Brazil’s Foreign Ministry Responds to Lodging Arrangements After Controversy Involving Porchat

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, Itamaraty, told the Chamber of Deputies that ambassadors assigned to official residences abroad may authorize private guests to stay there, as long as the arrangement does not create costs for the public treasury. The clarification came in response to a request from Deputy Gustavo Gayer, a lawmaker from the Liberal Party of Goiás, who had questioned the criteria used to approve stays by people without public office, as well as the related costs and guest lists for official residences in Brazil and abroad.

According to the ministry, official residences of Brazilian diplomatic posts serve a dual purpose. They are used both for diplomatic work, including meetings and receptions, and as private homes for the head of mission and their family. For that reason, Itamaraty said there is no legal obstacle to ambassadors receiving personal guests in these residences, provided no public money is spent. The ministry stated that the “competent authority” to approve such stays is the head of the diplomatic post.

Itamaraty also said it keeps records only of stays by public officials. In those cases, the ministry registers the guest’s name, job title, length of stay, and the reason for the visit. Private guests, however, remain under the responsibility of the ambassador. The ministry emphasized that if any private stay were to generate public expense, the amount would have to be reimbursed to the federal government. It added that it has no record of such a case occurring.

The request from Gayer was filed on March 31. In his question, the deputy asked for details on the rules applied to guests who do not hold public office, the financial impact of such stays, and the list of guests hosted at official residences in Brazil and overseas.

His request referred to a report published by Metrópoles, in Andreza Matais’ column, about the stay of actor and comedian Fábio Porchat in 2025 at the official residence of the Brazilian embassy in Rome. According to the report, Porchat stayed there as a personal guest of Ambassador Renato Mosca during Christmas celebrations.

The episode drew attention after Porchat posted a video inside the Brazilian embassy in Italy that mocked political figures on the right. Hours later, he urged followers to take a break from online activism. In his post, he called for people to enjoy life and spend less time focused on politics.

At the time of the controversy, Itamaraty said Porchat was a personal guest of the ambassador and that his stay did not generate public costs. The ministry’s latest response reinforces that official residences abroad can also function as private homes for diplomats, and that guest authorization is within the authority of the resident ambassador, provided public funds are not used.