How To Import Guns And Ammunition To Brazil
Brazil has strict legislation that controls the possession of firearms in the country, but there are legal methods to import guns. This article will explain what is needed for the legal import of guns.
Just like the legal possession of firearms in Brazil, the import of guns and ammunition to the country is also complicated. The Brazilian legislation imposes different barriers to those processes as an attempt to reduce the cases of gun related violence and deaths.
An individual can only own weapons in Brazil if the Federal Police, or Polícia Federal, authorizes it. There are several conditions to allow that, including the presentation of certain documents at a Federal Police’s unit.
The entrance of ammunition, guns and its parts into Brazil is supervised by the Brazilian Armed Forces. The division responsible is the DFPC, which stands for Diretoria de Fiscalização de Produtos Controlados or Board of Controlled Products.
When The Importation Is Authorized
The Armed Forces may prohibit the importing of some types of guns. Each case is analyzed individually by looking at the items’ description, the owner’s or company's license, the reason for the importation, and other characteristics that may or may not lead to an approval of the import request. The Armed Forces rarely approves the importation of foreign weaponry that are similar to items produced by the local industry.
The Brazilian Armed Forces may lower the restrictions to the importation of weapons, ammunition, and accessories in some cases, like:
- When the domestic market demand is greater than the local industry capacity
- In case of emergency or public calamity
- In case of state of emergency
- When a Brazilian industry or research center require it for studies, testing, or research
- When the product has any specifications that cannot be met by the local industry
These cases do not necessarily exclude the analysis on which goods are submitted.
No representative or attorney may import controlled products, such as weapons and ammunition, on behalf of an individual or company.
Necessary Procedures
According to consulting companies, the average time frame for the importation of weapons vary from five to six months. It is necessary to be registered at Siscomex to import weapons and ammunition, just like it is with other products that come from abroad.
Oversimplifying, the necessary steps for importing weaponry and ammunition to Brazil are:
- Owning a Register Certification (CR)
- Obtain an International Import Certificate (CII)
- Get an Import License (LI)
- Submit the goods to Armed Forces’ inspection
- Goods’ register at the Military Weapons System Management (SIGMA)
- Reception of the goods
The Register Certification, known as CR or Certificado de Registro, is granted for individuals and companies. This document is provided by Controlled Products Fiscalization Service — Serviço de Fiscalização de Produtos Controlados, or SFCP — which is a department of the Brazilian Armed Forces. A Register Certification is valid for two years and can be extended. It costs BRL 500 for individuals and BRL 250 for companies, and its renovation costs BRL 60.
The main document necessary during the importation process of weaponry is known as CII, short for Certificado Internacional de Importação or International Import Certificate. This document is provided by the DFPC or by an SFCP unit, is valid for six months, and contains different kinds of information from the importer, exporter, and goods’ description.
The cost of a CII is of BRL 35 for individuals and of BRL 70 for companies. In this stage, the Brazilian Armed Forces will analyze if the products are able to be imported.
After the CII is granted and standard importing procedures are applied, the weapons can be shipped to Brazil. Customs’ clearance documents will need to be presented along with copies of the CII.
Brazilian Armed Forces are then responsible for inspecting the goods, checking if the information presented on the previous certificates are correct. If everything is fine, the goods must be registered at SIGMA and can be claimed by the importer. Airguns do not need to be registered at SIGMA, but must be inspected anyway.