Simpler visa procedures for Brazil

The Brazilian government decided to simplify the tourist visas procedure in hope that, by cutting costs and time people spend on obtaining them, the country will attract more foreigners.

People who want to visit Brazil can now apply for a tourist visa online. Thus, they are no longer forced to travel to big cities in search of a Brazilian consulate, nor to wait for a long time in order to receive their visa. By applying online for a visa, the waiting period could be reduced by as much as 30 days.

Vicente Neto of the Brazilian Tourism Board Embratur declared that 'With the new mechanism, an American tourist for example, who lives in a city far from a Brazilian consulate will be able to put in a visa request online, without having to travel somewhere to hand in the required documents. This reduces costs related to the visa issuing process, leaving more money for them to spend in Brazil.'

This strategic move comes in advance of the Rio Olympic games which are due 2016. Also, the country is set to attract 10 million tourists by 2020.

In 2013, 6 million foreign tourists visited Brazil.