The visa waiver applies to those traveling to Brazil for tourism, business, transit, and arts and sports activities. It also extended to people “finding themselves in exceptional situations of national interest”

After all, what is the point of maintaining differential treatment, if Brazilians who visit these countries are not treated with this distinction? This is the logical question, which no one with the slightest common sense can answer.

International relations between countries are based on the principle of reciprocity. For Brazilians traveling to the United States, Japan, Canada and Australia, visas are required. Why would these foreigners be treated differently here?

Faced with this element, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) decided to restore the visa requirement for tourists from the United States, Japan, Canada and Australia to enter Brazil. Nothing more fair and sensible.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is already in communication with the representations of these countries that citizens will be responsible for the same rules determined for Brazilians.

PRINCIPLE OF RECIPROCITY

The Brazilian government had already studied the impact of the measure on tourism, with the possibility of taking up the principle of reciprocity, historically adopted by the Itamaraty.

The Brazilian Chancellery compared the year 2019, in which the visa requirement was abolished, with the previous year and with 2022, when restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic had already been removed.

In the case of the United States, the increase in the number of tourists from 2018 to 2019 was 12%, from 391,000 to 439,000. In 2022, 355,000 Americans came, below the pre-pandemic level.

In Japan, there was a 4% drop between 2018 and 2019, from 59,000 to 56,000. In 2022, there were 16,800 tourists.

Former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) announced the revocation of the visa requirement in March 2019, on the eve of his trip to the United States to meet then-President Donald Trump.

The visa waiver applied to people traveling to Brazil for tourism, business, transit, and arts and sports activities. It also extended to persons “finding themselves in exceptional situations of national interest”.

UNDERSTAND THE FACT

The Federal Government published, on March 18, 2019, at the beginning of the mandate of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), in the DOU (Official Gazette of the Union), a decree that abolished the entry visa to Brazil for Canadians, Australians, Japanese and Americans.

The measure was officially and unilaterally announced by Bolsonaro the next day (19), during an official visit to the United States. The president, accompanied by a delegation, arrived on the 17th, in the afternoon in Washington.

The visa exemption was valid, until then, for entry into the country for tourist, commercial, sporting or artistic purposes, without the intention of establishing residence.

The new rules have been applied to those who have stayed in Brazilian territory for up to 90 days, extendable for the same period, provided they do not exceed 180 days every 12 months. The visa exemption, as provided for in the decree, will come into effect from June 17, 2019.

The measure was unilateral. Thus, Brazilians wishing to visit these countries will have to apply for an entry visa, in accordance with the rules in force in each country. Therefore, the principle of reciprocity did not exist in this relationship.

MV