservation only: from R$ 44,90 (1), R$ 85,90 (2 to 5) and R$ 149,90 (6 to 10) | Extra time charged at the hourly rate, which is not published |
At Guarulhos, rates are based on packages: the biggest jump is between 5 and 6 days in Standard and between 4 and 5 in Premium. If the new period falls within the same price band, the extra day may be free. For short delays, 4 hours in Standard already costs almost as much as a full day. At Viracopos, 8 hours in Edifício Garagem costs nearly as much as a full day.
To compare them with nearby lots, see the listings for official Guarulhos parking facility, official Viracopos parking facility and BH Airport Econômico E3.
Returning early: when you can get a refund
Under Xpark's policy, the full booked period is charged: unused days are not refunded, and leaving early does not result in a credit. The official facilities at Guarulhos and Confins have a limited exception: under the GRU Airport and BH Airport terms, you can request a proportional refund if you used up to 50% of the booked period, and any part of a day with the car in the lot counts as a full day.
At GRU, reprocessing costs are deducted from the refund. Requests are not automatic; at BH Airport, they must be made by email within 30 days of the scheduled departure. Estapar Reserva's terms do not provide refunds for partial use.
For example, you booked 10 days and returned on the fifth. Even if you collect your car in the morning, the fifth day counts in full: that's 5 days, exactly half, and you can still request a refund. On the sixth day, you would have exceeded 50%. If you park without a reservation, you pay only for the time used, but at the drive-up rate; if your trip might be cut short, compare both scenarios using the Xpark calculator.
Cancelled flight: deadlines to cancel or reschedule
If your flight was cancelled before you left home, the cancellation deadline for each booking channel is what matters.
| Where you booked | In advance | Last minute or without notice | To change the date |
|---|---|---|---|
| xpark | 90% back with 3 days' notice or more | 40% with less than 72 hours' notice; 0% without notice. With Cancellation Insurance, 100% minus the insurance cost (R$ 25,00), up to 6h before entry | Not covered in the policy |
| Official GRU parking (Indigo) | Up to 24 hours before the start, according to the terms; until 23h59 the day before, according to the FAQ. No fee | After the start, within 7 days of booking: subject to review and, if accepted, a voucher with a one-day penalty. No refund if you don't show up or cancel | Cancel and book again, no fee |
| BH Airport (CNF) | Up to 5 hours before entry, via the website; the FAQ mentions a 5% fee | Terms: request by email, with the first day charged. FAQ: treated as a no-show, with no refund | Terms: up to 5 hours before. FAQ: 24 hours to extend or shorten, with a 5% fee |
| Estapar Reserva (CGH and VCP) | Up to 3 hours before the start | Promotional packages cannot be cancelled. For no-shows, only in the event of a proven unforeseen event or force majeure | Not detailed in the terms |
At Congonhas, Estapar advertises its reservation rates as promotional parking spaces, and promotional packages cannot be cancelled: check the booking screen to see whether yours can be cancelled. Under Estapar's terms, which also apply at Viracopos, the exception for no-shows is a proven inability to access the site, with the request reviewed by customer service.
If your flight was canceled after you parked your car, your reservation has already started. At GRU and BH Airport, the closest applicable rule is for partial use: if you collect your car on the same day, you have used one day and can request a proportional refund, provided that does not exceed half of the reserved period.
Xpark's policy says that Cancellation Insurance covers flight cancellations or significant delays, with proof presented at the parking facility's counter, but describes a 100% refund for cancellations before entry; confirm the coverage with Xpark. Whichever channel you booked through, ask the airline for proof of cancellation.
At departure: how to pay for extra time without surprises
At the official facilities, extra time is paid before the exit barrier. At GRU, your reservation gives you a ticket on entry: keep it, as you need its QR Code to pay at the machine or by mobile phone. At BH Airport, you can pay using the QR Code from your reservation or your license plate, if you registered it when booking. In either case, ask for an itemized bill showing the hours or days charged and the rate table used.
Don't leave and come back later. Under the GRU, BH Airport and Estapar terms, a reservation is valid for one entry and one exit, even within the paid period.
At private lots with a shuttle, the shuttle schedule matters just as much as the rate. If your landing has been moved to the early hours, check with the operator whether reception is open 24 hours and send your license plate, code and new estimated time through the booking channel.
How to book with the unexpected in mind
Set your departure time based on your expected landing time plus time to disembark, collect your luggage and, for international flights, clear immigration. Setting it to the exact landing time is likely to result in extra charges.
If your dates might change, compare adding an extra day to your reservation with paying for an extra day at the counter; with tiered pricing, the extra day in your reservation may be cheap or free. At Confins, the Premium 7-day package booked 72 hours in advance starts at R$ 229,00, less than three days at the Premium 1 drive-up rate. To see the options, use the search on xpark and the pages for Guarulhos, Viracopos, Confins e Congonhas.
Frequently asked questions about flight delays and parking
Could my car be locked in or removed if I stay past my booking time?
The rules for GRU Airport, BH Airport and Estapar do not mention vehicle removal: time beyond your booking is charged extra. At BH Airport, the exit barrier only opens after you pay the difference.
Is there a grace period if I leave a few minutes late?
It depends on where you booked. For Xpark bookings, there is no grace period during the first hour, and each day is 24 hours from your stated entry time. At GRU, the published grace period is only for entry, 1 hour before your booked time. With Estapar Reserva, the limit is stated in the booking itself. BH Airport does not publish a grace period.
I returned two days early. Will I get a refund?
According to the Xpark policy, no: unused days are not refunded. At GRU and BH Airport, only if you have used up to 50% of the reserved period, with any part of a day counting as a full day used. Estapar Reserva's terms do not provide refunds.
Can I extend my booking while I'm already away?
At the official parking facilities, generally not. At BH Airport, you must request an extension through the website 24 hours before your scheduled entry, with a 5% fee. At GRU, changing a booking means cancelling and rebooking, and the deadline is the day before. Once your car is parked, your only option is to pay for the extra time when you leave. The Xpark policy does not cover date changes; ask through the channel where you booked.
My flight was cancelled after I had already parked. What now?
If you are taking your car out, request a refund under the partial-use rules if you used up to half of your booked period at GRU or BH Airport. With Xpark Cancellation Insurance, take proof from the airline to the parking facility's counter and confirm your coverage.
Methodology
Prices and rules come from the official GRU Airport, Viracopos Airport, BH Airport and Estapar Reserva websites (rate tables, terms and booking FAQs) and Xpark's cancellation policy, accessed on 27/09/2026. At GRU, the rate table dated 03/12/2025 applies, as shown on the official website's parking page; an older page on the same site still shows the 2024 table. Where two documents from the same operator differ, we show both.
The drive-up rates for the official Congonhas parking lot, the exact calculation for time beyond a reservation, the rules at private parking lots and date changes on Xpark were not disclosed. None of the prices in this guide come from third-party research; on the linked listings and airport pages, prices for operators whose rate tables we have not verified come from third-party price research, collected on the date indicated. General criteria are available in the Xpark's methodology.
“When a flight is off schedule, three policies determine your parking cost: extra time charges, refunds for early returns and the cancellation deadline.”