Brazil wants to reduce the amount charged to Brazilians for the Border Neighbor Transit Document (DTVF) before private vehicles begin crossing the Integration Bridge, scheduled for September 14. The proposal is being discussed by the Brazil-Paraguay Joint Commission and seeks to establish reciprocity between the fees charged by the two countries.
Currently, the document requested by Paraguayans entering Brazil costs R$63.85, just over G.70,000. For Brazilians planning to cross into Paraguay, the procedure handled by the National Directorate of Migration costs G.234,154. The Brazilian delegation argues that Paraguay should reduce its charge to the same amount currently in force in Brazil.
Marcelo Mossi, a Federal Revenue Service delegate in Foz de Yguazú, said one alternative initially considered was to raise Brazil’s fee. The position presented in the negotiations, however, is to seek a reduction in Paraguay’s charge based on the principle of reciprocity. Diplomat Daniel Falcon Lins, from Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is participating in the bilateral talks.
No official change has been announced so far. The amount currently charged in Paraguay therefore remains valid for Brazilians who need the DTVF.
The new phase of the Integration Bridge, which connects Presidente Franco with Foz de Yguazú, will allow local border traffic for residents of Ciudad del Este, Presidente Franco and Hernandarias, in Alto Paraná, as well as residents of the Brazilian city. Private vehicles will be allowed to circulate from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The regime will be exclusively for residents of these four cities and will not allow the transport of goods, except subsistence products. In practice, the DTVF fee will be a direct cost for people using the bridge for daily travel between the two countries.
The DTVF is the document provided for transit between linked border localities of Mercosur. The bridge’s partial opening does not authorize commercial transport of goods by private vehicles or extend the benefit to residents of other cities.