WASHINGTON: The US State Department will issue visas to defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them to enter the US, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

The official confirmed the decision in response to an inquiry from Anadolu.

The statement came amid reports that Bolsonaro had left Brazil for the United States despite a judicial travel ban.

Brazilian authorities have not confirmed his departure, and conflicting reports have emerged over his whereabouts and whether he may have attempted to travel through Argentina.