In a step of diplomatic affirmation, the Brazilian government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sought to reinstate visa requirements for tourists arriving from the U.S., Canada, and Australia — which had been lifted by the previous Jair Bolsonaro administration. However, enforcement has been delayed several times and the government is now ready to abandon the change altogether.
Congressman Alencar Santana, a deputy whip for the government, said the Lula administration would revoke a decree that reinstated tourist visas for citizens of the U.S., Australia, and Canada. “The government is committed to issuing a decree [revoking visa requirements] by next week,” Mr. Santana told the House floor.
The House was about to vote on a bill that would have revoked the government’s decree entirely, but after Mr. Santana’s pledge, the opposition agreed to withdraw it from the voting agenda.
The Bolsonaro administration unilaterally lifted visa requirements for tourists from those countries (plus Japan) in mid-2019, claiming the move would attract more travelers to Brazil, a postcard-perfect country that nonetheless suffers from low tourism numbers.
As The Brazilian Report has shown, the move did have the expected results. While tourist arrivals from Europe and Argentina have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, those of citizens from the U.S. and Canada have surpassed 2019 numbers.
The Lula administration announced last year that it would reinstate tourist visas, despite widespread criticism from representatives of the tourism, hotel, and aviation sectors. The government has twice postponed the date for the reintroduction of the visas, which is currently scheduled to take effect on April 10, 2024.
Under previous Workers’ Party administrations, Brazil has historically been strict in applying the principle of visa reciprocity — imposing hurdles on citizens of other countries similar to those Brazilians face when traveling.
Last year, Brazil and Japan entered into a reciprocity agreement that lifted tourist restrictions for both countries.
In May 2023, The Brazilian Report revealed in an exclusive story that the revenue the government expects from the visa procedures is calculated to be much lower than the dollars the tourism sector expects tourists to bring in.
Fábio Bentes, a senior economist at the industry association CNC, said at a House hearing last year that the visa waivers could have helped Brazil attract an additional USD 510 million in 2019, a significant improvement at a time when foreign tourists spent nearly USD 6 billion in Brazil.
Conversely, the Foreign Affairs Ministry estimated in a document obtained through the country’s public records law that the visa waiver meant a loss of USD 15.9 million in fees for the federal government.
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