Tuesday, August 4th 2026 - 23:19 UTC
The State Department stressed that revoking a visa is not the same as removing someone from the country: the ambassador remains in the US, though unable to carry out her official duties
The United States has revoked the visa of Brazil's ambassador in Washington, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, in response to the Brazilian government's delay in granting diplomatic approval to the US ambassador designated for Brasília and to the denial of visas to several American diplomats, senior State Department officials said on Tuesday.
The measure does not amount to an expulsion. The State Department did not declare Viotti persona non grata and stressed that revoking a visa is not the same as removing someone from the country: the ambassador remains in the United States, though without a visa and unable to carry out her official duties. One official said the document would be restored immediately if Brazil grants the approval.
That approval, known as agrément, is the prior consent one state gives to another's designated ambassador and is normally a formality. Washington is seeking it for Daniel “Danny” Perez, former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, nominated in June. According to US officials, Brasília signaled it would not act on the appointment until after the October 4 election, and they do not expect normalization before then.
