The Brazilian government has extended for another year the visa exemption for tourists from the United States, Canada, and Australia, extending the validity until April 2025. This measure was unilaterally adopted during Jair Bolsonaro's government in 2019 and has been extended since then. Lula had issued a decree to revoke this exemption, but in the face of parliamentary reaction, postponed the reinstatement of the requirement. The diplomatic principle of reciprocity was established by Lula, requiring that the measure only remain for countries offering the same treatment to Brazilians. A bilateral agreement with Japan was reached during a visit by Lula, suspending the visa requirement for Brazilians in that country. However, the other involved countries did not agree to adopt the same measure. Last December, the Chamber approved urgency for a bill that would revoke the presidential decree. The Ministry of Tourism stated that the postponement of visa fees was due to the development of a new electronic issuance system for the document. The measure was determined by the Lula government in May 2023, with the start of collection in October of the same year, but was postponed twice. The negotiation for the extension of the exemption was led by the Secretariat of Institutional Relations. The tourism sector is against the measure, arguing that it will decrease the volume of tourists from these countries.
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Embratur highlights the significance of the government's determination to sustain growth in the influx of foreign tourists, especially from key international markets. The USA, for example, stood out as the second largest source of tourists to Brazil in 2023, contributing 668,478 visitors (representing 11.31% of the total). In the first two months of 2024, there was an 11% increase in the arrival of Americans to Brazil compared to the same period of the previous year.