Move from China to Brazil return home with peace of mind

If you stayed abroad for more than 1 year and are effectively transferring residence to Brazil, the used goods that make up your unaccompanied baggage are treated as baggage, exempt from taxes, under the terms of Instrução Normativa RFB nº 1.059/2010. The condition is that the cargo arrives within the legal window and that the documentation proves the transfer of residence. New goods and vehicles are excluded from this exemption.

Yes, and this is not our preference: it is not possible to complete customs clearance before your disembarkation in Brazil. The Receita Federal do Brasil requires, among the documents for the clearance, proof of the traveler's arrival in the country, and the right to the exemption is linked to your definitive disembarkation. The cargo may leave China and arrive before you — the legal window allows up to 3 months in advance — but it will remain waiting at the port or airport until you arrive, with storage and demurrage accruing in that interval. That is why we schedule from your arrival date, not from the date your home is ready to be packed.

Unaccompanied baggage must arrive between 3 months before and 6 months after the date of your arrival in Brazil. This window is the most sensitive point of the route, and here it requires more attention than average, because maritime transit consumes 50 to 70 days. We schedule the cargo's shipment date based on your flight date, and not the other way around. Outside the window, the Receita Federal do Brasil (Brazilian Federal Revenue Service) treats the cargo as a regular import and charges taxes.

It depends on their condition. The exemption covers used items that are part of your baggage. Appliances that you actually used in your home in China fall under this logic. Items still in original packaging, with a recent invoice or in repeated quantities tend to be treated as merchandise and taxed. Brazilian inspection is particularly attentive to resale patterns from this origin. We review the inventory with you before shipment and are frank about what represents risk.

It needs to be checked beforehand. China controls the exit of antiques and cultural goods, which may require specific authorization from the competent authorities. The problem occurs on exit, not on arrival in Brazil: an item without authorization can block the entire shipment. We identify these items in the pre-move survey and carry out the verification with the Chinese authorities before consolidating the cargo.

You can bring it, but the tax treatment is different. The baggage regime for transfer of residence presumes a stay abroad of more than 1 year. With a shorter period, the operation needs to be structured differently and taxes may be due. We evaluate your specific case before issuing a quote, because the relocation strategy changes considerably in that scenario.

Motor vehicles are not included in the baggage treatment for importation into Brazil. It is worth noting that the route is restrictive at both ends: China allows the importation of automobiles only for permanent residents and returning citizens, limited to one per family and subject to full taxation. On the Brazilian side, importation would be a separate operation, with its own taxation and homologation requirements. Our team advises on feasibility case by case, almost always unfavorable.

It depends on the appliance and the destination region. China operates on 220 V at 50 Hz, with plug types A, I and C. In Brazil there are regions at 220 V, where the voltage is compatible, and regions at 127 V, where it is not. In all cases the difference in frequency remains, which affects motorized equipment such as washing machines, dryers and fans. Electronic devices with dual-voltage power supplies generally work with a plug adapter. We evaluate each item in the inventory.

Yes. Returning animals to Brazil requires an international veterinary certificate issued by an official veterinarian, valid rabies vaccination and compliance with the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The return protocol is much simpler than entry into China, which imposes a mandatory 30-day quarantine for animals coming from Brazil. Transport of the animal is a process separate from the household goods move and runs in parallel, handled by our pet department. We have already transported more than 1,000 animals.

In China, collection, packing and export documentation are handled by accredited agents of our international network, under supervision of our team. In Brazil, customs clearance, final delivery and assembly are executed by One Moving's own team, without intermediaries. As the Brazilian customs clearance is the critical point of this route, it remains entirely under our direct management.