Earlier this year, Brazil and Australia quietly marked 80 years of diplomatic relations. There were no grand celebrations, but the milestone served as a reminder of a long-standing relationship built on distance, mutual curiosity, and shared democratic values. Brazil was also the site of Australia's first diplomatic post in Latin America, established in 1945, reflecting the country’s early recognition of Brazil as a key partner in the region.
Yet just months after this symbolic anniversary, Brazil took a step that caught many off guard: it reinstated a visa requirement for Australian tourists. From April 2025, Australians have had to apply for an e-visa costing approximately US$80.
Why tighten travel rules in the same year you celebrate eight decades of friendship?
The visa waiver for Australians, along with Canadians, Americans, and Japanese, was introduced unilaterally in 2019 by President Jair Bolsonaro. It broke with Brazil’s longstanding diplomatic principle of reciprocity, which holds that if Brazilians need a visa to visit your country, your citizens need one to enter Brazil. Bolsonaro’s move, made without receiving equivalent access for Brazilians entering Australia, was widely criticised within Brazil’s foreign ministry as diplomatically lopsided.
The decision reflects a broader shift, as emerging powers push for more balanced terms in bilateral relations.
President Lula da Silva initially kept the waiver in place, renewing it twice. But in 2024, his administration signaled a shift back to tradition. No more unilateral concessions. Only countries that offer reciprocal treatment would enjoy visa-free access. Hence Australians will be charged the fee.
Visa regimes are not neutral bureaucratic tools. They shape the pace and direction of international relationships, especially through mobility and cultural exchange. When Brazil unilaterally waived visa requirements in 2019, the effect was immediate. Embratur, Brazil’s tourism promotion agency, reported a 25 per cent rise in foreign tourist arrivals that October compared to the same month in 2018, with Australians among the beneficiaries. The spike was a reminder that even modest policy changes can influence not just visitor numbers but perceptions of openness and intent.
Australia also hosts a large Brazilian diaspora, with approximately 46,720 Brazil‑born residents and 19,688 Brazilian students in the country in 2024. In turn, 52,888 Australians visited Brazil in 2024, more than double figures from the pre‑waiver period. These trends reflect growing two‑way engagement, although academic mobility from Australia to Brazil remains modest.
Australia maintains a cautious approach to visa waivers, generally based on risk assessments and enforcement criteria. Brazil may not meet the technical or political thresholds that Australia applies, though no official explanation has been given.
Still, the lack of movement on the visa issue has reinforced a sense of imbalance in the relationship, and the reintroduction sends a signal. As one Brazilian diplomat put it, “It’s not about punishment. It’s about dignity.”
The decision also reflects a broader shift, as emerging powers push for more balanced terms in bilateral relations. Australia’s visa regime is shaped by strategic considerations but remains more accessible to countries in the Global North. Seen this way, the reimposition of the visa requirement by Brazil operates as a symbolic correction. It reflects Brazil’s desire to be treated as a peer and offers a low-cost way to assert agency in a system where mobility often mirrors geopolitical hierarchies.
The decision is not necessarily a closing of doors. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explicitly noted that the visa requirement could be waived again, if reciprocity is offered. In other words, the message is conditional, not final.
All this comes at a moment when both countries have clear incentives to deepen engagement. There are over 150 Australian companies operating in Brazil, including 81 in the mining sector. The two countries are both members of the G20 and share an interest in ocean governance and clean energy transitions. They have also signed science and technology agreements that facilitate academic exchange. Both are large democracies in the Southern Hemisphere, with multicultural populations and parallel efforts to address Indigenous inclusion. These shared characteristics offer a foundation for stronger ties, but symbolic alignment alone is not enough.
For that to happen, policy must follow principle. If Australia wants to foster trust and build long-term connections with rising middle powers like Brazil, its visa framework should reflect that intention.
It would be easy to dismiss Brazil’s move as procedural or symbolic. But symbols matter. Requiring Australians to apply for an e-visa may slightly reduce spontaneity in travel. More importantly, it marks a shift in tone, from passive openness to conditional reciprocity.
