Deal facilitating entry into US extended to all Brazilians

Brazil’s government announced Monday (Feb. 7) the beginning of the third and last phase of the agreement inked with the US to facilitate the entry of Brazilian nationals into the country.

The outcome of talks initiated in 2013, Brazil’s admission into the US initiative has been dubbed Global Entry and was made official in November 2019, a few months after President Jair Bolsonaro’s official visit to the US.

Under a decree signed in March 2020 by President Bolsonaro and then Justice and Public Security Minister Sergio Moro, at first, the scheme was to be tested with 20 Brazilians participating in the Brazil–US Forum of High Executives. Later on, a limited number of people would be allowed to apply, so that the online system developed by the Federal Data Processing Service (SERPRO) could be tested and enhanced.

In the third and last phase of the program’s implementation, applications for Global Entry may be submitted by any Brazilian citizen interested in going through streamlined US passport control checks.

To join the program, a BRL 100 fee must be paid to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), spearheading the program. The fee is valid for five years after which it must be paid again.

Global Entry is no visa waiver, but may speed up procedures for foreign travelers authorized to enter US territory by allowing them to skip immigration lines at airports with automatic service kiosks, where there is no need for contact with an immigration agent.

Under the deal forged with Brazil, applications are considered by the Federal Revenue Service and the Federal Police before being evaluated by the CBP, which then makes the final decision on who may be granted special treatment in migration control.

Those interested may file an application through the program’s platform, on the CBP’s website. By 1:30 pm Monday, however, Brazil was still not on the list of nations covered by the bi-national deals. The government declared that the list was expected to be updated this morning, with Brazil included. The most recent update shown on the platform itself dates from December 2017.

In a video released on social media, the president’s Chief of Staff Ciro Nogueira said the measure should stimulate business between the two countries and boost academic exchange as well as tourism, deepening ties.

“A great novelty is being introduced today for Brazilians planning to travel to the US. They may now apply for the Global Entry program—which facilitates migration for travelers approved after previous registration and evaluation. Brazilians can now benefit from a swifter and easy entry at US airports,” Nogueira said.

The inclusion of Brazilians among the few nationalities covered, Nogueira added, “confirms the respect shared by the international community towards our country.”