Shipping guide · Americas

Shipping from China and Hong Kong to Brazil

Brazil is the most procedurally demanding import market in the Americas, and the reason is not customs itself but the layers around it: a licence to import at all, a stack of federal and state taxes, and certification requirements that apply before the goods can be sold.

Talk to us about Brazil

Customs authority: Receita Federal do Brasil, through the Siscomex and Portal Unico systems
Key licence: RADAR authorisation, required before any import is possible
Tax structure: Import duty plus IPI, PIS, COFINS and state level ICMS, layered on each other
Import licences: Required in advance for many product categories
Certification: Inmetro certification or Anvisa approval for a wide range of goods
Main entry points: Santos, Paranagua and Itajai by sea, Viracopos and Guarulhos by air

Nothing can be imported until the company holds a RADAR authorisation, which is the licence to operate in the Brazilian foreign trade system. It has categories with different value limits, and obtaining it involves the tax authority examining the company financial capacity. A new importer should assume this takes weeks, not days.

The tax structure is genuinely layered. Import duty is only the first component; on top of it sit federal industrial products tax, federal social contributions and the state level ICMS, each calculated on a base that includes the ones before it. The total landed cost can be far higher than the duty rate alone suggests, and it varies by state.

Many products also need an import licence issued before shipment, and a large range of goods require certification from Inmetro or approval from Anvisa before they can be cleared or sold. Both are matters to resolve before the cargo leaves Asia.

Where cargo lands

Main freight and distribution centres

Sao Paulo

The dominant industrial and consumption market, with the largest concentration of importers, brokers and distribution capacity.

Santos

The main port city, serving Sao Paulo and much of the interior.

Campinas

Technology and manufacturing hub with the Viracopos cargo airport alongside it.

Curitiba and Joinville

The southern industrial belt, served by Paranagua and Itajai and strong in machinery and electronics.

Manaus

The Amazon free trade zone, with its own tax incentives and a substantial electronics assembly industry.

Sea freight

Ports of entry and what they mean for your cargo

Santos

The largest port in Latin America and the main gateway for Asian cargo, serving Sao Paulo directly. High volume and correspondingly prone to congestion.

Paranagua

Southern port serving Parana and the industrial belt, often smoother than Santos for the same cargo.

Itajai and Navegantes

Santa Catarina ports, efficient and well used by importers serving the south.

Rio de Janeiro and Itaguai

Serving Rio and the southeastern industrial region, including project and heavy cargo.

Manaus

River port serving the Amazon free trade zone, reached by an additional inland leg from the coast.

Santos has the services and the connectivity but also the congestion. For cargo destined to the south, Itajai or Paranagua frequently clear faster and cost less in the end.

Storage and demurrage charges at Brazilian ports escalate quickly, and clearance is not fast. The documentation and licences need to be complete before arrival, otherwise the cost accrues while the file is being fixed.

The Manaus free trade zone changes the economics for electronics assembly, but it also means an additional river leg and a distinct customs treatment that has to be planned deliberately.

Air freight

Airports and when air is the right answer

Viracopos, Campinas (VCP)

The main dedicated cargo airport, with the best handling infrastructure for imports.

Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU)

The largest passenger airport with substantial bellyhold cargo capacity and full customs facilities.

Manaus (MAO)

Serves the free trade zone, with significant electronics component traffic.

Air freight from Asia into Brazil routes through a hub, so the transit is longer than for a direct market. Air clearance in Brazil is not automatically fast, so the paperwork advantage matters as much as the flight time.

Viracopos is generally the better import airport in handling terms, and for cargo destined to Sao Paulo it is close enough to be the sensible default.

Indicative transit times

How long the movement usually takes

Sea FCL, South China to SantosAround 35 to 48 days port to portDepending on routing and transhipment. One of the longer ocean transits from Asia.
Sea LCL, South China to BrazilAround 45 to 60 days door to doorConsolidation, transhipment and Brazilian clearance all add time.
Air freight, Hong Kong or South China to Viracopos or GuarulhosAround 6 to 10 days door to doorVia a hub, including handling and clearance.
Customs clearance in BrazilAdd 3 to 15 daysDepending on the inspection channel the shipment is assigned. This is a real planning variable, not a formality.

These ranges are indicative and exist to help you plan. Real transit time depends on the service, the season, the routing and the clearance itself, and we confirm it per shipment rather than publish it as a promise.

Customs

How clearance into Brazil actually works

The competent authority is Receita Federal do Brasil, Customs.

The RADAR authorisation is the gate. Without it the company cannot register an import declaration at all, and the category granted determines the value the company is allowed to import. This has to be resolved long before the first shipment.

Import taxes stack. Import duty is calculated on the customs value, IPI on that plus duty, PIS and COFINS on their own base, and ICMS at state level on a base that includes everything else. The effective landed tax burden is substantially higher than the headline duty rate and depends on the destination state.

Brazilian customs assigns each declaration to an inspection channel. A green channel clears automatically, while red or grey channels involve document review or physical inspection and can add a week or more. Complete and consistent documentation improves the odds but does not guarantee them.

Many products require an import licence issued before the goods are shipped. Discovering the requirement after the cargo has sailed is a serious problem, because a retroactive licence is difficult and penalised.

A foreign company cannot import into Brazil directly. It needs a Brazilian entity, or an importer of record arrangement with a local company that holds RADAR and takes on the tax obligations.

Documentation

What you need to have ready

Commercial invoice

Value, terms and a detailed description. Brazilian customs expects precision and cross checks it.

Packing list

Piece counts, weights and dimensions per package.

Bill of Lading or Air Waybill

The transport contract and the release instrument.

RADAR authorisation

The licence that allows the company to operate in Brazilian foreign trade at all.

Import licence (LI)

Required in advance for many product categories, issued before shipment.

Inmetro certification or Anvisa registration

For regulated products, required before clearance or before sale depending on the category.

Certificate of origin

Where a trade agreement applies. Chinese origin goods generally pay standard rates.

Import declaration (DI)

Filed in the Brazilian system by the importer or its broker.

Controlled and restricted goods

What gets stopped, and why

Inmetro certification is mandatory for a wide range of products, including electrical goods, toys and equipment. It is a certification process with testing, not a document to be produced on demand.
Anvisa approval applies to food, cosmetics, medical devices and related products, and it is a separate regulatory track from customs entirely.
Import licences are required in advance for many categories, and shipping without one that was needed creates a problem that is expensive to unwind.
Undervaluation is treated as a serious offence and Brazilian customs applies reference pricing to many goods.
Used goods face heavy restrictions and in many categories cannot be imported at all.
Wood packaging must comply with ISPM 15.

Working with Velonex

What clients usually bring us in for on this lane

Companies discovering that Brazil requires a licence to import before it requires a container, and needing that sequence handled in the right order.
Understanding the real landed cost, since the layered tax structure means the duty rate alone tells you very little about what the shipment will actually cost.
Electronics and equipment requiring Inmetro certification, which has to be started long before the goods ship.
Choosing a southern port over Santos where the destination allows it, to avoid congestion and clearance delay.
Foreign companies with no Brazilian entity, who need an importer of record structure that satisfies RADAR and the tax obligations that come with it.

Get a quote

Tell us what needs to move to Brazil

We listen before we quote. Share the cargo, the deadline and the constraint, and we will come back with a route that accounts for all three, the documents it will need and a timeline we can stand behind.

Your details

Includes your name, company name and email address

Shipment route

Includes your pickup location and destination

Cargo type

Includes the type of cargo you are shipping

Special requirements

Includes a short note about your challenge

Timeline

Includes your desired timeline

Your quote

A tailored response based on everything above

Corporate logistics partner

Trust, clarity and operational follow through for complex cargo.

Not ready for a quote? Email info@velonex-hk.com or message us on WhatsApp with the question and we will answer it.

Sources

Where this information comes from

General guidance, last reviewed August 2026. Customs rules and product requirements change, and the treatment of any specific shipment depends on its classification, origin and value. Confirm the detail with us or with the authority before you commit to a movement.

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