Brazil will reinstate visas for Canadian travelers, from the 10th of January 2024. The application process includes submitting a valid passport, a passport-size photo, a completed application form, flight confirmation and a printed bank statement showing transactions for the last 30 days with a minimum balance of US$2,000 for travel, VisaGuide.World reports.
According to local media, business travelers must provide additional information in their applications, such as job titles, monthly salaries, job descriptions and details about the nature of their business and mention their activities which their hoping to do, during their stay in Brazil.
The move was made in response to the refusal of countries such as Australia, Canada, the United States and Japan to reciprocate the removal of entry visas for Brazilian citizens. The authorities claim they are harmonizing visa policies with those countries which did not ease entry for citizens in Brazil, during the initial visa-free period.
In June 2019, Brazil temporarily lifted visa requirements for Canadians, including those from Japan, Australia and the US to increase tourism.
Also, for travelers from Australia, Canada and the USA, a visa to Brazil costs USD 80.90 per person. The visa is valid for five years for Australians and Canadians, while Americans get a ten-year validity. Brazil has enlisted the services of VFS Global, a Dubai-based technology company specializing in government and diplomatic solutions, to launch an electronic visa application platform.
In March 2023, Brazil said it would reinstate entry visa requirements for US, Japanese, Australian, and Canadian citizens, reversing a unilateral 2019 decision to streamline tourism.
The decision, associated with the Foreigners Act, reflects Brazil’s adherence to the reciprocity principle, requiring visas for countries which don’t extend visa-free privileges to citizens.
In spite of the prior 2019 initiative to improve tourism, tourist arrivals from the US last year remained below 2018 levels. In 2019, Japanese visitor amounts declined by 4.5 percent, with only 17,000 tourists in Brazil in 2022.
As of December 2023, the VisaGuide Passport Index places the Brazilian passport at the 48th position internationally. This ranking grants Brazilian citizens visa-free access to 134 countries, but holders of a Brazilian passport must get a visa in advance for the remaining nations.
Based on the same source, a valid passport with at least six months validity beyond the departure date is needed for visa-free journeys, along with the mandatory purchase of travel health insurance.
