Camilla Costa
BBC News

Brazilian media has tracked Flávio Bolsonaro’s movement to the US multiple times over the course of the last few years, with most of the trips occurring in the months leading up to this year's presidential election.

According to Piauí magazine’s analysis of migration and aviation records, Bolsonaro travelled to the US 10 times between December 2024 and July 2026.

But most of these trips - six out of 10 - took place in 2026, in the months that Bolsonaro was preparing for his presidential campaign.

His agenda during the trips was unclear, but his brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, has been living in Texas since 2025.

An extraordinary moment for Brazilian politicspublished at 17:12 GMT

17:12 GMT

Ione Wells
North America correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

This is an extraordinary - and deeply divisive - moment for Brazilian politics.

A man who was tipped just weeks ago to be the next president has now fled the country - and it’s unclear if he’ll return.

Flávio Bolsonaro was not charged with any crime, although he was under investigation, but supporters of President Lula da Silva are decrying this as an attempt to flee justice.

Some, more buoyantly, are celebrating this news saying things like: “US, you can have him.”

Meanwhile, Bolsonaro supporters are accusing the Brazilian Supreme Court of political persecution and attempts to intimidate him.

Our North America correspondent Ione Wells has been closely following this developing story - from the moment Bolsonaro lost the Brazilian presidential election on Sunday to this morning's confirmation that he had landed in Florida with his family.

Here, you can watch Ione outline everything that we know, and crucially, still don't know about his wild journey - including where he might go next.

Image source, Getty Images

Flávio Bolsonaro's arrival to the US has left many baffled.

He lost the presidential election on Sunday, was then told to surrender his passport - which he failed to do - and then he left Brazil for Argentina on Tuesday.

From Argentina he and his family then made their way to Ecuador, to finally land in the US this morning.

As of today, he is yet to concede his election loss.

Instead, he's asked that the results be annulled, complaining of possible foul-play due to an extension of polling hours in Brazil that was requested by both his own party and his opponent, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Ione Wells
North America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Flávio Bolsonaro - who was seen landing in Florida this morning - is not the first member of his family to travel to the United States.

Jair Bolsonaro, his father, also left Brazil for Florida in December 2022 before his successor, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was inaugurated.

He was still in the US when his supporters stormed Brazil’s government buildings and Supreme Court on 8 January. He later used his absence as part of his defense in his coup trial, which led to a conviction and 27-year sentence.

Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images

Flávio’s brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, also lives in the state of Texas. Last year, he said he would take leave from Brazil's Congress and stay there indefinitely.

He later lobbied US officials about the coup trial of his father, which led to the US imposing punitive tariffs on Brazil and sanctions on key officials.

Image source, Getty Images

Flávio Bolsonaro is the subject of two investigations currently pending before Brazil's Supreme Federal Court.

One regarding possible irregularities in the transfer of nearly $70 million from private bank Banco Master to the film Dark Horse – a biopic of Flávio’s father and former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

The second investigation relates to alleged money laundering, both of which Bolsonaro denies.

The presidential candidate is set to lose his parliamentary immunity on 31 January, when his eight-year Senate term ends.

US President Donald Trump said yesterday that he would support Bolsonaro's travel to the US.

"I would approve. I think they're fine people," he told reporters.

Bolsonaro has still not admitted defeat in Sunday's presidential election, which saw incumbent left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reelected. Trump seemed to back Bolsonaro's previous claims that there were problems with how the election was conducted.

"The election was really strange and I thought it was terrible," Trump told reporters.

Separately, the US state department told the BBC on Tuesday, the administration will issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family, who arrived to an airport near Miami, Florida earlier today.

Newly reelected Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva addressed Bolsonaro's departure from Brazil on Tuesday, calling it 'shameful'.

His comments came as Bolsonaro's whereabouts were still unclear. As we now know, the defeated candidate left Brazil Tuesday by way of Argentina, and has now landed near Miami, Florida.

"Those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear," Lula said.

If you're just joining us, here's what you need to know:

• Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro has landed and cleared US customs near Miami, Florida after losing the country's presidential election on Sunday
• He travelled with his family late Tuesday night from Argentina, stopping in Ecuador to refuel his plane, and then made his way to the US today
• The family left Brazil after the Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports as part of a money laundering investigation. He has not been charged with a crime, but he did not surrender his documents
• The US state department has said it will issue visas for him and his family - though it's unclear what kind of visas they will get
• Newly reelected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has criticised Bolsonaro's departure and said "those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear"

Where has Bolsonaro been?published at 14:40 GMT

14:40 GMT

Image source, Flightradar24

By Thomas Copeland and Jake Horton

Flavio Bolsonaro has not taken a straightforward route to the US, and BBC Verify has been tracking how he got there since leaving Brazil yesterday.

According to Argentina's National Directorate of Migration, Bolsonaro crossed into the country over land late on Tuesday night local time, where he then boarded a plane with four family members.

