UK updates travel advice for Brazil with new crime and regional risk information

The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) published a fresh edition of its Brazil travel advice on 21 July 2026. While the overall risk levels for the country remain unchanged, consular officers added new guidance on common scams targeting foreigners at Rio-de-Janeiro’s Galeão and São Paulo’s Guarulhos airports, as well as updated intelligence on taxi-app robberies in Recife and Salvador. The notice also redefines several ‘avoid all but essential travel’ river corridors in Amazonas state after a recent spike in armed attacks on passenger boats. For mobility and travel-programme managers, the update matters because many corporate insurance policies adopted by UK-based multinationals require strict adherence to FCDO advice. Travellers heading to interior project sites in the Amazon basin now need written justification and enhanced security plans to remain covered. The FCDO reminds businesses that deviations from the advice could invalidate insurance and complicate emergency evacuation support. Operationally, assignees flying in for August’s mining and energy roadshows should make a point of using registered airport taxis or company-arranged transfers. Companies are also urged to brief employees on false-police scams in which individuals in replica uniforms demand on-the-spot ‘fines’ for alleged visa irregularities. Victims are advised to insist on being taken to an official Federal Police post inside the terminal. The advisory does not alter visa rules—UK tourists and business travellers still require an e-visa from 1 September 2026—but it underscores that immigration officers may ask visitors to show proof of a return ticket and hotel booking. Mobility teams should therefore remind travellers to carry printed or offline copies of their itineraries in case of poor mobile coverage at the passport booths.