SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil will reintroduce visa requirements Thursday for U.S., Canadian and Australian citizens, a move that ends the country's open entry for people of those nationalities after six years.
The United States Embassy in Brasilia said Monday that Americans will still be able to request visas electronically if they visit from April 10 onward.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, scrapped the visa requirements in a 2019 decree as he sought to boost the country’s tourism industry.
That went against the South American country’s tradition of requiring visas from travelers based on the principle of reciprocity and equal treatment.
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva suspended the free entry of Americans, Canadians and Australians in March of 2023, shortly after he defeated Bolsonaro. The leftist leader said then it was based on the principle of reciprocity as Brazilians still need visas for those countries.
Lula's decision was postponed from coming into force three times as the government negotiated to get reciprocity for Brazilians, but no change was made.
Brazil's Senate approved a bill earlier this year to keep the visa exemption for the three countries, but the mood changed in the lower house after Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Brazilian goods last week. Allies of Speaker Hugo Motta have said the bill will not come to a final vote any time soon.
Last week, Brazil's Congress swiftly passed a reciprocity bill so the country's executive has leeway to impose retaliation tariffs on countries that impose barriers to Brazilian goods. The bill is yet to be sanctioned by Lula.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a presentation of the federal government's achievements in the past two years, in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
DENVER (AP) — Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta spent 30 minutes Wednesday standing on the grass at Coors Field chatting it up with a Colorado Rockies reliever.
It's the same reliever with whom he went for coffee hours earlier and dined with the night before.
Simply another chance to catch up with his younger brother, Luis.
The brothers from the Dominican Republic are taking full advantage of every opportunity to talk over a three-game series in Denver. Although they chat virtually every day, there’s nothing like face-to-face time. And while mom and dad couldn’t make it to Denver, the family is planning a reunion when Colorado plays at Milwaukee in late June.
“We’re a very close family,” said Freddy Peralta, 28, who saw his brother allow one unearned run Wednesday night over 1 2/3 innings. “It’s very special for me to spend time with him. I enjoy all these moments, because we never know for how long we are going to be (together in the majors). This is a dream coming true for us.”
The brothers certainly had plenty to discuss Tuesday night after Freddy went five solid innings and allowed one run to pick up his first win of the season. The plan was to find a restaurant somewhere downtown. But Luis invited him back to his apartment for homemade arepas, a popular Latin American flatbread stuffed with all sorts of fillings.
“They were so good,” Freddy said.
Same with the company, which is why they met for coffee before Wednesday’s game.
Freddy beams when talking about his 24-year-old brother. This is the kid who used to follow Freddy to the baseball fields and the kid he used to smash grounders at with all his power, just to see how well he could handle them. The kid who means so much to him.
“He wants to be kind of like me — a hard worker, and wanting to learn,” Freddy said. “He’s always asking people around him, players around him, how to get better. That’s very impressive, especially at his age, a young guy, asking for help. He’s such a competitor.”
For that, Luis knows where to give credit.
“(Freddy) taking care of me all the time, taking me to the field, being disciplined in the game,” Luis said through a translator. “I learned that from my brother.”
Freddy began his baseball odyssey by signing as an amateur free agent with Seattle in 2013. On Dec. 9, 2015, the Mariners traded him along with two other pitchers to Milwaukee for Adam Lind. Freddy is now in his eighth season with the Brewers, going 54-37 with a 3.75 ERA.
Each season when he came home, Freddy would take Luis to workouts and practices with him. An outfielder at the time, Luis began focusing on pitching at around 15.
“It was the right decision," Freddy said of the switch with a laugh.
Luis was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017 before being traded to the Rockies last July. He’s gone 1-1 with a 2.16 ERA in 20 appearances out of the bullpen. He's leaned on his brother for advice, too, especially last season as a rookie.
“He's a nice guy, but I made sure he understood to be a nice guy. If (veterans) ask you to do something, just do it," Freddy recounted. “I told him, ‘Just be yourself whenever you come to the field. ... Be nice and be humble.' He’s that way. I just remind him just in case. I’m very proud of him.”
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Colorado Rockies pitcher Luis Peralta (41) delivers to the Tampa Bay Rays during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) reacts at the end of the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta works against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Luis Peralta works against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
