The United States government suspended in-person services at its embassy in Brasília and its consulates across Brazil on Friday (2), citing security concerns without detailing the threat behind the decision. The notice was published on Thursday, according to reports by Folha de S.Paulo and InfoMoney.

In the statement, the embassy instructed American citizens who need emergency assistance during this period not to go to the embassy, the consulates or any other U.S. diplomatic facilities in the country. In those cases, contact should be made with the duty officer responsible for emergency services.

For Brazil, the main practical effect falls on the visa system, which handles heavy demand from Brazilian travelers. The notice does not explain what applicants with interviews scheduled for the date should do. Folha contacted the press office of the U.S. consulate in São Paulo and had received no reply by publication time. There is also no official timeline for the resumption of in-person services, according to InfoMoney.

Reached by the press, a spokesperson for the State Department, the U.S. foreign ministry, said the administration of President Donald Trump gives top priority to the safety and protection of American citizens.

"The department is working in close cooperation with our Brazilian counterparts to address security issues," the spokesperson said, according to Folha.

The representative added that U.S. embassies and consulates use their own messaging system to send alerts about threats, events and relevant changes in Brazil, the channel through which further guidance is expected to be released.

The measure arrives at a sensitive point in the bilateral relationship. Brazilians go to the polls on Sunday (4) for the first round of the presidential election, a race Trump has said he is following closely, and the two governments are engaged in ongoing negotiations over tariffs imposed by Washington on Brazilian goods. Neither the State Department nor the Brazilian government has linked the suspension to the election or to the trade agenda, and the specific reason for the decision remains publicly unexplained.