SAO PAULO – Starting Thursday, Brazil will reinstate visa requirements for citizens of the United States, Canada, and Australia, marking the end of a six-year period of open entry for visitors from these countries.
The U.S. Embassy in Brasilia announced on Monday that U.S. travelers will still have the option to apply for electronic visas for visits starting on or after April 10. This change reverses a 2019 policy introduced by former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who aimed to enhance the tourism sector by removing visa requirements for these nationalities.
Bolsonaro, a political ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, enacted this policy by decree, deviating from Brazil’s longstanding practice of enforcing visa requirements based on reciprocal agreements and ensuring equal treatment for Brazilian visitors abroad.
Current Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took office after defeating Bolsonaro, decided to restore the visa requirements in March 2023. Citing the principle of reciprocity, Lula emphasized that Brazilians still require visas to enter the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
Although Lula’s administration initially delayed the implementation of this policy three times in hopes of achieving reciprocal treatment for Brazilian citizens, no mutual agreement was reached. Earlier this year, the Brazilian Senate passed a bill to maintain the visa exemption for citizens of the three countries. However, sentiment shifted in the lower house following a recent decision by Trump to impose a 10% tariff on Brazilian exports.
Supporters of the Speaker, Hugo Motta, have indicated that the bill will not progress to a final vote soon. In response to these developments, Brazil’s Congress recently approved a bill granting the executive branch authority to apply retaliatory tariffs on nations imposing trade barriers on Brazilian goods. The proposed legislation now awaits President Lula’s formal approval.