Brazil to issue electronic visas for tourists from four countries

By October this year, tourists visiting Brazil to discover our culture, history and natural beauty had already spent more than US$ 4.8 billion in the country. To further strengthen Brazilian tourism, visitors from Australia, Japan, Canada and the United States will soon have their entry simplified with electronic visas.

The new system has already been issuing permits for Australians since 21 November, and the rollout will now continue with Japan (11 January), Canada (18 January) and the United States (January 25). The choice of countries was due to passenger flows: together, the four are responsible for 60% of all visa applications for Brazil. A total 400,000 tourism or business visas were issued to tourists from those countries in 2015 alone.

The initiative was proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), which relied on the support of the Ministry of Tourism (MT) for publicity of the measure abroad. The simplified visa system is expected to lead to increased inflows of tourists and (consequently) tourist spending, which in turn helps create jobs and income in Brazil.

“Before, tourists had to take all their documentation and bring it to the Brazilian consulate, and it would take 30 to 40 days to receive the visa. With the electronic visa, you upload the documents online and receive the permit in 72 hours," explained the head of the International Relations Office of the Ministry of Tourism, Rafael Luisi.

Tourists will also no longer be required to travel to the nearest Brazilian consulate, and visa issuance has also become cheaper: in the United States, for example, the cost will drop from US$ 250 to US$ 40.

The processing of electronic visas is not urgent and takes up to five business days, so tourists should apply in advance, recalls Paulo Gustavo Iansen de Sant'Ana, head of the Foreign Ministry's Immigration Division. About 500,000 visas are expected to be issued by the new system, which has been in development since last year.

“This is a project that has been developing for a long time because, in order for it to be feasible, it was necessary to adopt steps such as the integration of the Itamaraty database with that of the Federal Police so foreigners can enter without showing any papers. The Federal Police can identify you immediately," the counsellor commented.

Exemption

In addition to the electronic visa, Brazil also facilitates the entry of tourists from other countries through visa exemptions and the creation of visa centres. In the case of exemption agreements, Brazilians are also benefited from reciprocity and can enter the nations in question only with their passports, without visas or additional documentation required.

“We have already signed about 90 agreements with major partners, including countries in America, the European Union, South Africa and Russia, but with some markets it has not yet been possible to conclude such agreements. So the electronic visa solution will fit like a glove," says Sant'Ana.

China has five Brazilian visa centres, where documentation can be assessed and sent to the Brazilian consulate. As a result, processing time was reduced from 40 to five days. "Our intention is that China, which today sends 120 million tourists to the world every year, may more easily send tourists to Brazil, which currently receives 50,000 Chinese every year," says Rafael Luisi.

The target for 2018, according to Sant'Ana, is to increase the number of centres to 15 in 2018. "With China, there have been several advances. During the visit of the President of the Republic to China, he signed an agreement that extends the validity of tourist visas from 90 days to five years, and of business visas from three years to five," he highlighted.