Explained: Indian visitors don’t need visa to enter Brazil now

Bolsonaro’s Asian outreach was prominently highlighted by the local press in Brazil. The Folha de São Paulo carried an entire page with the headline “Brazil exempts the Chinese from visa, but China maintains requirements from Brazilians”. The paper called Bolsonaro’s decision an “important change of attitude”. The article said, “When he was a candidate (for the presidency), he had claimed that “China is not buying from Brazil, but is buying Brazil.”

Visa waiver for Indian tourists

According to a Government of Brazil website, the country first waived visa requirements for tourists from Japan, Australia, US, and Canada on June 17 this year. The citizens of these countries do not need a visa to enter Brazil for a period of 90 days, extendable for another 90 days.

According to the website, the visa-free entry led to a 25 per cent increase in tourism from these countries this year compared to the same period of 2018.

In September, at the UN General Assembly in New York, Bolsonaro had said that similar measures were being studied for India and China.

Then on October 25, the Brazil government website posted President Bolsonaro’s announcement to exempt Indian and Chinese tourists from visa requirements.

The Brazilian leader plans to substantially increase the share of tourism in the country’s GDP, aiming to bring it close to 25 per cent. The website quoted Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo as saying that the visa-free travel will be for tourism and business.

Indian visas for Brazilian nationals

According to the website of the Indian Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil is among the countries whose nationals are eligible to avail eVisa (Electronic Visa) for visiting India, available in five categories: e-Tourist, e-Business, e-Medical visa, e-Medical Attendant and e-Conference.

Visa applicants from Brazil need to apply for the Indian e-Visa at least four days before their date of arrival in India and can enter the country through 24 airports and five seaports.

The e-Tourist visa is valid up to a year after arrival in India, double-entry, and visits cannot be longer than 90 days of continuous stay per entry/visit into Indian territory. The validity of the e-Business visa is up to a year with multiple entries and visits of up to 180 consecutive days.