Effective October 1, 2023, Brazil will require nationals of the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia to obtain a visa prior to entering the country for tourism, business, and other purposes. The announcement reverses a visa waiver policy that had been in place since 2019 with the goal of promoting tourism. In announcing the new requirement, the Brazilian government stated that the visa exemption policy was not in keeping with the principle of reciprocity, as all four countries require visas of Brazilian nationals. While details on the new visa requirements are forthcoming, the government has stated that the visas will be issued electronically, as they were previously.
Background: Visa Requirements for Brazil
Brazil historically has required visas of nationals from the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, and other countries under the principle of reciprocity. The current visa exemption policy, established by Decree 9,731 of March 16, 2019, departed from that standard in the hopes of encouraging higher levels of international tourism. However, Brazil's move was unilateral, and all four countries continued to require visas of Brazilian nationals. In reinstituting the visa requirement, the Brazilian government stated that it continues to negotiate for mutual visa exemption agreements with the four countries in the interest of Brazilian citizens.
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