The Brazilian Postal Service
The Brazilian Post and Telegraph Company, or simply, the post office, is a federal public company responsible for the shipping and mail delivery system in Brazil. Known as Correios, the company operates with many services of domestic and international delivery of goods.
Express and Economic National Services
The Brazilian Correios offers a national service turned to economic delivery of goods and documents called the PAC, the service offers lower prices and longer delivery periods. For express delivery, Correios has SEDEX. There are several classes of SEDEX services available for domestic parcels in the country:
| Service Type | Definition |
| SEDEX | Express service for documents and goods ordering with a delivery period established depending on the destination's distance from the initial location. |
| SEDEX 10 | Express ordering service that guarantees the delivery of documents and goods next day before the mail posting at 10:00 am. |
| SEDEX 12 | Express ordering service that guarantees the delivery of documents and goods next day before the mail posting at 12:00 am. |
| SEDEX Hoje | Express remittance service that guarantees the delivery of documents and goods on the same day of the mail posting, but that only happens if the destination distance from the origin permits the delivery in the same day. |
| SEDEX a Cobrar | It is the express delivery service for sending documents and goods, it is a collect on delivery service where the recipient pays for the shipping. |
| e-SEDEX | The Correios express delivery service for goods acquired throughe-commerce. |
Order Weight Limit
The new rules became effective on June 1st of 2013 reduced the weight limit of SEDEX 10, SEDEX 12, SEDEX Hoje and for e-SEDEX. The weight limit reduction really affected e-commerce activities that have their weight reduced by half - from 30 kg to 15 kg. An alternative for online retailers that need to send parcels over 15kg and use the post office delivery service is to use the SEDEX, SEDEX a cobrar or PAC. The disadvantages are higher costs in the case of SEDEX, and longer delivery time, in the case of the PAC.
The Correios weight limits for these services are now:
- To SEDEX 10, SEDEX 12, SEDEX Hoje, SEDEX a Cobrar: up to 10 kg.
- e-SEDEX: up to 15 kg.
- To SEDEX and SEDEX a cobrar: up to 30 kg.
To PAC services, the limits are different and varies:
- Individual national remittance: 30 kg.
- Individual state remittance: 50 kg.
- Collective national remittance: 600 kg.
Order Dimension Limit
Most of the SEDEX and PAC services have similar size limitations, the exemption is SEDEX Hoje and SEDEX 10. The standard dimensions of SEDEX, e-SEDEX and PAC are:
- Length (L): from16 cm to 105 cm
- Width (W): from 11 cm to 105 cm
- Height (H): from 2 cm to 105 cm
- L+W+H: from 0 cm to 200 cm.
Tracking System for SEDEX, e-SEDEX and PAC
SEDEX, e-SEDEX and PAC have a tracking option depending on the way the order was shipped. To use this service, simply visit the Correios web page. The site also offers a tool that calculates the value (price) of SEDEX, e-SEDEX and PAC for products by inserting the postal code of origin and destination and some other information.
Express and Economic International Services
In Brazil, Correios not only offered express and economic services for the national extension, but also for orders from Brazil to abroad.
Express Services with International Coverage
- SEDEX Mundi: It's the international express service for sending goods with delivery date guarantee.
- EMS: It is the international service for sending goods with utmost priority treatment, routing and delivery.
| Service | Weight Limit | Envelope | Package or Box | Roller |
| SEDEX Mundi | 30 kg | Minimum: 9 cm per 14 cm Maximum: 150 cm (L+W+H) | Minimum: 9 cm per 14 cm Maximum: 150 cm (L+W+H) | Minimum: 10 cm for length and 17 cm for length plus two times the diameter Maximum: 200 cm for length and 105 cm for length plus two times the diameter |
| EMS | 30 kg | - | Minimum: 9 cm per 14 cm Maximum: 150 cm (L+W+H) | Minimum: 10 cm for length and 17 cm for length plus two times the diameter Maximum: 150 cm for length and 300 cm for length plus two times the diameter. |
Economic Services with International Coverage
- Leve Internacional: It’s the international service for remittance of goods with priority treatment, focused on sending gifts and samples with maximum value up to 1,000.00 BRL.
- Mercadoria Econômica or Economic Good: It’s the international service for sending goods with low priority for delivery.
| Service | Weight Limit | Envelope | Package or Box | Roller |
| Leve Internacional | 2 kg | Minimum: 9 cm per 14 cm Maximum: 90 cm (L+W+H) | Minimum: 9 cm per 14 cm Maximum: 90 cm (L+W+H) | Minimum: 10 cm for length and 17 cm for length plus two times the diameter Maximum: 90 cm for length and 104 cm for length plus two times the diameter |
| Mercadoria Econômica | 20 kg | - | Minimum: 9 cm per 14 cm Maximum: 105 cm (L+W+H) | Minimum: 10 cm for length and 17 cm for length plus two times the diameter Maximum: 200 cmfor length and 105 cm for length plus two times the diameter. |
Importa Fácil
Importa Fácil is a logisticsolution offered by Correios for Brazilian importers that need to import goods for personal usage or for commercialization. The service prescribes that imported goods present a total value inferior to 3,000.00 USD.
- For individuals: customs value superior to 500,00 USD.
- For companies: customs value up to the limit established, without a minimum value.
Taxes and Monitoring Agencies
The customs value on which taxes will be levied on, will be the sum of the value of the goods, plus the transportation cost, as well as, the insurance for that transportation.
It’s important to notice, that ICMS collection may happen when the good arrives at its destination and that Correios aren’t allowed to perform the nationalization of goods that required some kind of control prior to the shipment or in the moment of entry into the country by Brazilian monitoring agencies, such as ANVISA, INMETRO, IBAMA and others.