Customs in Brazil
Visitors to Brazil and returning residents of Brazil are permitted to bring in personal possessions and items for personal use free of taxes, within limits. Travelers to Brazil will usually clear customs (referred to as Alfândega or Aduana in Brazil) at the airport where their international flight lands. The exception is for transit passengers with a final destination outside of Brazil.
Free import
Passengers are permitted to bring in the following items free of duties:
- Tobacco: 400 cigarettes, or 25 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco
- Cosmetics: 10 units
- Alcoholic beverages: two liters
- Clothes, laptop, camera or other article intended for personal use
- Books, magazines, or newspapers
Note that in regards to many items, no firm limit is set. However, the number of items brought in should be consistent with personal use. If customs officials believe that you're bringing in items for resale, you may be taxed. Duties of 100% of assessed value are common.
Also note that international passengers are granted an additional duty-free allotment of up to USD 500 in goods purchased at the airport's duty-free shop, subject to the same limits noted above.
Prohibited products
- Food items
- Stamp collections
- Live plants
- High-value coins
- Tins
- Drugs/narcotics
- Flammable/corrosive items
- Birds
- Cigarettes and alcoholic beverages made in Brazil
- Counterfeit currency
- Pornographic material
Good to know:
You must obtain permission from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture to import plants and related products, as well as edible products such as meat, eggs, and seafood.
Currency
You're required to declare your foreign or Brazilian currency upon arrival if the sum exceeds 10,000 Brazilian reals or the foreign equivalent.
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