- This measure will help combat human trafficking networks
- Provisional online authorization will be given, free of charge, for visitor visas without permission to engage in paid activities
- The measure will enter into force on December 11, 2021
As part of the Mexican government's efforts to make migration more orderly and to combat the abuses of the criminal networks involved in human trafficking, it has decreed a temporary suspension of the visa waiver agreement for regular passports that was signed between the Government of the United Mexican States and the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Brasilia on November 23, 2000 and entered into force on February 7, 2004.
Brazilian citizens traveling to Mexico as visitors without permission to engage in paid activities will temporarily be required to have a Mexican visa in their regular passports.
This decision is due to the increase in irregular migration and because, unfortunately, criminal groups profit from deceiving Brazilian citizens into irregular migration. They migrate through Mexico to the United States, using the visa waiver granted by the Agreement but for purposes other than those for which it was originally established. This leads migrants, especially women and children, into highly vulnerable environments.
Faced with the challenge of safeguarding migrants' human rights, Mexico decided to take this important decision, which does not affect the legitimate movement of citizens of both countries for tourism and cultural and business travel.
The Mexican government will grant entry to Brazilians arriving in Mexico by air who, prior to traveling, complete a form known as Electronic Authorization that can be downloaded free of charge from the Foreign Ministry and the National Migration Institute websites.
According to current regulations, Brazilian citizens traveling to Mexico by land or sea must apply in Mexican consulates for physical visas.
Brazilians traveling to Mexico under Article 26 of the Immigration Guidelines, amended and published in the Official Journal of the Federation on May 17, 2016, will not have to present the Electronic Authorization form or a Mexican visa if they posses the following:
a) A document that proves permanent residence in Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, any of the countries in the Schengen Area, or member countries of the Pacific Alliance.
b) A valid and current visa from Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom or any of the countries that make up the Schengen Area.
The Mexican government is already working in close coordination with the Brazilian government to promote regular and documented migration to protect the safety of migrants, exchange information and help fight human trafficking and smuggling, and to reinstate the visa waiver, in order to continue strengthening the historical ties of cooperation, tourism and political relations between our nations. The government expects to hold bilateral consultations to evaluate the impact of the measure in no more than six months.
The provision will enter into force on December 11, 2021, in accordance with the decree published in the Official Journal of the Federation today.