Clearing your belongings through customs in Brazil

I am not sure if the rules are the same for returning Brazilians and foreign x-pats but I will share my experience as a returning Brazilian:
1 - I shipped my stuff from California to Santos by ship and it took nearly 4 months to receive them at my home.
2 - Any household item is duty free, including all and any kitchen appliances, electronic equipment and so on.
3 - Any type of vehicles are not allowed (cars, motorcycles, boars, RV's, airplanes, etc.), even if you are willing to pay the customs fees.  Only dealers are allowed to import such items
4 - The shipping company delivered everything door-to-door and they took care of all customs procedures
5 - Should you decide to skip a full use of a transport company and decide to do it yourself, such as shipping your stuff as cargo in an airline (an example), you will have much more headaches, will have to be present for the custos inspection and will have to hire a customs "despachante" in Brazil
6 - I believe my total cost was 4,000 Dollars, and that was for about half a container
I guess this covers every item asked.

Hey Ron,

Did you already naturalize bro?

My experience was similar to Ron's.

In moving household goods to Brazil, I think it's crucial to work with a company that has Brazil experience, including a working partnership at the Brazil end of the move.  Professionals have told me that Brazil matches, and sometimes exceeds, China as the  country that makes it most difficult to complete a move.  The regulations are intricate, and enforced to the letter; deviations result in fines and additional storage charges that add up quickly.  Simple long distance experience, and even international experience, isn't enough to navigate Brazil successfully.  You don't want somebody learning on the job while you're paying the bills for their expensive education.

A new permanent resident is entitled to bring in a maximum of ONE ocean shipment and ONE air shipment of household goods and furnishings duty-free; temporary residents do not have this allowance.  There's a time limit, I believe a year, after the date of a move, after which the allowance expires.  The Customs Broker for your move will need to have these documents in hand before your shipment is allowed to leave your country of origin, so there will be some storage charges there before you even can ship:

§ 2 notarized copies of CPF (Brazilian Tax Payer ID Card) or protocol / application;

§ 2 notarized copies of Brazilian ID Card/RNE/CRNM or its protocol with SINCRE;

§ 3 signed copies of Power of attorney (Procuração Pessoa Física) – The signature on this document must be legalized at a Brazilian notary;

§ 2 signed copies (with legalized signature) of Detailed Valued Inventory List, in Portuguese. This list should be prepared by the Brazilian partner of your moving company, based on the Packing List;

§ 2 notarized copies of E-ticket to Brazil – It must have the same origin and destination of the move;

§ 1 simple copy of Boarding Pass to Brazil - It must have the same origin and destination of the move;

§ 2 notarized copies of Passport - including cover and blank pages;

The regulations specify that the allowed household goods and furnishings are "used".  If you're bringing in new things, the cartons should be at least opened and re-sealed.  Too many obviously new items will raise red flags, and invite charges.  Even though the movers and I had done everything we could think of to put my shipment in the "Green Lane", between 1/3 and 1/2 of my cartons were opened by Customs, including ALL computers and electronic equipment.  I was moving a rather large art collection, so I expected a certain amount of inspection on that; I was surprised, though, at how much else was opened.  Nothing was damaged.

My goods were on the water for a little under three months -- Manaus is a lot closer to the US than Santos is, especially by sea.  If you're the kind of person who's interested in things like that (I definitely am!), your mover can give you the ship's name, and you can track its progress online, at www.marinetraffic.com.

My shipment weighed 3,840 lbs; pack, load, and deliver cost, Chicago to Manaus, was $10,150.  Port charges in Manaus were $4,575.  Insurance and special packing for some of the art made it a $20,000 move.

Miscellaneous considerations:

1. During the Dilma/Temer Presidency, Brazilian Customs was in an almost permanent state of "semi-strike", usually taking the form of "Work to Rule" actions by Customs Agents, dragging out inspections, nitpicking paperwork, and generally slowing things down, and incidentally jacking up port charges.  Not clear yet whether this will continue, but it wouldn't surprise me.
2. Brazil bans most wooden crating, to avoid accidentally importing pests (e.g., the Emerald Ash Borer from China, now destroying ash trees all over the US).  Movers who know Brazil know this, and have developed packing methods to eliminate wood.
3. If you're coming from North America, don't bother packing your TVs -- they won't work here.  Put them on eBay, give them to friends or family, or move them directly to the curb.  Europe and the UK, you may be all right, but check the specs.
4. Bring all your kitchen gadgets, including a good set of US system measuring cups and spoons:  you won't easily find replacements.  If you have good roasting pans, bring those, too.  My roasting pan is one of the few things I really wish hadn't been in that garage sale.  Same for the TV tables.
5. If you have decent speakers, bring them.  They're almost impossible to find here.
6. If you live in the South or Southeast (South of Brasília and Espirito Santo, let's say) as most expats here seem to, and you're given a choice of port between Santos and Rio, choose Santos, unless you have a really pressing reason to decide otherwise.  Rio Customs is notorious for corruption and inefficiency; Santos may not be great, but it's better.  As the country's most important port, it's always under more scrutiny.  And, strange as it seems, most ships that stop at both ports stop at Santos first, and at Rio on the way back.

