This mandatory decision overturns the measure adopted by the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro in June 2019 to suspend the visa requirement for those countries and Japan.

It was claimed at the time that this would facilitate the entry of more tourists, in an unprecedented decision that ignored the principle of reciprocity generally used in diplomacy.

The measure adopted during the Bolsonaro administration (2019-2022) was unilateral because the Brazilians continued to need authorization to travel to those countries, in line with the rules in force in each nation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that its diplomacy is based on the correspondence of actions, as in the case of the visa requirement.

In May 2023, Japan was removed from this list when Brazil and the island nation signed an agreement to waive visa requirements for nationals of either country entering the other.

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