Marcelo Camargo/Brazil Agency

The measure was announced by the federal government last May, but it will not come into force until next week.

The visa requirement for tourists from the United States, Canada and Australia to enter Brazil will be reinstated from the 10th. The measure was announced by the federal government last May, however, entry into The issue’s force has been extended for this month.

Unlike what was in force before the exemption, the process of obtaining a visa will be entirely electronic. North American, Canadian and Australian citizens will be able to apply for an e-visit visa(e-Visa) to come to Brazil, and it is not necessary to go to a Brazilian embassy or consulate to obtain it, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In December, the House approved the urgency of processing a bill that reverses the decree issued by Lula that addresses visa requirements for visitors from the three countries. In practice, the decision allows the agenda to be analyzed by the plenary of the House without the need to go through a special committee, as provided for in the procedure.

However, the proposal was not analyzed before the parliamentary recess, which began on December 23 and lasted until February 1.

Japan

When the law was promulgated by the government, the decree also affected Japanese tourists who had Brazil as their destination.

The governments of the two countries, however, signed a reciprocity agreement, exempting visa travel between Brazil and Japan for stays of up to 90 days. The agreement is initially valid for three years.

Visa exemption

The visa exemption for tourists from the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan was adopted in 2019, under the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), in an unprecedented manner.

At the time, however, the government declared that the measure did not infringe the principle of reciprocity, as the exemption would have been adopted with the aim of encouraging the creation of jobs and income in Brazil.

“The unilateral visa waiver is a gesture that we are making towards strategic countries in order to strengthen our relations. Nothing prevents these nations from subsequently exempting Brazilians from this bureaucracy,” the Ministry of Tourism then informed.

A similar decision was adopted under the government of Dilma Rousseff (PT), but was only in force during the 2016 Olympic Games. For the occasion, Dilma allowed citizens of the four countries to be visa exempt, condition that they come to the country. to watch the sporting event.

Two years later, the Ministry of Tourism proposed the definitive removal of the visa requirement, but Itamaraty opposed it, arguing that the principle of reciprocity must prevail.

The Foreign Ministry even cited a measure adopted in 2017 by then US President Donald Trump, who issued an executive order making it difficult to grant visas to citizens of several countries, including Brazil.