Brazil’s Federal Police (PF) launched a multi-agency sweep at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport during the first week of January, arresting fugitives from three states, seizing counterfeit passports and intercepting a cocaine courier bound for France. A communiqué dated 6 January highlights new ultraviolet scanners, biometric cross-checks and real-time INTERPOL queries that now assign each traveller a risk score before they reach the primary inspection booth.
PF says the technology has doubled document-fraud detections year-on-year, though queues are running slightly longer during peak hours. The upgrade is part of nationwide “Operação Janus,” which links customs, immigration and narcotics intelligence. Similar kits will be installed at Rio Galeão and Brasília before Carnival in February.
![Federal Police Tech Upgrade at Guarulhos Doubles Fake-Passport Detections]()
To navigate these sharper controls without disruption, travellers can lean on VisaHQ’s Brazil platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/), which tracks PF policy updates, pre-screens passport images against the new security criteria and arranges courier pickups for renewals or second-passport applications—all in one place.
For employers the message is clear: passport hygiene matters. Expatriates must travel with pristine documents, and any second nationality used for business travel must be declared in HR files. Holders of emergency or temporary passports are being advised to arrive at least 30 minutes earlier to allow for secondary inspections.
Airlines with crew bases at GRU report minimal departure delays so far, but travel-management companies recommend building longer connection buffers until officers and travellers adapt to the new system. VisaHQ and other providers have added a “passport condition” checklist to their pre-trip tools so that travellers can confirm their documents meet the tougher standards before heading to the airport.
PF says the technology has doubled document-fraud detections year-on-year, though queues are running slightly longer during peak hours. The upgrade is part of nationwide “Operação Janus,” which links customs, immigration and narcotics intelligence. Similar kits will be installed at Rio Galeão and Brasília before Carnival in February.
To navigate these sharper controls without disruption, travellers can lean on VisaHQ’s Brazil platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/), which tracks PF policy updates, pre-screens passport images against the new security criteria and arranges courier pickups for renewals or second-passport applications—all in one place.
For employers the message is clear: passport hygiene matters. Expatriates must travel with pristine documents, and any second nationality used for business travel must be declared in HR files. Holders of emergency or temporary passports are being advised to arrive at least 30 minutes earlier to allow for secondary inspections.
Airlines with crew bases at GRU report minimal departure delays so far, but travel-management companies recommend building longer connection buffers until officers and travellers adapt to the new system. VisaHQ and other providers have added a “passport condition” checklist to their pre-trip tools so that travellers can confirm their documents meet the tougher standards before heading to the airport.
