Flavio Bolsonaro says police ordered him to surrender passports as reports differ on his whereabouts

Summary

Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who lost Sunday's presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said in a social media video on Monday, October 26, that federal police had ordered him to surrender his passports after a visit to his imprisoned father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, and that he was barred from leaving the country. Sky News reports he said the order came on the instructions of a top judge. On October 27, reports on his whereabouts diverged. The Straits Times reported that he had left Brazil for the United States after refusing to comply with a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports, and that the US State Department said he and his family will receive US visas. The Guardian, citing the Metropoles news website, reported he was on his way to the United States, and said Argentina's government confirmed he had crossed into Argentina before boarding a private plane to Ecuador. Channel NewsAsia reported that his passports had been cancelled and his whereabouts were unclear. Euronews reported that Brazilian police were probing claims he had fled to Argentina, while a police source told AFP there was no formal record of him leaving the country. The articles do not confirm his whereabouts or the reasons given for the order.

Timeline

1. The Straits Times

   26 Oct 2026, 20:40 UTCSource ↗

   The Straits Times reports that Flavio Bolsonaro said on Monday that federal police had asked him to turn in his passports after a visit to his imprisoned father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.

2. Al Jazeera

   26 Oct 2026, 23:53 UTCSource ↗

   Al Jazeera reports that Flavio Bolsonaro posted a video on social media saying police ordered him to surrender his passports, and links the demand to his election defeat.

3. Sky News

   27 Oct 2026, 13:01 UTCSource ↗

   Sky News reports that Flavio Bolsonaro, Brazil's defeated presidential election candidate, said he was being stopped from leaving the country and that police ordered him to surrender his passports on the orders of a top judge.

4. The Straits Times

   27 Oct 2026, 15:50 UTCSource ↗

   The Straits Times reports that Flavio Bolsonaro left Brazil after refusing to comply with a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports, and that the US State Department said he and his family will receive US visas.

5. Euronews

   27 Oct 2026, 16:03 UTCSource ↗

   Euronews reports that Brazilian police are probing claims that Flavio Bolsonaro fled to Argentina after his election defeat, and that a police source told AFP his passports had been cancelled and there was no formal record of him leaving the country.

6. Channel NewsAsia

   27 Oct 2026, 17:06 UTCSource ↗

   Channel NewsAsia reports that Flavio Bolsonaro said in an earlier video that he had been barred from leaving the country and ordered to surrender his passports, and that his passports have been cancelled while his whereabouts remain unclear.

7. The Guardian

   28 Oct 2026, 06:36 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports, citing the Metropoles news website, that Flavio Bolsonaro is reportedly on his way to the United States, and says Argentina's government confirmed he crossed into Argentina before boarding a private plane to Ecuador.