Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism (MTur) has confirmed that 227 Brazilian travel-management companies have been pre-approved to receive organised groups of Chinese visitors—just hours before the application window closes at 23:59 on 17 April. The extraordinary call-for-entries, open since 30 March, is part of a bilateral memorandum signed in late 2025 that allows Chinese tour operators to sell Brazil as a package destination while freeing Chinese nationals from having to obtain tourist visas for stays of up to 30 days.
![Brazil recruits 227 travel agencies ahead of potential visa reciprocity with China]()
For companies managing these cross-border movements, VisaHQ can streamline the entire process of tracking visa exemptions and any future reciprocity changes. Our Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) offers real-time updates, document checklists, and concierge support, helping corporate travel planners keep itineraries compliant even as policies evolve.
Although the waiver is currently unilateral—China scrapped visas for Brazilians in 2025—the Brazilian government is openly debating a shift to a full reciprocity model. Senior MTur officials told industry stakeholders that a decision on whether to re-impose visas on Chinese tourists will hinge on “measurable progress” in balanced tourism flows and on China’s handling of outbound group travel quotas. By ring-fencing a pool of vetted agencies, Brasília hopes to guarantee quality control and data traceability should a reciprocal visa regime be introduced later this year. Under the scheme, only companies with a clean compliance record in Cadastur, Brazil’s national tourism registry, and that accept the terms of the Brazil–China Memorandum of Understanding can compete for business. Successful bidders receive an operating licence valid for twelve months and will feature in an official directory promoted through Chinese digital channels such as WeChat and C-trip. The list of winners will be published on 27 April in the Diário Oficial da União and on MTur’s website. For corporate mobility managers the announcement matters for two reasons. First, China is Brazil’s fastest-growing source of foreign direct investment, so easier leisure travel typically precedes a spike in executive visitation and short-term work assignments. Second, a move toward reciprocity could see Brazil tighten document checks on arrival or reconfigure its e-Visa platforms—changes that would cascade through booking tools, risk-assessment workflows and data-privacy protocols. Agencies that missed the deadline still have a pathway: MTur has signalled it will open a rolling accreditation channel later in the year, once initial performance metrics have been analysed. Multinationals planning incentive trips or project deployments involving Chinese travellers are encouraged to book through one of the accredited providers to ensure visa-compliance advice remains up-to-date.
For companies managing these cross-border movements, VisaHQ can streamline the entire process of tracking visa exemptions and any future reciprocity changes. Our Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) offers real-time updates, document checklists, and concierge support, helping corporate travel planners keep itineraries compliant even as policies evolve.
Although the waiver is currently unilateral—China scrapped visas for Brazilians in 2025—the Brazilian government is openly debating a shift to a full reciprocity model. Senior MTur officials told industry stakeholders that a decision on whether to re-impose visas on Chinese tourists will hinge on “measurable progress” in balanced tourism flows and on China’s handling of outbound group travel quotas. By ring-fencing a pool of vetted agencies, Brasília hopes to guarantee quality control and data traceability should a reciprocal visa regime be introduced later this year. Under the scheme, only companies with a clean compliance record in Cadastur, Brazil’s national tourism registry, and that accept the terms of the Brazil–China Memorandum of Understanding can compete for business. Successful bidders receive an operating licence valid for twelve months and will feature in an official directory promoted through Chinese digital channels such as WeChat and C-trip. The list of winners will be published on 27 April in the Diário Oficial da União and on MTur’s website. For corporate mobility managers the announcement matters for two reasons. First, China is Brazil’s fastest-growing source of foreign direct investment, so easier leisure travel typically precedes a spike in executive visitation and short-term work assignments. Second, a move toward reciprocity could see Brazil tighten document checks on arrival or reconfigure its e-Visa platforms—changes that would cascade through booking tools, risk-assessment workflows and data-privacy protocols. Agencies that missed the deadline still have a pathway: MTur has signalled it will open a rolling accreditation channel later in the year, once initial performance metrics have been analysed. Multinationals planning incentive trips or project deployments involving Chinese travellers are encouraged to book through one of the accredited providers to ensure visa-compliance advice remains up-to-date.
