Brazil – COVID-19: Flight/Travel Restrictions Rolled Back, New Options for Visitors
Brazil–Updated Travel Restrictions, New Visitor Options
On September 24, the Brazilian authorities published a note (or “ordinance”) concerning the restriction on foreign nationals entering Brazil for 30 more days. The extended restriction will last until October 24. However, the new ordinance brings no restrictions for travelers to fly into and out of Brazilian territory with a granted Brazilian entry visa. There are new rules on the possibility of health insurance policies being valid if issued in Spanish. And developments concerning the activities of the Federal Police are covered in this newsletter.
On September 24, the Brazilian authorities published a note (or “ordinance”) in the country’s Official Gazette concerning the restriction on foreign nationals entering Brazil for 30 more days.1 The extended restriction will last until October 24.
The Brazilian government has been considering flight restrictions applying to parts of Brazilian territory. For some time, there were restrictions on Brazil’s Federative Units being able to receive international flights. However, the new ordinance brings no restrictions for travelers to fly into and out of Brazilian territory with a granted Brazilian entry visa.
Also, the Brazilian government has expanded the possibility of issuing health insurance policies in Spanish to foreign visitors (business/tourism). The original version of this idea provided only the possibility of issuing policies in Portuguese or English according to the previous ordinance issued by the Brazilian authorities.2
Moreover, gradually, the Federal Police have been accepting requests for visa registrations, evidenced by their including time slots on their website for new applications.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The possibility of having no restrictions to fly into/out of Brazilian territory suggests an improved situation for the movement of people and foreign nationals in Brazilian territory – now no Federative Unit is forbidden to receive international flights.
Furthermore, foreign visitors have the possibility to present health insurance certificates in Spanish, which can make acquiring such health insurance simpler and more convenient for many travelers.
More Details
No Flight Restrictions for Brazilian Territory
International flights are permitted into all the airports on Brazilian territory. The foreign traveler continues to have the obligation to present a proper entry visa.
Federal Police
Due to the continuing appearance of clusters and surges of coronavirus in some areas of Brazil and the sanitary/health protocols of each jurisdiction, some Federal Police units might remain closed3 or open in a limited way to tend only to urgent or scheduled matters.
KPMG NOTE
Travelers seeking to enter Brazil should regularly check the latest information made available by the nearest Brazilian Embassy or Consulate about entry and exit from the country and the restoration of passport and visa services.
The KPMG International member firm in Brazil continues to monitor the situation around travel and border restrictions and will endeavor to keep readers of GMS Flash Alert apprised of any new developments.
FOOTNOTES
1 See the Brazilian government announcement of September 24, Portaria N° 456/2020 (in Portuguese) as published in the Diário Oficial da União, 24/09/2020, Edição: 184-A. For prior coverage of travel restrictions, see the following issues of GMS Flash Alert: 2020-389 (September 4, 2020), 2020-348 (August 7, 2020), 2020-312 (July 10, 2020), 2020-284 (June 17, 2020) and 2020-119 (March 26, 2020).
2 See our report on the previous ordinance No 419/20 commented upon in our GMS Flash Alert 2020-389 (September 4, 2020).
3 See “Polícia Federal altera o atendimento do passaporte e aos estrangeiros em virtude da pandemia”.
Please note that KPMG LLP (U.S.) does not provide any immigration services. However, KPMG Law LLP in Canada can assist clients with U.S. immigration matters.
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The information contained in this newsletter was submitted by the KPMG International member firm in Brazil.
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