🇧🇷How to import into Brazil
To import into Brazil, most goods clear customs freely, but specific sectors need a permit, product registration or import licence from a named regulator before the shipment lands. A legitimate importer of those goods holds the current document, ask for it and check it at the source.
Importing into Brazil: the basics
- Customs identity: RADAR licence (Siscomex)
- A Brazilian importer must hold a RADAR authorisation to operate in Siscomex, the foreign-trade system; the CNPJ alone is not enough. Receita Federal do Brasil
- Import tax at the border
- Import tax varies within Brazil. Duty depends on the product's HS code, so we do not state a rate: look it up in Siscomex, Brazilian foreign-trade portal , then put both into the landed-cost calculator.
- Documents that travel with the shipment
- Commercial invoice · Packing list · Bill of lading or air waybill · Import declaration filed in Siscomex · Certificate of origin, when claiming a Mercosur or agreement rate
- Incoterms a small supplier will actually agree to: EXW or FCA
- Small and artisan producers normally sell EXW (you collect at their workshop) or FCA (they hand the goods to your carrier). Expect to arrange freight, insurance and customs clearance yourself, or through a forwarder. DAP and DDP shift carriage and import formalities onto the seller, and a small maker will usually decline them: under DDP the seller must even be able to pay import taxes in your country. Larger exporters more often quote FOB or CIF for sea freight. Compare all Incoterms.
- Worth knowing before the first shipment
- Import taxes stack (II, IPI, PIS/COFINS, ICMS) and ICMS varies by state, so the landed cost depends on the port of entry.
- Some goods need prior import licensing (LI) approved before shipment leaves origin, not on arrival.
Reviewed 2026-07-21. Factual pointers to public rules, not legal advice; confirm with customs or a broker before shipping.
Sector import rules
These sectors carry their own import requirement in Brazil. For each, a legitimate importer holds the document named below, issued by the named regulator. Ask for it, then verify it at the source.
- medical devicesRegistration required
product registration from the Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria (ANVISA).
Importer must complete product notification or registration under ANVISA systems prior to custom clearance.
Official source - pharmaceuticalsRegistration required
product registration from the Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria (ANVISA).
Importer must register the medicinal product with ANVISA and hold an Operating Authorization (AFE) before importation.
Official source - telecom/radio equipmentImport permit required
conformity certificate from the Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes (ANATEL).
Importer must secure an ANATEL homologation certificate based on conformity testing before commercial entry.
Official source
This is a factual pointer to public rules, not legal advice, and the list is not exhaustive.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a licence to import into Brazil?
- It depends on the product. General goods clear Brazil customs without a sector licence, but regulated sectors (medical devices, pharmaceuticals, telecom/radio equipment) require a specific permit, registration or licence from the regulator named on this page.
- How do I check an importer in Brazil is allowed to bring in my product?
- Ask the buyer for the import permit or product-registration number for the sector, then confirm it with the named regulator. A genuine importer of regulated goods already holds one; a buyer who cannot produce it may not clear customs.
- Is importing a specific product into Brazil ever banned?
- Most sectors are permitted with the right licence or registration. Always confirm the current rule with the named regulator before shipping.
- What do I need to clear customs in Brazil?
- A business importing into Brazil needs a RADAR licence (Siscomex). A Brazilian importer must hold a RADAR authorisation to operate in Siscomex, the foreign-trade system; the CNPJ alone is not enough. A normal commercial shipment also travels with: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, import declaration filed in siscomex, certificate of origin, when claiming a mercosur or agreement rate.
- How much tax do I pay importing into Brazil?
- Import tax varies within Brazil. Customs duty depends on the product's HS code, so there is no single rate: look yours up in Siscomex, Brazilian foreign-trade portal, then add both to the goods and freight to get the landed cost.
- Which Incoterms will a small supplier agree to?
- Usually EXW or FCA. Small and artisan producers normally sell EXW (you collect at their workshop) or FCA (they hand the goods to your carrier). Expect to arrange freight, insurance and customs clearance yourself, or through a forwarder. DAP and DDP shift carriage and import formalities onto the seller, and a small maker will usually decline them: under DDP the seller must even be able to pay import taxes in your country. Larger exporters more often quote FOB or CIF for sea freight.
Brazil suppliers by sector
Manufacturers and wholesalers based in Brazil, with the open-record facts we hold on each and a link to the free public source behind them.
Importing for the first time? Read the first-time importer sequence (country choice, maker checks, landed cost, a survivable first order).