With queues at the iconic Friendship and Tancredo Neves bridges stretching well into downtown Foz do Iguaçu most mornings, the Federal Police (PF) announced on 20 January that automated facial-recognition gates will be rolled out at the city’s two busiest land-border posts by June 2026.
The move follows a remarkable rebound in terrestrial entries: official PF statistics show 1.7 million formal in-and-out registrations in the first three weeks of 2026—an 18 % year-on-year surge driven by Argentine recovery, a weak real that attracts shoppers, and an aggressive regional conference calendar. (gazetadopovo.com.br)
Current manual booths process roughly 200 passengers per hour; the new E-Gate kiosks, supplied by French biometrics firm IDEMIA, promise throughput of up to 900 passengers per hour while capturing live images and matching them against Interpol and national watch-lists within two seconds. Initially, Brazilian, Argentine and Paraguayan e-passport holders will be eligible; Mercosur nationals with older document formats will still use staffed counters until a second-phase upgrade in 2027.
![Foz do Iguaçu border posts to install facial-recognition gates as cross-border traffic jumps 18 %]()
For travelers unsure about visa requirements—as well as companies moving staff between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil—VisaHQ can simplify the paperwork. The platform monitors changing border regulations, assists with e-passport renewals, and offers application services for visitors from more than 200 nationalities. Users can start the process or check eligibility at https://www.visahq.com/brazil/.
For multinational employers the upgrade should shorten cross-border commutes for staff shuttling between binational plants in Ciudad del Este and Foz and reduce overtime costs caused by unpredictable wait times. Tour operators expect smoother flows to the Itaipu Dam and Iguaçu Falls, where same-day, multi-country itineraries are popular.
However, privacy advocates in both Brazil and Argentina have demanded public disclosure of data-retention rules before the system goes live. The Ministry of Justice says draft regulations—inspired by EU GDPR standards—will undergo a 30-day consultation in February. Mobility practitioners should monitor the final text, as non-compliance fines for carriers and coach operators boarding undocumented foreigners are set to double once the gates are operational.
The move follows a remarkable rebound in terrestrial entries: official PF statistics show 1.7 million formal in-and-out registrations in the first three weeks of 2026—an 18 % year-on-year surge driven by Argentine recovery, a weak real that attracts shoppers, and an aggressive regional conference calendar. (gazetadopovo.com.br)
Current manual booths process roughly 200 passengers per hour; the new E-Gate kiosks, supplied by French biometrics firm IDEMIA, promise throughput of up to 900 passengers per hour while capturing live images and matching them against Interpol and national watch-lists within two seconds. Initially, Brazilian, Argentine and Paraguayan e-passport holders will be eligible; Mercosur nationals with older document formats will still use staffed counters until a second-phase upgrade in 2027.
For travelers unsure about visa requirements—as well as companies moving staff between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil—VisaHQ can simplify the paperwork. The platform monitors changing border regulations, assists with e-passport renewals, and offers application services for visitors from more than 200 nationalities. Users can start the process or check eligibility at https://www.visahq.com/brazil/.
For multinational employers the upgrade should shorten cross-border commutes for staff shuttling between binational plants in Ciudad del Este and Foz and reduce overtime costs caused by unpredictable wait times. Tour operators expect smoother flows to the Itaipu Dam and Iguaçu Falls, where same-day, multi-country itineraries are popular.
However, privacy advocates in both Brazil and Argentina have demanded public disclosure of data-retention rules before the system goes live. The Ministry of Justice says draft regulations—inspired by EU GDPR standards—will undergo a 30-day consultation in February. Mobility practitioners should monitor the final text, as non-compliance fines for carriers and coach operators boarding undocumented foreigners are set to double once the gates are operational.
