Mexico to ask Brazilians for visas beginning in December

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico announced on Friday that from mid-December it will require Brazilians to obtain visas to enter the country as tourists amid the increase in migrants transiting through the North American country to reach the United States.

In October, Mexico’s Interior Ministry announced that it intended to impose visas on Brazilians, suspending a 2000 agreement – which took effect in February 2004 – between Mexico and Brazil that eliminated visa between the two countries.

“A substantial increase has been identified in Brazilian nationals who enter the national territory under the aforementioned Agreement for the Suppression of Visas, with a purpose other than that allowed by the condition of visitor stay,” the Interior Ministry said in the decision published on Friday in the official gazette.

The measure will take effect on Dec. 11.

Brazilians arriving in Mexico by air will need to apply for an electronic visa. Those who arrive by land or sea will need to obtain a regular visa.

In October, Reuters reported that Washington had been in talks with Mexico since July to ask its neighbor to impose visas on Brazilians.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Mexico was studying the possibility of setting stricter entry requirements for Venezuelans, in part in response to requests from Washington, following a sharp increase in apprehensions of Venezuelans at the U.S. border.

(Reporting by Dave Graham; Writing by Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by Sandra Maler)