The Committee on Tourism and Sports' members discuss several bills regarding tourist visa issuance for the entrance of foreign tourists in Brazil. All of them aim to reduce the bureaucracy for the visitors.

One of the proposals, the Bill 3059/08 created by Carlos Eduardo Cadoca, member of the chamber by the Social Christian Party of Pernambuco, forecasts the possibility to request the visa by electronic means, and it could be conceded or denied in Brazil.

The Bill 178/90 created by Otávio Leite, member of the chamber by the Brazilian Democratic Social Party of Rio de Janeiro, forecasts the tourist visa concession in the moment of the entrance in the Brazilian territory for American, Canadian, Mexican, and Japanese, Australian, and Neo Zealand citizens. The proposal also forecasts that the Executive Branch will be able to extend this permission to visitors from other countries, to increase the flow of foreign tourists in Brazil.

World Cup 2014
The president of the Commission of Tourism, the member of the chamber Afonso Hamm by the Progressive Party of Rio Grande do Sul, highlights the importance of debating this theme now, when the Brazil prepares to host the World Cup of 2014.

“Our interest is enlarge the access condition to all tourists and, preferably, as most possible countries. This will provide resources and empower our employment vacancies in the tourism industry. The industry already provides more than 3 millions of employments today. With an increasing tourists flow, as a result, we will have the development of this economy.

Afonso Hamm’s purpose is vote a proposal in the second semester of this year.

The Bill 4010/08, created by Cândido Vaccarezza, member of the chamber by the Worker’s Party of São Paulo, has been reviewed by the committee and this bill dismisses the need of visa for the entrance of foreign people in the country, for recreational purposes only.

Vaccarezza cites data from the Embratur’s Statistical Yearbook (Brazilian Institute on Tourism), which indicate that the foreign entrance in the country increased from about 1.5 million per year in the 1990’s to 4 million from 2000. “After dismissing the tourist visa concession, we will have a larger number of foreign people in Brazil, what will enable the tourism to be a transformation agent for the country, providing economic wealth and social development.”

Reciprocity
Nowadays, according to the Foreign Statute, Brazil should apply the principle of reciprocity and require visa from people that come from countries that require visa from Brazilian people.

Attending the public hearing in the Committee on Tourism, last year, Mitzi Gurgel Valente da Costa, director of the Immigration Department of the Ministry of External Relations, said that Itamaraty does not agree with the extinction of the reciprocity criteria for requiring visa, and Brazil does not have structure for issuing visa in the airports.

Reporting - Marise Lugullo/ Rádio Câmara
Edition - Regina Céli Assumpção
Translation – Grupo Solucion/Maria Carolina Marcelino Ogata