What comes to mind when you think of Brazil? The Redeemer Statue? Carnival? The Amazon Rainforest? Did you know that several prolific industries are connected to Brazil. In fact, you probably used something that went through the country today. Here are a few examples of significant industries in Brazil:

• Automotive
• Oil and gas
• Iron and Steel
• Machinery
• Agriculture
• Textiles

(Information from: The Biggest Industries In Brazil - WorldAtlas)

If you’re involved in any of these markets, your business would benefit greatly (or already does) from trade with Brazil. That’s why we want to run through what specific rules you can expect when exporting/importing to Brazil.

#1: Shipping Speed

First, we need to talk about where the shipping hubs in Brazil are. For DHL (our carrier of choice) they can be found in Rio De Janeiro and São Paulo

This is important to remember because when you think DHL, you think of speed (rightfully so).. But, you need to remember something about Brazil. Like we said at the beginning, the Amazon Rainforest probably crossed your mind. It’s a massive country covered with jungle. In the shipping world, that means a ton of remote areas. No matter how fast a shipping provider is, jungles are still dense; and those villages any still extremely remote. Your shipment may take those 3-5 days to get to one of those hubs, but it can still take several weeks to get to somewhere far from those carrying facilities. That’s something you’ll want to keep in mind when you do business in the country.

#2: Prohibited Items

Now, let’s talk about what you can’t ship to Brazil using DHL Air Express. That way, you can avoid any troubles in customs.

• Live animals, fish, birds
• Antiques & Works of Art
• Cash (current legal tender)
• Dangerous Goods
• Firearms & Parts
• Gambling devices including playing cards
• IVORY
• Jewelry
• Military Equipment
• Precious Metals & Stones
• Tobacco & tobacco Products

#3: The Proper Paperwork

• CNPJ - Cadastro Nacional da Pessoa Jurídica (National Registration of Legal Entities)
• This is your company/corporate ID number. Think of it as an employee ID
• It’s a 14 digit number that identifies your business to the Brazilian Government. 
• CPF - Cadastro de Pessoas Fisicas (Individual Taxpayer Registry)
• Needed by anybody wanting to do business in Brazil.
• Meant to identify individual taxpayers

CNPJ Information from: CNPJ Generator | The One Generator

CPF Information from: What is CPF? - The Brazil Business

Conclusion

Brazil is an amazing company to do business in. Even compared to other countries, there aren’t that many legal barriers to entry that differ from what’s usual for international shipping. Whether you're importing or exporting here, you’ll certainly find a great deal of growth from working in this beautiful country.

If you’d like some additional help getting this paperwork in order or just have any international shipping questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. You can contact us from 7am - 7pm (CST) at:

Phone: 972-383-9901

Email: customerservice@optimalship.com