RECIFE – In an unusual development, authorities in Brazil have postponed reinstating the visa requirement for nationals from certain countries.
The country has postponed the visa requirement for citizens from Australia, Canada, and the United States until Jan. 10, 2024.
As per the decision, the government would continue to exempt Australian, Canadian, and U.S. citizens from needing a visit visa to enter the country till Jan. 9, next year.
From Jan 10 onwards, travelers from these countries will be required to have an e-visa to enter Brazil and officials expect to open the online platform to obtain these e-visas at least a month before the enforcement date.
It bears mentioning that details regarding the cost and length of stay have yet to be announced by the authorities.
Brazil had previously announced it would reinstate visitor visa requirements for citizens from Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States on Oct. 1. A requirement for Japanese citizens to obtain visit visas was dropped when Japan and Brazil signed a reciprocal visa waiver agreement but the same was not the case for three other countries.
The visa exemption was granted by Brazil to these countries back in 2019-20 when President Jair Bolsonaro was in power and the move was aimed at supporting the country’s tourism industry. The country kept pinning hopes but the four countries did not reciprocate the exemption granted to them, ultimately pressing Brazil to withdraw the ‘favour’ it had extended.
According to an official press release, the visa exemption was a “breach of the pattern of Brazil’s migration policy, historically based on the principles of reciprocity and equal treatment.”
“Brazil does not grant unilateral visitor visa exemption to other countries without reciprocity,” it read.
Brazil was also exploring options to grant exemption to India and China to boost tourism; however, details have yet to surface regarding that.
The visa exemption somewhat helped the US citizens as after the waivers, the number of Americans booking flights to Brazil spiked by 39% but visitors were concerned about safety concerns, inconvenient flights, and poor infrastructure of the country besides gang violence in areas like Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasilia, and Salvador.
Australia, Canada and the United States all have reinstated visitor visa requirements for Brazilian nationals; as a general rule, Brazil does not grant visitor visa exemptions without reciprocity. Brazil had previously included Japan in these measures but removed the country after renegotiating their mutual visa exemption policy.
