Brazil’s authorities has prolonged exemptions to vacationer visa necessities for residents of the U.S., Australia and Canada till April 2025, extending a program aimed toward boosting tourism that had been scheduled to finish Wednesday
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s authorities prolonged exemptions to vacationer visa necessities for residents of the U.S., Australia and Canada till April 2025, extending a program aimed toward boosting tourism that had been scheduled to finish Wednesday.
The choice, issued by Brazilian presidency and the Ministry of International Relations late Tuesday, marks the third time Brazil has delayed the visa requirement since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took workplace in 2023.
His predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, exempted the international locations from visas as a way to spice up tourism — though all three international locations continued to demand visas from Brazilians.
That went in opposition to the South American nation’s custom of requiring visas from vacationers based mostly on the precept of reciprocity and equal therapy, and prompted Lula’s International Ministry to say it will scrap the exemptions.
“Brazil doesn’t grant unilateral exemption from visiting visas, with out reciprocity, to different international locations,” the ministry stated on the time, whereas noting that the federal government stood prepared to barter visa waiver agreements on a reciprocal foundation. It did attain a take care of Japan to ease journey provisions.
The choice to keep up exemptions for the three international locations is essential for reinforcing tourism in Brazil, notably from the U.S., Brazil’s official tourism board Embratur stated in an announcement Tuesday.
Official information reveals that almost 670,000 People visited Brazil in 2023, making the U.S. the second largest nation of origin after neighboring Argentina.
The federal government initially postponed the reinstatement of the visa requirement in October, then once more in January. On the time, the federal government stated it was nonetheless finalizing a brand new visa system and needed to keep away from implementing it near the excessive season, primarily in the course of the New Yr’s celebrations and Carnival festivities in February, which are a magnet for tens of 1000’s of vacationers.
