Importing Personal Goods to Brazil
Moving to Brazil has several stages and bringing your belongings is a very important one. Learn in this article what are the basic procedures to bring your goods to Brazil.
Tax-free items
Personal goods are exempted from taxations. The Brazilian IRS considers as personal goods all the garments, hygiene products and other goods of personal use in a quantity compatible to the trip circumstances. Books are not taxable either.
Apart from items destined exclusively to personal use (such as the ones previously mentioned), travelers are also allowed to bring in their carry-on luggage goods destined to their professional activity, with the exception of machines and devices that need to be installed, such as desktop, air conditioning devices, video projector and so forth. Personal computers and cameras are not considered to be personal goods either.
It is important to say that the tax exemption on books and personal goods limits the imports to once a month at most.
Common luggage and taxable goods
Most items that do not fit as personal goods can be brought to Brazil, but they will suffer taxation. Even if the items are not considered to be personal goods they can be brought without suffering any taxation as long as they do not surpass the limit or US$ 500,00.
Items that do not exceed the quantitative limits will be taxed at a 50% aliquot (Special Taxation Regime) applied to the exceeding amount. So, for example, if you are bringing a US$ 900,00 laptop, you are expected to pay US$ 200,00, which is the amount corresponding to 50% of the exceeding amount (in this case, US$ 400,00).
In order to be tax exempted, the items must be considered to be personal goods. If they’re not (or not in the amount to be considered personal goods), they will be classified as regular imports. The goods will have to be stored, so that the importer can obtain all the authorizations required by law.
Electronics
The rule applying to personal computers and other electronics is the same applying for other personal goods: if the declared value does not surpass US$ 500,00, there will be no taxation. However, if they do, a taxation of 50% over the exceeding amount will be charged.
Shipping your goods
If you’re moving to Brazil, you won’t be able to bring all your goods with you. Some of them (especially the larger ones like furniture and appliances) will have to be shipped.
In order to remain exempt, personal goods such as clothing and books must arrive in Brazil three months prior or six months after the traveler arrival. Also, they must come from the same place where the traveler came from.
Those who came to Brazil with a permanent visa and Brazilians who returned to the country after having lived abroad for one year can bring into the country the following goods, whether they’re new or not:
- Furniture;
- Domestic goods;
- Tools, machinery, devices and instruments necessary for the exercise of a profession;
In case the foreigner still has not received the permanent visa, the goods may enter Brazil under the temporary admission regime that allows foreigners to bring their regular luggage into the country for a specified period of time and with no duties.
Items entering the country under the regime of temporary admission cannot be sold or take part in any industrial process while in Brazil. This regime includes goods for both personal and professional usage, including filming cameras, laptops, motor vehicles and sports equipment. Unaccompanied luggage must be covered by a cargo bill.
Should I bring my goods to Brazil?
Before importing your personals goods, it is a good idea to sit down and think if they are worth all the problems you might have when importing them. In some cases, the costs of packing and transporting your goods are equivalent to buying new goods in the country you are moving to.
However, if you are coming to Brazil from the US or Europe, it may be better to bring your own goods with you. Especially electronics, tools and furniture as these goods may be very expensive in Brazil. Also, the quality offered in Brazil can be inferior to what you find abroad.
Simple tools such as Makita or a drilling machine can cost four times what it would cost in the US or in Europe. Regular furniture in Brazil can be very low quality as well, hardly lasting more than five years.