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arriving in Brazil: step-by-step
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Anyone arriving in Brazil and having the country as its final destination, whether Brazilian or foreigner, has two go through four different steps (one of them entirely optional) before leaving the international arrivals area.
1. Immigration control
During the flight the crew will have handed out the immigration forms to those on board that are not Brazilian or foreigners resident in Brazil (neither of those two group need to fill the immigration forms). Fill the form during the flight so you have it ready when you reach the immigration counter. You will hand the form to the officer, along with your passport. Depending on the nature of your trip (tourism or business) and your origin (citizens of certain countries need a visa to enter Brazil) you will fill the form in one way or another.
There are two queues at the immigration control. A quick one, for Brazilian passport holders. Another one, often long and exasperatingly slow, for the rest (including foreigners residents in Brazil).
Note: if you have a connection in Brazil to another international flight with the same airline (or an airline the first one has a agreement with), you have your boarding cards for the second flight, and you have checked-in your baggage to your final destination, you are likely to stay within the international transit area of the airport. You won’t have to go through immigration. In the case of different airlines chances are you will have to go through immigration and customs.
2. Baggage reclaim
After immigration you need to go to the baggage reclaim area in search for the conveyor belt (esteira, in Portuguese) where your baggage will appear. Pay attention as often airports do not provide any information on where you baggage is likely to appear. In case of doubt, ask around.
3. Duty Free (optional)
As we explained in detail at the Brazilian Duty Free, the main international airports have Duty Free shops both for departing and arriving passengers. If you want to make any last-minute purchases, this is the time.
4. Customs
You have reclaimed your baggage and done your shopping at the Duty Free shop. It’s time to head out of the arrival areas. Before you reach the external part of the airport you will meet a customs official. You will have to hand to him the Declaração de Bagagem Acompanhada (see customs restrictions on arrival) you received while on board. If you don’t have anything to declare, chances are the customs officer will let you go untroubled. If you are unlucky, he will send you through the red queue where his colleagues will inspect your baggage.
Passed the customs control, and you’ll be on the open section of the airport.
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the Brazilian Duty Free
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One uncommon aspect of Brazilian airports is that they have Duty Free shops for arriving passengers, and not only for those departing from the country. They are known by Brazilians as Free Shop. The company Brasif has the monopoly over all the Duty Free Shops, and at its web page (with version in English) you can browse through the products sold and check their prices. You can even book your shopping online and get it when you get to Brazil.
Any passenger arriving to Brazil from abroad can spend a maximum of 500 USD on the Duty Free before going through customs (for as long as there is a Duty Free shop at the airport, it should be noted).
The limits per passenger are as follows:
- 24 bottles of alcoholic drinks, with a maximum of 12 per type of drink (for example, 12 bottles of wine and 12 bottles of vodka)
- 20 packs of imported cigarettes
- 25 cigars
- 250 gr of pipe tobacco
- 10 articles of personal hygiene
- 3 units of watches, machines, games, toys, electrical instruments, electronic devices.
The limits above applied exclusively to duty free shops on Brazilian soil. Purchases made on the duty free abroad or in the plane are not included in the duty free allowance. If your flight originates in Brazil, purchases made on the Brazilian Duty Free when leaving the country are not included in that allowance either. That’s why on the Duty Free for departing passengers you will find higher-value goods (for instance, more expensive digital camera models).
Perfumes and alcoholic drinks at the Brazilian Duty Frees are competitively priced (although you can buy cheaper perfumes in the Argentinian Duty Free). In the case of alcoholic drinks, there is a considerable difference between the prices at the Duty Free and the prices on the street (due to heavy taxation). Do not be surprised if you see lots of Brazilians purchasing alcoholic drinks on arrival to the country.
Electronic goods at the Brazilian Duty Free shops are among the most expensive on the world.
Under-18’s cannot buy alcoholic drinks or tobacco.
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Posted by: | CommentsIf you live in Brazil, whether foreigner or resident, this blog post will be of interest to you. If you are a tourist, you can disregard the content of this post as it doesn’t apply to you.
If you are planning a trip abroad taking with you any high-value imported item (laptop computer, digital camera, Blackberry) and you intend to return to Brazil with them, you have to fill a Declaração de Saída Temporária de Bens (DST) to avoid problems with customs on your return.
The DST is a declaration you fill at the Receita Federal (Brazilian Inland Revenue) counter in all international airports. On the form, you will list the items you will be travelling with, giving details such as the make, the model and the serial number. With the form filled, take it along with the items described on it to the official, who will check that your declaration matches the equipment you are taking with you, and will stamp the declaration.
Once you have filled a DST, it does not expire. You can keep it for as long as you travel with the products described on it. The DST can be used by anyone travelling with the equipment listed on it.
Try to get to the airport early enough. You never know when you might come across a long and slow queue at the Receita Federal. Also, be aware than in the not so large airports the office is not opened 24×7.
More information on the following pages of the Brazilian Receita Federal:
Declaração de Saída Temporária de Bens (DST)
Formulário da DST para download
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Posted by: | CommentsFor 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:
More information on the following official pages (in Portuguese):
Viajantes
Isenção de Tributos sobre a Bagagem
Regime Especial de Admissão Temporária
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Posted by: | CommentsThere are a series of products and objects that cannot be taken outside Brazil. The list includes:
- the raw skin of amphibians and reptiles (you can can travel with manufactured good such as bags, suitcases and other objects that use those raw materials)
- wild animals, dead or alive (for instance, butterflies)
- aquatic species in any stage of development without an official authorization
- a long list of works of art related to the history of Brazil and the periods when Brazil was a colony and an empire
- documents on Brazil edited from the XVI to the XIX century, as well as old musical scores
Quite frankly, it is not worth the hassle, don’t even attempt to leave Brazil with any of those products. Federal Police and Inland Revenue officers are quite unceremonious.
You can leave Brazil with goods up to a maximum value of 2.000 USD, for as long as their movement is not restricted.
More information on the following page of the Brazilian Inland Revenue: Viajante saindo do Brasil – o que você precisa saber
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