US to issue visas to Flávio Bolsonaro, who reportedly left Brazil after election loss

Incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential runoff on 25 October 2026, by more than 4.4 million votes.

On 26 October, Brazil's Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports within 24 hours as part of a money-laundering investigation. Some reports also describe a ban on leaving the country. The deadline passed on 27 October. According to the reports, his passports were cancelled. No report describes police confirming a handover. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing.

A senior US State Department official said the US will issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family. "The State Department will issue visas to Flavio Bolsonaro and his family and allow them entry into the United States," the official said, according to France 24.

Brazilian Federal Police sources said he did not pass through any regular or official Brazilian migration checkpoint. The Federal Police are seeking to establish with Argentine authorities whether he entered Argentina.

Reuters, citing unnamed sources, reported that he had left Brazil for the United States. An ally confirmed the departure to Reuters. Metrópoles, Folha de S.Paulo, CNN Brasil and Correio Brasiliense reported the same. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include on-the-record confirmation from Brazilian or US authorities.

According to CNN Brasil and Folha de S.Paulo, he travelled with his wife, Fernanda, and their two daughters. According to Metrópoles, citing people close to the family, he planned to request political asylum. The reports do not confirm any asylum request or decision. Correio Brasiliense, citing Federal Police sources, reported that the operation was "reportedly coordinated" by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The reports do not substantiate this claim or include a response to it.

According to The Guardian, Workers' Party lawmakers asked the Supreme Court to order his arrest and requested an Interpol Red Notice.

What is disputed

• Whether he left: Mercopress reported at 16:32 UTC on 27 October that campaign coordinator Rogério Marinho denied he had left, and that Argentina's government rejected an Infobae report that he had entered Argentina. The reports of his departure came later that day.
• Route: Accounts of an Argentina leg conflict, including whether a private jet in Puerto Iguazú took off.
• Passports: Reports differ on when they were cancelled and on the deadline time.

What each side says

On 26 October, Bolsonaro said: "I have never thought about leaving the country," according to Daily Sabah. He has not officially conceded and said he would seek annulment of the result, alleging irregularities. His Liberal Party said it acknowledged Lula's victory.

Lula, speaking in Brasília, said: "The act of leaving Brazil is shameful," according to The Guardian.

US President Donald Trump said the vote "looked like another rigged election," according to Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera says no evidence of malfeasance has emerged.

Democratic US Representative Joaquin Castro wrote: "Losing an election is not grounds for asylum," according to Al Jazeera.

Before the vote, Bolsonaro's brother Eduardo, who lives in the US, said Flávio should leave Brazil if he lost.

In 2022, former President Jair Bolsonaro went to the US after refusing to concede to Lula. He later returned and was sentenced to 27 years for plotting a coup.

Analysis

The case places a criminal investigation, a disputed election result and US-Brazil relations in the same frame. Several questions remain open: whether Brazilian authorities confirm the departure, how entry to the US would work with cancelled Brazilian passports, and whether any asylum request follows. If the departure is confirmed, Brazil's courts could weigh arrest or extradition steps, which could test bilateral ties. If it is not, the early denials would gain weight. Supporters may frame events as persecution, while critics may frame them as evasion of justice. Neither framing is established by the reports reviewed by Vocemundi.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.