Brazil promulgates Mercosul accord granting tourists 90-day stays across the bloc

Through Decree 13.147, published in the 11 November edition of the Diário Oficial da União, the Brazilian government formally promulgated the Mercosul Agreement on a 90-day stay for tourists from member and associated states. The agreement, originally signed in Córdoba in 2006 and amended in 2014, standardises entry rules so that nationals of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador can spend up to three months in any other Mercosul country without the need for a consular visa. For Brazil this means reciprocity: Brazilian tourists already enjoyed similar treatment elsewhere in the bloc, but the domestic legal vacuum created grey areas for enforcement at land borders, particularly in the triple-frontier region near Foz do Iguaçu. The decree instructs federal agencies—Immigration, Customs and the Tourism Board—to align their systems within 30 days. From a corporate-mobility perspective, the measure simplifies short-term assignments, sales trips and cross-border project work within South America. Companies that shuttle staff between São Paulo and Buenos Aires or between southern Brazil and Uruguay will no longer need to track residual stay balances under overlapping bilateral exemptions. HR teams should nevertheless remind employees that the 90-day clock applies per 12-month period; overstays can trigger fines and future entry bans. The promulgation also sends a political signal ahead of the Mercosul leaders’ summit in Asunción next month, where further labour-mobility initiatives—such as mutual recognition of professional qualifications—are on the agenda. By clearing the backlog of unsigned accords, Brasília positions itself as a driver of deeper regional integration. Next steps: the Ministry of Tourism is expected to launch an awareness campaign before the Christmas travel peak, and the Federal Police will update its passport-control software to flag the harmonised 90-day entitlement.