Tracking data from Flightradar24 shows a Gulfstream G400 departed Puerto Iguazu in Argentina at 03:18 GMT on Wednesday to head to Guayaquil in Ecuador.

This matches the Argentinian authorities’ statement, which said Bolsonaro and his family "boarded a private flight dispatched by the company Baires Fly S.A. with a destination to the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador".

The same private jet then departed Guayaquil at around 09:00 GMT, landing at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport just before 13:30 GMT where Bolsonaro was pictured getting off it.

Bolsonaro's route to Miami was by no means direct.

According to Argentina’s migration authority, Bolsonaro and his family travelled south to Argentina, and crossed the border by land on Tuesday at 22:50 local time (21:50 EDT/01:50 GMT).

His plane then flew to Guayaquil - Ecuador's largest city - to refuel before he and his family departed for Miami.

Vanessa Buschschlüter
Latin America and Caribbean editor

Image source, REUTERS/Eva Marie Uzcategui

We know that three people were with Flávio Bolsonaro when he crossed the border from Brazil into Argentina.

It is one of the few details given in the post on X by Argentine migration authorities, which listed the names of those who had travelled with him.

They are his wife Fernanda, and his two daughters, Luiza and Carolina.

One of his daughters can be seen getting out of the plane behind him.

We can now bring you some more images of Bolsonaro arriving Florida this morning, alongside his wife, Fernanda, and two daughters.

Image source, Getty Images

Bolsonaro was later seen exiting US customs, with his image blocked from the media by strategically held umbrellas.

Image source, Reuters

Ione Wells
North America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

After stepping off the plane in Florida, Flávio Bolsonaro was swarmed with photographers as his team covered him with umbrellas.

We understand he travelled to the US with his family.

Crucially, we don't know if this is his final destination - or if he intends to travel onwards.

Before we saw him in Florida, he hadn't been seen in two days, after losing the election in Brazil on Sunday. So this does end some speculation on his whereabouts.

Bolsonaro emerged from the first round of voting in Brazil's presidential election in early October as the frontrunner to be president, racking up 47% of the vote.

But in a run-off last weekend, he lost against the left-wing incumbent, President Lula.

Bolsonaro said he planned to challenge the result.

But when he next uploaded a video statement to social media, he said been ordered to by the Supreme Court to surrender his passports.

The order was made as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged money laundering. Bolsonaro has not been charged and has denied the allegations.

He said at the time that he had no plans to leave the country, but he never handed in his documents, and they were cancelled by authorities. Bolsonaro has not spoken in public since, and questions about his whereabouts have swirled.

Now, as we've seen, he has landed near Miami, Florida.

Image source, Reuters

Flávio Bolsonaro arrived at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport a day after his passport was cancelled by Brazilian authorities.

He has arrived after disputing the results of Sunday's presidential election in Brazil which he lost to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Here are some more images of his arrival in Florida a short while ago.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Vanessa Buschschlüter
Latin America and Caribbean editor

Image source, Reuters

The past 24 hours have been awash with rumours and confusion all centred around one question: where in the world is Flávio Bolsonaro?

Speculation begins

The speculation was first triggered by a report on an Argentine news site which claimed he had crossed the land border between Brazil and Argentina and had boarded a private plane en route to the US.

Brazilian police took the rumours seriously. They checked border crossings but found no evidence the defeated presidential candidate had left the country, and Argentine officials said they had no reports of him crossing.

For a little while, it seemed like the defeated presidential candidate may just be keeping an uncharacteristically low profile after being unexpectedly beaten by his left-wing rival in the presidential run-off on Sunday.

'No plans to leave Brazil'

In the last video he had uploaded to social media, he revealed that he'd been ordered to surrender his passports by the Supreme Court - an order he described as an "attempt to intimidate him". He added that he had no plans to leave Brazil.

But then the deadline Bolsonaro set by the Supreme Court for him to surrender his documents came and went... without Bolsonaro appearing.

Where in the world is Flávio Bolsonaro?

This prompted the cancellation of his passports and attempts to establish where he was.

His lawyers said they did not know his whereabouts.

Then, several sources told the BBC and other broadcasters he was on his way to the US.

The US State Department confirmed it would issue him and his family with visas to enter the US.

There were even reports he had landed already.

'I heard he was in Argentina'

But when reporters quizzed US President Trump about the matter, he said he simply said: "I heard he was in Argentina".

A tweet by Argentine migration officials around the same time said Bolsonaro and his wife had crossed the border late on Tuesday and boarded a plane for Guayaquil, Ecuador.

However, it wasn't clear at the time if that would be the final destination.

Lots of new questions

That same plane has now landed in the US... and Bolsonaro has been seen leaving it.

While this puts an end to the speculation about his whereabouts, it raises many new questions.

Stay with us as we unpack some of them.

Image source, Reuters

We're getting the first images of the defeated presidential candidate leaving a plane in Florida - we'll bring you video shortly.

Image source, Reuters