Brazil to Reinstate Visas for US, Canada, Australia

Photo : AP

From April 10, people from the United States, Canada, and Australia will need a visa again to enter Brazil. This change ends free entry that lasted for six years.

A visa is a paper or stamp that lets someone enter a country. The U.S. Embassy in Brazil said Americans can still apply online for their visas.

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Back in 2019, Brazil's old leader Jair Bolsonaro stopped asking for visas from these three countries. He wanted to bring more tourists to Brazil.

But that was not how Brazil usually works. Brazil usually gives the same rule to other countries as those countries give to Brazil. So if a country asks Brazilians to get a visa, then Brazil asks the same.

When new president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in 2023, he paused the free entry rule. He said it is not fair that Brazilians still need visas to visit the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

Brazil gave these countries more time to make things fair, but nothing changed. So now Brazil is bringing back the visa rule.

Earlier this year, Brazil's Senate wanted to keep the visa-free rule. But later, the mood changed when former U.S. President Donald Trump made a 10% tax on things Brazil sells. After that, Brazil's lower house stopped the plan to keep the free visas.

Now Brazil's leaders have passed a new law that lets them answer back if other countries hurt Brazil’s business. This law is not final yet, but it gives more power to Brazil’s government.

Even with the new rule, Americans can still apply for their visa online, so the process is a little easier.