Mexico to require physical visas for Brazilian tourists again

The Mexican Ministry of the Interior has decided to request again a physical visa for tourists from Brazil who wish to come to Mexico since it has not been possible to reduce the increase of irregular flows, which in some cases are aimed at reaching the United States.

Once this situation was detected last November, the Mexican government decided to temporarily suspend the Visa Waiver Agreement for Brazilian nationals and therefore opted for a visa that could be processed electronically.

Until that date, no visa was required as a measure to facilitate tourism from Brazil.

“Derived from the fact that there are no substantive advances in the joint actions with the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil that make possible the adequate use of the migratory facilitation measure and to guarantee safe, orderly, and regular migratory flows, the general objective of the regulation is that the Mexican government has decided to eliminate the facilitation of obtaining an electronic visa for Brazilian nationals who intend to enter the national territory by air, as visitors without permission to carry out remunerated activities,” refers the Ministry of the Interior.

The measure announced by the National Commission for Regulatory Improvement will become effective once published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF), which is expected to occur this week.

El Economista asked the Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco, his opinion on the issue and the eventual effect on the arrival of Brazilian tourists (last year, Brazil was the seventh country of origin of international tourists).

He only responded that it is an issue that is being dealt with by the Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard.

The measure will also come into effect when there are increasing protests from Brazilians who wish to visit Mexico and have encountered problems in the system where they can apply for it.

As part of the arguments for requesting a visa again, it was explained that considering the migratory statistics, it is noticed that the advances with the previous measure were not substantial in the reduction of the volume of Brazilian migrants who transit irregularly through Mexico, even though the indicators of irregular migrants decreased during the period from January to May 2022, the total volume of that period (16,509) remained above 12,432 which is the figure corresponding to half the volume of irregular Brazilian migrants for the same period (January to May) of 2021.

“The measure does not prohibit the entry of Brazilians in the condition of visitors without permission to perform remunerated activities, but from the entry into force of the draft agreement, they will have to apply for a visa at the Mexican consulate, just as Brazilians who intend to enter by land or sea currently do, following procedures 1 and 2 of the General Guidelines for the issuance of visas issued by the Secretariats”.

With information from El Economista