São Paulo – The Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff sanctioned this Wednesday (25th) a law bypassing visa requirements for foreign visitors coming to Brazil for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian government said in a statement that the ministries of Tourism, Justice and Foreign Relations are authorized to jointly define “the exceptional, unilateral visa waiver” for citizens from countries “with strong Olympic tradition, which have hosted the Games in the past and pose no migration or national security risks, for the duration of the Olympics.”
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the measure could lead to a 20% increase in tourist influx to Brazil from January to September of next year. The waiver will remain in effect for a 90-day period for visitors arriving in Brazil by September 18th, 2016.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
