The Brazilian Foreign Ministry announced that it had signed an agreement with Mexico to start applying the mutual system of electronic visas for citizens of the respective countries regarding tourist and commercial trips.
This indicates that the physical visa will not be charged, and Mexican as well as Brazilian citizens don’t have to go to the consulate to withdraw their documents. The new system has yet to be implemented, but the Brazilian government revealed that it will start applying in the upcoming months, VisaGuide.World reports.
The agreement falls under the process that aims to exempt Brazilians and Mexicans from permits to visit these countries, while the Mexican foreign minister, Mauro Vieira, publicly noted that Mexico would become the second country to waive visa restrictions for Brazilian tourists after Japan, which will enter force on October 1, 2023.
Ahead of upgrading to the new system, Brazilians are permitted to enter Mexico with an actual visa unless they have a valid visa or are permanent residents in Canada, the United States, some Schengen countries, the United Kingdom or Japan.
The agreement has been under work since April and has been negotiated with the Mexican Foreign Minister, Alicia Bardina Ibarra.
“Without losing sight of the common objective of the gradual resumption of the Visa Waiver Agreement between Brazil and Mexico, the joint adoption of e-Visas will allow Brazilian and Mexican citizens to request a visitor visa for tourism and business purposes in both countries quickly, safely and without the need to travel to consular offices,” the State Department said in a note.
The electronic visa system has already been implemented by both countries for certain periods of time. Last August, which would mark the nine-month period into the system’s operation, Mexico reinforced its requirement for paper authorisation (Mexican visa) for Brazilians to enter the geographically located Northern American territory.
At the time, months ahead of the e-Visa cancellation, a technical malfunction prevented Mexican consulates from issuing licenses, causing disruption for people who had already purchased tickets. Due to the failures, tourists ended up being unable to travel.
According to Passport Index, Brazilian passport holders can enter 121 countries without a visa, while they don’t need a passport to enter another eight countries. While visas are required for travel to 44 countries, an eVisa is required for travel to 15 countries and an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) grants entry for Brazilians to two countries. This ranks the Brazilian passport 48th at an international level.
Source: Visa Guide
