Malta - Brazil travel - finally no visa needed

A number of countries ask for a visa for Maltese citizens to enter their territory. This is also common practise with other European member states citizens.

It results that although on April 18, 2008, the Council of Ministers adopted a decision authorising the European Commission to open negotiations on the conclusion of a short-stay visa-waiver agreement between the EU and Brazil, the Maltese still needed to pay a visa to go to Brasil, Brasilians however have had their visa waived.

It is only now, after nearly four years, from 1st October 2012, that Maltese nationals travelling to Brazil for stays not exceeding 90 days, no longer require a visa. This matter was discussed last May at a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg Relations and Brazil Foreign Defence Minister Cleso Luiz Nunes Amorim.

In 2011, Malta imported more than 14 million euro worth of goods from Brazil, while it exported over 7 million euro to Brazil. Imports are mainly made up of sugar while exports include a considerable amount of electrical machinery. There are 23 companies with Brazilian shareholding registered with the Malta Financial Services Authority.