Hey Robal,
Not yet my friend, still in São Paulo patiently waiting for bureaucracy to take its course.
Shouldn't be long now.
As I started writing this my son, the submariner, called me from Guam, where he is temporarily based.
Hope you are well and continue well.

I´m fine and hope things to continue well as usual. Nice to hear from you after quite a while and I´m glad that your son is busy doing great things for our country.

Hope to see more posts from you. See you around!

I had all the things above in my move last year . I did use a Brazilian moving co.
in the USA/Brazil .
"Confienca" Sorry If I've misspelled their name . They did Everything . I mean everything .  less getting the Brazilian tax exemption . That is something ,I think is a 100% needed item .   So you don't get taxed when You enter the country and at the Airport (if you are entering that way)
IMO this very  important if you are hand carrying in valuables and person property that you don't want to give to a shipper . 
Also The shipper needs this to use in there processing you shipment . A number is produced which is used online to all to use all the way in the process .


IIRC you need to go the  Brazilian Consulate with all you documentation and proof of airline tickets purchase . Showing the day you will be entering Brazil . I went to The Miami Consulate and received the document needed to show Brazilian Customs  that day . IIRC it cost $15.00 . IIRC , it is good for 3 months ... But please check that, since it's been a year since I moved here .

I used a private container and my Wife (she's Brazilian) was able to negotiate the final price for the total service . They did everything , all other paper work and I only needed to contact the freight handler / forwarder/ customs agent  here in Brazil and set up /agree to the fee for the mover /shipper here  , and then  wait for a telephone and email as to when they would delivery my shipment (I may have sent payment for this , but offhand I do not recall).
They re-packed and inspected everything (in my Florida home and have detailed list) so  it clears Brazilian Customs very quickly . IIRC that took 1 week . IIRC total time was ~8 weeks . Unpacking took much longer LOL!!!

The  Cost IIRC, was about 12K ... It all depends upon the weight of everything you're shipping and how much space is needed and how much time is needed for them to pack your shipment to get your total . Even then , I found price was not "locked" in .


Plus add the extra cost of any packages you hand carry on the airplane ... We had a total of 10 "extra pieces" ... With the Tax exemption document we sailed though Customs in Brazil (IIRC they didn't eve inspect any of it . Which was a good thing as we had 2 other planes to connect with .

IMO , depending on you personal situation , using a Brazilian Shipper / Mover might be a good option to consider . Using a private container will speed up the process quite a bit ,since your belongings do not have to be unpacked and separated from someone else's property for Customs to inspect for clearance  .

Plus you do not have to worry about you belongings getting "mixed up" with anyone else's. Your shipper is proving a service for you with Customs that the shipment is good and nothing is in it ,is not allowed ..

@Jamman,

Is the Brazilian tax exemption you mention above a Certificate of residence?

KatHScott wrote:

@Jamman,

Is the Brazilian tax exemption you mention above a Certificate of residence?

It sounds like Jamman and his wife handled a lot of the details themselves - more power to them!

If you use a reputable international mover (I used a US company in the Sirva group, which also has Brazilian affiliates), they take care of the Customs exemption for you.

KatHScott wrote:

@Jamman,

Is the Brazilian tax exemption you mention above a Certificate of residence?

IIRC , and please check for yourself ,as my memory about this question you ask , is not all that good .

I think they are 2 separate things (anyone feel free to add your knowledge about it) .

IIRC , in order to get the "tax exemption " paper from the Brazilian  Consulate , you need to show proof of residency in Brazil . Such as a Electric bill ,telephone bill of the likes or you are Renting an apartment lease . It has to show your or your spouses name on it ... Proof you reside there ...
(As I'm writing this I seem to recall our "re-pat" to Brazil is somewhat different, as Brazil looks at it as A Brazilian National  returning to Brazil vs. a (example) American  National moving to Brazil . But ~ it's the same )


And then a document is produced by the for your residency . IIRC, My wife needed to summit her Brazilian  documents ,(like her passport and ID card and I showed my Permanent Resident card (I had done that years before and kept current by returning to Brazil at least every 2 years)

It did take 2 trips to the Consulate Miami)  to get it . Once was to get the list of  All current documents needed and to speak with a Consulate rep. to double check everything needed and to get a better understanding of the process to get it done with no "issues" that would make it  as smooth a process as possible . Everyone at the Consulate was great and super helpful .

What was the (IMO) biggest "issue)" was not being able call the consulate and talk with someone directly to get up to date accurate info . As least in my area , you need to go in person .. As Most Brazilian consulates don't give info or much help about this over the phoned now .
I do recall I made an appointment to do this which turned out not to be needed . It is a walk in , same day service ., At least in the Miami office it was .... Go early in the  morning  .... lol!!! That might save you hours of waiting ... It can get pretty somedays.

If you do use a mover who does all this work for you , that will help . But you would still need to provide all the document needed by the consulate to get the exemption . So there was work to do for them anyway ....
For me I didn't mind doing this as I was looking to defray some of the expenses of the whole move .   

Again , please double check what I've posted as with everything happening around that time makes some of it a bit blurry ...
Hope this helps a little . If I can help , feel free to ask ... I'll try ...