customs restrictions on arrival

November 28, 2008 | By admin More

For the tourist, the rules on what you can take into Brazil are not that different for those of many other countries. A tourist or a business traveller doesn’t carry any of the items you cannot bring into Brazil.

All passengers, Brazilians or not, residents or tourists, must fill a Declaração de Bagagem Acompanhada (DBA, customs declaration) that airlines usually hand out during the flight. The passenger has to fill the document and hand it in to the customs official when leaving the arrivals lounge.

Passengers bringing a maximum of 10.000 Brazilian reais (or equivalent amount in another currency) do not need to declare them. Any amount above that limit must be declared on the DBA.

When you arrive in Brazil by plane or by boat, you can bring goods up to a maximum value of 500 USD without the need to declare them. That limit does not include, according to the Brazilian Receita Federal (Inland Revenue), “clothes or other personal objects” as well as “books, leaflets and newspapers”. The authorities put an emphasis on the fact that those clothes and personal objects cannot be brand-new. If you arrive in Brazil with a laptop in its packaging you might have problems proving it is for personal use.

If you enter Brazil by car or by bus the limit is 300 USD.

The limit is personal and cannot be accumulated by different members of a family or groups of passengers.

If you bring goods above that value, you have to declare them and pay a 50% import duty. If you don’t declare those goods and you are caught while going through customs you will have to pay that 50% import duty plus a 50% fine.

If you want to bring into Brazil a really expensive object you will be taking back with you once you live the country, you can fill a Declaração Simplificada de Importação.

The limite of 500 USD does not include products bought on arrival at the Duty Free shops (see Brazilian Duty Free).

Careful with the following products of animal origin. They cannot be taken into the country without previous authorization and/or a health certificate: