State Department Revokes the Brazilian Ambassador’s Visa Until Brazil Signs Off on Trump’s Pick for Ambassador in Brasilia

The State Department revoked the U.S. visa of Brazil’s ambassador in Washington, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, on Aug. 4, 2026, a senior department official said. The official said the visa would be reinstated immediately if Brazil granted agrément — diplomatic approval — for Trump’s nominee as U.S. ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Perez, the Republican speaker of the Florida House and an ally of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Brazil has withheld that approval, and the official said Brasilia had signaled it would likely wait until after Brazil’s October election. Viotti was not declared persona non grata and remains in the United States, but without a valid visa she cannot carry out her official duties. The move followed Brazil’s decision in July to deny visas to two State Department officials it accused of questioning the integrity of its voting system.

Revoking a sitting ambassador’s visa is an unusual step between countries that maintain full diplomatic relations, and it ties a routine credentialing decision to a personnel dispute. It comes atop a year of escalating measures against Brazil, including 25% tariffs imposed last month and the designation of two Brazilian criminal organizations as foreign terrorist organizations in May.

Brazil’s government said the “justifications offered for the decision are false” and called it “part of a deliberate escalation of hostile measures against Brazil, driven by ideological motives.” The visa remains revoked pending Brazil’s decision on Perez.