2019/06/19 – Tourists from the US, Canada, Japan, and Australia can now travel to Brazil visa-free

Enjoy Rio de Janeiro and the rest of Brazil without visiting your consulate

If watching a game at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã stadium has been on your bucket list since the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Now you can do so without adding a trip to the consulate as part of your itinerary. Effective June 17, tourists from the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia will no longer need a visa to visit Brazil.
Travelers with a valid passport will be able to explore Brazil and all Brazilian golf courses for up to 90 days. Even more with the possibility of extending their stay to up to 180 days (though expect a visit to the Federal Police to get the extension approved).

Visa-free, announced by President Jair Bolsonaro and President Donald Trump

The move was announced in March ahead of an official visit by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to the White House.
In a joint news statement released on March 19 by President Donald Trump and President Bolsonaro. Therefore the duo announced that along with lifting the requirement. “The Presidents agreed to take the steps necessary to enable Brazil to participate in the Department of Homeland Security’s Trusted Traveler Global Entry Program.”

Increased Brazil travel interest from tourists

Since the announcement, Brazil has already seen increased travel interest from tourists in those four countries. In March, searches for flights from Australia to Brazil were up by 36% from the previous year. Americans experienced a similar search boom, with a 31% increase in search for flights following the news.
Brazil has implemented a series of changes over the past few years aimed at increasing the number of tourists.
European visitors have long enjoyed visa-free travel to Brazil.
During the 2016 Summer Olympics hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil temporarily scrapped its requirement. Therefore travelers from the four countries now exempt from the requirement altogether to bolster tourism around the event.
In 2017, the country announced that visitors from the same countries would no longer be required to visit a consulate or embassy to get their visas Instead they could instead for the document online for a $40 fee as opposed to the $160 previously mandated.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism, the change to an e-visa resulted in a 35% increase in the number of applications received by the department in 2018.
Additionally, a survey conducted by the ministry revealed that 88% of visitors to the 2016 Olympics indicated a desire to return to the country, especially if it continued the visa-free policy.

Additional airline routes to Brazil

In the past year, airlines around the world have launched additional routes to various cities in Brazil. In November 2018, Brazil’s largest airline, GOL, launched new direct routes from Brazil to Miami and Orlando. Respectively Virgin Atlantic and Norwegian Air also announced new direct flights from London to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
American Airlines is the leading carrier with routes from the United States to Brazil. AA has direct flights to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Manaus.
“American Airlines applauds the Brazilian government for instituting a no-visa requirement for US, Canadian, Japanese and Australian visitors”. Martha Pantin, director of corporate communications at American Airlines, told CNN in an email.