COVID 19 /Corona Virus - Traveling to Brazil

Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash – – Updated on Aug 12th

COVID-19 / Corona Virus – What is going on in Brazil

Hopefully, you and your beloved ones are all fine!

Keeping you safe and informed of what is going on over here is our number one priority. The reason why we have selected the most relevant news for you.

According to the latest statistics from the States Health Department released on Aug 10th, there are more than 3 million cases of infected people and 101752 deaths. Most of the deaths are from Sao Paulo, Bahia, and Rio de Janeiro state.
The federal government has already ordered the closing of Brazil’s land borders to neighbor countries in South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, in addition to Venezuela that was already on the list.

Closing of Land Borders with these countries:

Argentina	French Guiana
Bolivia	Paraguay
Colombia	Peru
Guiana	Venezuela

So far, Chile and Ecuador that do not border Brazil are off the list. For now, the closing of the border with Uruguay is being negotiated between the government of the two countries.

Temporary Closing the Brazilian Air border

On March 19, the Brazilian government issued an order banning the entry by air of foreigners from 12 blocks and countries, including the European Union, China, and Japan. The order had restricted the entry of visitors from the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea for 30 days. This restriction did not apply for Brazilians or foreigners with permanent residence. Neither, people on a mission from international organizations and diplomats accredited in Brazil.

First, the Brazilian Government had closed the air border to these following countries and blocks.

European Union	Switzerland
The United Kingdom	Australia
Northern Ireland	Japan
Iceland	Malaysia
Norway	South Korea

Since March 27th the government has decided to close temporarily the borders to foreigners of all nationalities, for at least 30 days, in order to prevent spreading the new Corona virus – Covid 19.

Some airlines have already canceled their flights to/from Brazil, as American Airlines, or have reduced the offer of flights such as United, Lufthansa, and Swiss, for example.

Who is authorized to enter the country?

Born or naturalized Brazilians;
Immigrants with permanent residents;
Foreign professionals on missions identified, at the service of an international organization, proving they are on duty;
Foreign employee accredited to the Brazilian government;
Passengers in transit going to other countries, as long as they stay only in the airport transit area;
Airlines crew

I have booked my trip to Brazil. What should I do?

According to the Brazilian Consumer Defense Code, tickets purchased until December 31, 2020, passengers who choose to
postpone their trip will be exempt from penalty charges and may leave the
amount as a credit for up to 12 months from the date of the original flight. In case of cancellation with a refund, passengers will be subject to the purchased fare rule. For non-refundable tickets, it is important to remember that the value of the taxes is entirely refundable.

In the event of a change in schedule or route by the airline, the passenger must be notified within 72 hours in advance of the flight date. If the change is more than 1 hour to the departure or arrival time on international flights or more than 30 minutes on domestic flights, the company must offer a full refund or rebook it on another available flight.

If the passenger is unaware and finds out only at the airport, in addition to the refund or accommodation on another flight, the airline must assist according to the waiting time.

Waiting Time	Airline must provide you:
01 hour	Communication services
02 hours	Food
04 hours	Lodging & Transfers

We know how disappointing and frustrating canceling a trip could be. But do you know what? There is no need to cancel everything.

Most of the airlines, hotels, travel agencies, sightseeings are applying very flexible change policies. Contact negotiating with them. They would be more than happy to reschedule your trip any time soon.

At this moment, let´s focus on keeping ourselves healthy and safe. Hopefully, this situation is going to be gone and we will be packing to travel to Brazil again.

Where and when are you planning to travel to Brazil? Are you postponing your trip?
Is there any question or concern? Please share your answers in the comments below. We´ll try our best to help you out.