Visa applications for US tourists are expected to be submitted before April

Minister of Tourism, Celso SabinoHe stated today, Monday (January 22, 2024), that the government is working to make visa issuance available to travelers from the United States, Canada, and Australia before April. He stated that the plan is for the system to start working “in early time” On April 10, when visa requirements for tourists from these countries come into force.

The government postponed the deadline at the beginning of the year. Initially, the requirement will begin on January 10. This was the second postponement, with the measure initially taking effect on October 1, 2023. Sabino stated that time was needed to correct issues with the application.

“The application for issuing e-visas for tourists should work well before January 10. When we were approaching January 10 and there were still difficulties in accessing the platform and uploading passport photos, the Brazilian government decided to extend the exemption from visa requirements for another 3 months, until April 10.” .he said in an interview with reporters.

Sabino said the system would be simplified and without bureaucracy so as not to deter foreign tourists. The condition for the three countries is due to: “Principle of reciprocity”because they require a visa from Brazilians.

“We are working to ensure that this application works quickly and efficiently well before April 10 to ensure the safety of foreign tourists who have purchased travel packages to Brazil. If the platform does not provide stability and performance in the way the government expects, we will call for its extension again.”He said.

Understands

Government Jair Bolsonaro (PL) was unilaterally ousted in 2019, by Decree 9,731Which requires entry visas for travelers from the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan, and he said that this will help increase international tourism in Brazil.

Decision of the President's government Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) The application for visas for the United States, Canada and Australia was supposed to take effect on October 1, 2023. The deadline has been postponed to January 10. Now, it is scheduled to take place on April 10.

The decision does not apply to Japan, as the Japanese government announced in May 2023 that it was considering abolishing the visa requirement for Brazilians. Tokyo confirmed the decision in August, effective from September 30 and only for trips up to 90 days. Reciprocally, Brazil no longer requires visas for Japanese people.

Chartered company

The Brazilian Government, through the Consulate General of Brazil in Miami, appointed VFS Global, on October 31, 2023, to undertake “To develop and operate an online platform for processing electronic visitor visas for citizens of the United States, Canada, and Australia.”.

In other words, the company that was supposed to create and manage the website for foreigners to apply for Brazilian visas was hired on the day this requirement was supposed to go into effect for the first time.

According to the Contract extract Published in The official diary of the federationOn October 31, the company will receive $184,000 per year, for 5 years. Until 2028. The estimated cost is calculated at a unit cost of US$0.90 per visa issued and an expected issuance of 205,000 visas per year.

Applications for Brazilian visas can be submitted on the website controlled by the Company at this link connection. Although the contract stipulates the establishment of… “Call center to serve applicants in English, Spanish and French”Only the English version was available until January 4, 2024.

According to the platform, applying for a visa takes place in 3 steps: submitting documents, paying a fee of US$80.90, and downloading the digital visa. The company fee is $0.90.