How to Import Taxidermy Items and Hunting Trophies to Brazil
The import of taxidermy items and hunting trophies can be complicated due to them being part of an animal, which may represent a threat to animal health in Brazil. In this article, we will learn how to import these items to Brazil.
Involved entities
The involved entities responsible in the fiscalization and supervision of the import of animals, whether dead or alive, to Brazil are:
- The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, MAPA. MAPA aims to prevent the entry and spread of pests that could be a threat to national agriculture, ensuring the health of products and the quality of imported and exported agricultural inputs
- Vigiagro, which is the International Agricultural Surveillance System, is responsible for inspecting and supervising the international traffic of animals and plants, their products and by-products
IBAMA, which stands for Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis, is also involved in the import of taxidermy items and hunting trophies, but only in respect to the trade of wild animals and endangered species. The import of these goods require a CITES certificate which attests that the goods were not illegally acquired.
CITES is an international treaty which aims to ensure that the trade of wild animals and plants and products derived from them, will not jeopardize the survival of other species or constitute a danger to the maintenance of biodiversity. In order to obtain a CITES certificate, it is necessary to register on IBAMA’s database, CTF. CTF stands for Federal Technical Registry of Potentially Polluting Activities or Users of Environmental Resources.
To register with CTF, individuals must access this link, and legal entities must access this link. It is important to say that registration with CTF must be made before shipping the goods. When registering with CTF, it is necessary to register under code 20, which is the code for “Importer or Exporter of exotic wildlife animals”. You then need to request a CITES certificate, which can be done under the “Serviços” > “Requerimento CITES” tab.
It is necessary to inform the exporting and importing country of the shipment with the date and location of where the imported goods will arrive along with a thorough description of the goods.
The complete list of all animals under CITES supervision can be found in this link.
Necessary documentation and procedures
Before importing any product to Brazil, the importer needs to be registered with Siscomex, which is the Brazilian Foreign Trade Integrated System, where all foreign trade operations are registered and tracked by the Receita Federal, the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service.
An Import Declaration has to be registered with Siscomex before the imported products are loaded abroad. In order to get an Import Declaration, the following documents need to be presented:
- Original bill of lading
- Original commercial invoice signed by the exporter
- Packing list where applicable
Taxidermy items and hunting trophies are subject to special import authorization by the Brazilian Government prior to loading abroad. Thus, the importer needs to request an Import License from Siscomex. The Import License will then be analysed by the involved entities, which will either authorize or deny the request to import the products.
The necessary documents for the import of taxidermy items and hunting trophies to Brazil are:
- Requerimento para Fiscalização de Produtos sAgropecuários - Formulário V, which is Portuguese for Application for Supervision of Agricultural Products - Form V
- Prior import authorization with requirements and guidance on procedures to be adopted
- Copy of Certificate of Origin, duly sworn translated
- Import License Extract or Simplified Import License Extract
In addition to these, an International Health Certificate, issued by the Official Veterinary Service in the country of origin containing the following information needs to be provided:
- Country of origin
- Name and address of shipper
- Name and address of recipient
- Quantity
- Nature of the goods
- Type of packaging
- Number of CITES certificate, when needed