IMPACT – HIGH

What is the change? Brazilian Federal Police have resumed issuing passports after halting issuance a month ago.

What does the change mean? Passport applications will be processed in the order in which they were received. Federal Police said they received 175,000 applications in the past month and that it will take about five weeks to work through the backlog.

  • Implementation time frame: Immediate and ongoing.
  • Visas/permits affected: Passports.
  • Who is affected: Anyone in need of a Brazilian passport, including those who submitted passport applications in the past month after issuance was halted June 27.  
  • Impact on processing times: Those needing passports will face delays because of the application backlog. Officials said they will work overtime to clear the backlog, though it is expected to take at least five weeks to move through the applications that were received in the past month.
  • Business impact: Businesses may need to adjust their schedules if Brazilian nationals are prevented from traveling because of delays in receiving passports.

Background: Brazilian Federal Police halted issuance of passports June 27, saying they did not have the money required to keep the service running. The Mint of Brazil announced that it would resume passport processing and issuance after the Federal Police received an allocation of 102 million Brazilian reais (about US$32.4 million).

BAL Analysis: The Federal Police’s resumption of passport processing and issuance is good news, though travel delays are still possible for those who submitted a passport application in the past month or plan to do so in the next five weeks. Those with urgent passport needs should contact BAL as soon as possible.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group in Brazil. For additional information, please contact brazil@bal.com.

 

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