The aims of this study were to establish the prevalence of anti-bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) antibodies (Ab) in beef cattle raised in Pará state, to compare the prevalence of seropositive animals to BVDV using a commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (iELISA) and the virus neutralization (VN) test, and finally, to determine the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of the iELISA for the detection of anti-BVDV Ab using VN as a gold standard. A total of 400 serum blood samples from Nelore cows aged at least 24 months from five farms in the Pará state from two mesoregions VN) and between the different farms (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). The statistical analysis was performed with a significance level of 5%. The prevalence of seropositive animals was found to be different (P < 0.0001) using VN (39.25% [157/400]) and iELISA (54.50% [218/400] 25.93% (63/243) of the samples were considered false-positive and 1.27% false-negative (2/157). It was concluded that the BVDV infection is present in beef cattle herds of the state of Para. Based on the speed of execution, ease of handling, and high Se of the iELISA, it is suggested that this assay can be used as a screening test for the detection of anti-BVDV Ab with the aim of eliminating infected animals from large herds of beef cattle.