The family of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro will be allowed into the United States, a senior US State Department official said on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. The announcement came after the senator left Brazil without handing over his passport to the Federal Police (PF), which had ordered him to surrender it.
State Department confirms visas for senator and relatives
The official said the department will grant visas to Flávio Bolsonaro and his relatives. The State Department told news agencies and a US newspaper the same thing. Three US officials told the newspaper that Flávio left Brazil on Tuesday with his wife and two daughters, but Washington has not said whether he is already on American soil.
Senator misses deadline and passports are cancelled
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), had ordered Flávio to surrender his passports. The deadline ended at 11 a.m. without compliance. The PF then cancelled both his regular passport and his diplomatic passport, and said it would inform Moraes of the breach.
The PF said the senator is not considered a fugitive, because no arrest warrant has been issued against him. He is under investigation in a money laundering case involving his friend, the lawyer Willer Tomaz de Souza, and companies linked to betting platforms. Both men say they are friends but deny being business partners or committing any irregularity.
Learn more: Flávio Bolsonaro ordered to surrender passports, PF checks Argentina
Lawyer claims asylum, but official word covers only visas
Mexican lawyer Simón Levy, an ally of Donald Trump, wrote on social media that the US government had authorized political asylum for Flávio Bolsonaro. The official confirmation so far concerns only visas, and no asylum decision has been reported.
Election loss came two days before departure
Flávio lost the presidential runoff to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) two days before leaving the country. His brother, former deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, has lived in the United States since 2025 and was convicted for attempts to interfere in the process that led to the arrest of Jair Bolsonaro.
Key dates from 2025 to the senator’s departure
- 2025: Eduardo Bolsonaro begins living in the United States.
- July 2026: US authorities grant Eduardo permanent residency, known as a green card.
- October 27, 2026, 11 a.m.: deadline for Flávio to surrender his passport to the PF expires without compliance.
- October 27, 2026, 11:45 p.m.: according to air monitoring records cited by Infobae, an aircraft is expected to land in Puerto Iguazú, Argentina.
Argentina and Brazil deny records of his entry
Argentina’s National Migration Directorate said it has no record of the senator entering the country. Authorities also said they inspected the aircraft mentioned by the press and found no flight plan involving members of the Bolsonaro family. The PF said he did not pass through any regular immigration checkpoint in Brazil.
See also: STF Justice Luiz Fux reinstates ban on viral claims targeting Flávio Bolsonaro
Sources still disagree on his current title. Some outlets describe him as senator for PL-RJ, while others call him a former senator. The PL called an emergency meeting at its headquarters in Brasília for Tuesday. Neither the senator nor his team has confirmed where he is.