A source close to his family said the defeated presidential candidate landed in Florida, though his precise location remained unconfirmed.
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL — Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro left the country for the United States after losing Sunday’s presidential election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to multiple reports and people familiar with his movements, as questions mounted over how he departed while under an order to surrender his passports.
Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, had not conceded the election and had said he planned to challenge the result. His departure came after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered him to hand over his passports within 24 hours as part of a money-laundering investigation in which Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing. His passports were canceled after the deadline passed, according to reports citing people familiar with the matter.
Reuters reported Tuesday that three sources said Bolsonaro had left Brazil for the United States. One source close to the family said he had landed in Florida but did not identify a city. Other reports said he was traveling to Florida, while U.S. officials did not publicly confirm his specific destination. A senior State Department official said the United States would issue visas to Bolsonaro and members of his family and allow them to enter the country.
The circumstances of Bolsonaro’s departure remained unclear. A senior Brazilian Federal Police official told Reuters there was no record of him leaving through a regular migration point. Reports that he may have crossed into Argentina also could not immediately be confirmed. Argentine authorities said they had no record of his entry, while other accounts raised different possible routes out of Brazil. No authoritative public account had established how he reached the United States.
Bolsonaro’s departure followed a sharp reversal from his public statements a day earlier. After being ordered to surrender his passports, he said in a social media video that he had never considered leaving Brazil and intended to hand over the documents while fighting the court action. He also said he planned to remain in the country and organize opposition to Lula’s government. His campaign manager, Sen. Rogério Marinho, later said reports of Bolsonaro’s departure had surprised his political team.
The passport order was issued in connection with an investigation into alleged money laundering. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing. Reuters reported that the Supreme Court cited concerns that he could leave Brazil as one reason for ordering the seizure of his passports. Bolsonaro’s Senate term is scheduled to end in February, when he would lose the parliamentary immunity attached to his current office. The investigation has not resulted in a finding of guilt, and the allegations remain subject to legal proceedings.
The political dispute followed Sunday’s presidential runoff, in which Lula defeated Bolsonaro and secured another term. Bolsonaro initially said he would seek to annul the result over alleged irregularities. His Liberal Party, however, acknowledged Lula’s victory Monday. Brazilian authorities have not established that the election result was invalid, and Bolsonaro had not publicly produced evidence sufficient to overturn the certified outcome.
Lula criticized Bolsonaro’s departure Tuesday and said the defeated candidate should have remained in Brazil to answer the allegations against him. Bolsonaro and his allies have portrayed the legal cases involving members of his family as politically motivated. Brazilian judicial authorities have defended their investigations and court actions as lawful proceedings. The dispute adds another source of tension between Brazil’s government and the United States, where members of the Bolsonaro family have developed close ties with political allies of President Donald Trump.
The episode also recalls the aftermath of Brazil’s 2022 presidential election. Jair Bolsonaro traveled to Florida near the end of his presidency after losing to Lula. He later returned to Brazil and was eventually convicted and sentenced to prison in a case involving an attempted coup. Flávio Bolsonaro’s brother Eduardo Bolsonaro also lives in the United States and had publicly said before Sunday’s vote that his brother should leave Brazil if he lost.
As of Tuesday night, U.S. officials had confirmed plans to grant Bolsonaro and his family visas, but authorities had not publicly confirmed where he was staying in the United States or explained how he left Brazil. Brazilian officials continued examining the circumstances of his departure while the court investigation that led to the passport order remained active.
Author note: Last updated October 27, 2026.