Move from Colombia 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, without taxation, under the terms of Instrução Normativa RFB nº 1.059/2010. It is worth noting the asymmetry of the route: Colombia charges 15% ad valorem on the household goods of foreigners on entry, while Brazil grants full exemption on return. New goods and vehicles are outside this exemption.

Yes, and this is not our preference: it is not possible to conclude the customs clearance before your disembarkation in Brazil. The Receita Federal requires, among the dispatch documents, proof of the traveler's arrival in the country, and the right to exemption is linked to your definitive disembarkation. The cargo can leave Colombia 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 build the schedule from your disembarkation date, not from the date the house is ready to be packed.

Unaccompanied baggage must arrive between 3 months before and 6 months after the date of your disembarkation in Brazil. This window is the most sensitive point of the route. As maritime transit consumes 40 to 60 days, we plan the cargo's shipment date based on your flight date, not the other way around. Outside the window, the Receita Federal treats the cargo as a regular import and charges taxes.

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 unaccompanied baggage treatment in Brazilian importation. This route is restrictive at both ends: Colombia also excludes automobiles from the household goods regime, requiring ordinary importation. On the Brazilian side, the import would be a separate operation, with taxation and its own requirements, including homologation. Our team advises on feasibility case by case, almost always unfavourable.

In general yes, and this is one of the simplest routes in this regard. Colombia operates at 110 V and 60 Hz, using plug types A and B, very close to the Brazilian 127 V standard with the same frequency. In most cases a plug adapter is sufficient. For Brazilian destinations at 220 V, appropriately sized transformers must be evaluated. We check item by item on the inventory.

Yes. The return of animals to Brazil requires an international veterinary certificate issued by an official veterinarian, a valid rabies vaccination and compliance with the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. It is a protocol of complexity similar to entry into Colombia, and much simpler than those of European or Asian destinations. Transport of the animal is a process separate from the relocation of the goods and runs in parallel, handled by our pet department. We have already transported more than 1,000 animals.

Proof is provided by a set of documents, and the hierarchy among them matters. The two documents that effectively support the customs clearance are the Declaration of Residence issued by the Brazilian Consulate in the city where you live and consumption bills in your name, such as water, electricity, gas and internet: these demonstrate actual residence at the address. Documents such as the cédula de extranjería, the residence visa, the employment contract and the lease contract enter the dossier as supporting evidence, together with the passport showing entries and exits, but they do not prove residence on their own, because they attest authorization to reside and not the fact of having lived there. It is also necessary to have the document attesting the termination of that residence, normally the cancellation of the migration registration or the termination of the employment contract. We assemble this dossier with you before shipment, because gathering documents abroad after you are already in Brazil is much more difficult.

From a practical point of view, there is one detail to consider. Colombia allows the introduction of a single household goods allowance per family unit, and a new household goods allowance may only enter after 5 years from the initial clearance. This restriction applies to entries into Colombia, not to the exit, so it does not prevent your return to Brazil. But if there is a possibility you will return to Colombia within that period, it is worth discussing planning before shipping everything at once.

In Colombia, collection, packing and exit documentation are conducted by accredited agents of our international network, under supervision of our team. In Brazil, customs clearance, final delivery and assembly are performed by One Moving's own team, with no intermediaries. Because Brazilian customs clearance is the critical point on this route, it is managed entirely under our direct control.