Argentina confirms Bolsonaro entered country by land, flew to Ecuador

The Argentina government confirmed that former Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro entered the country by land on Tuesday night and left shortly after aboard a private plane with his family to Ecuador. 

According to the communiqué, Bolsonaro, his wife, and two daughters crossed the border through the Tancredo Neves in Misiones at 10.50 p.m. local time with “valid travel documentation and no legal impediment to enter the country.” 

The statement added that the four boarded a private plane operated by Baires Fly S.A. at 11.30 p.m. on route to Guayaquil, Ecuador, according to the flight plan. There was no additional information regarding whether Bolsonaro intended to stay there or go elsewhere. 

La Dirección Nacional de Migraciones informa que a las 22:50 hs del dia 27/10, ingresaron por el paso fronterizo de Puente internacional Tancredo Neves en la provincia de Misiones, los ciudadanos Flavio Nantes Bolsonaro, Fernanda Antunes Figueira Bolsonaro, Carolina Figueira…

— Migraciones (@Migraciones_AR) October 28, 2026 The announcement was the final development in a day flooded with rumors regarding the whereabouts of Bolsonaro, who lost the presidential runoff against incumbent Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva on Sunday.

The former presidential candidate had been barred by the Supreme Court from leaving his country on Monday. He was ordered by a court to surrender his passports as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation. He failed to do so within the 24-hour deadline the judiciary had stipulated.

Brazilian media reported that police cancelled his passports in line with the Supreme Court’s decision.

Rumors and speculation Media speculation began Tuesday morning, with reports that Bolsonaro was unaccounted for. Argentine outlet Infobae reported that Bolsonaro allegedly travelled to Puerto Iguazú, a city on Argentina’s northeast border with Brazil, and took a private flight to the United States. 

Argentina’s customs office, however, issued a statement saying it had “no record” of the Brazilian presidential candidate entering the country.

Customs did confirm that the private jet reported to allegedly be transporting the former presidential candidate was at the Puerto Iguazú airport.

“In light of the media uproar over the presence of a private plane at Iguazú International Airport, authorities proceeded to conduct the appropriate inspections of the aircraft and its crew,” the release said.

“It was ultimately confirmed that the company’s documentation was in order and that no flight plan had been filed that included the Bolsonaro family.”

Reports continued to surface throughout the day, as Bolsonaro allies and outlets from the United States and Brazil stated that the candidate was already on route to the U.S. with his family. 

The Migrations Office tweet early Wednesday morning was the first official news regarding Bolsonaro’s whereabouts. 

Travel ban Bolsonaro is under investigation for his alleged connections to Willer Tomaz, a lawyer accused of laundering more than US$1 billion through a fraud scheme. He is also facing accusations in a corruption investigation.

As a senator, the far-right leader currently has legal immunity until his term ends in February. He would have maintained the benefit if he won the presidential election. This will be his first time since 2002 without a legislative role.

On Monday, Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes — a known opponent to the Bolsonaro family — ordered police to confiscate Flávio Bolsonaro’s passports and banned him from leaving the country over a money laundering case.

In a video posted on Instagram by Bolsonaro on Monday, he said he was visiting his father Jair Bolsonaro — who was president from 2019-2022 and is currently serving a 27-year sentence in house arrest for plotting a coup attempt and Lula’s murder in 2022 — when police turned up outside the house and notified him that he was banned from leaving Brazil and had to surrender his passports.

He questioned that De Moraes made his decision on Sunday night, after the election results were announced. “Would the same thing have happened if I won the elections?” he said. “It was a decision made based on the electoral results.”

While the ruling was made based on a supposed flight risk, Bolsonaro said he never thought of leaving the country and that he would hand over his passports.