Move from Portugal to Brazil return home with peace of mind

Yes, and this is not our preference: it is not possible to complete customs clearance before your arrival in Brazil. The Receita Federal requires, among the dispatch documents, proof of the traveler's arrival in the country, and the right to the exemption is linked to your definitive arrival. The cargo may leave Portugal 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 during that interval. That is why we build the schedule from your arrival date, and not from the date the house is ready to be packed.

Goods must be sent to Brazil within the window of 3 months before your arrival to 6 months after it. Those who send outside this period lose the exemptions and the Special Taxation Regime, and are subject to a 20% fine on the import duty due, in accordance with art. 44, III and §3º of Instrução Normativa RFB nº 1.059/2010. There is an exception: if the delay resulted from circumstances beyond the traveler's control, the special regime is applied without the fine.

Anyone who resided abroad for more than 1 year is entitled to customs duty relief on furniture and other household goods and personal effects, new or used, and also on tools, machines, devices and instruments necessary for the exercise of their profession, art or trade, upon prior proof of the activity. Used household goods and personal effects, books, brochures and periodicals are exempt regardless of length of residence. Other goods classified within the concept of baggage fall under the Special Taxation Regime, with an import duty of 50% on the total value.

Yes, provided the total time of visits does not exceed 45 days during the period of one year abroad. If the total exceeds this limit, the excess time is not counted toward completing the minimum one-year period, and it will be necessary to remain longer abroad to compensate for the excess. This rule deserves special attention on this route: because the flight between Lisbon and São Paulo is short and frequent, many people accumulate visits to Brazil over the year and discover the problem only at the time of customs clearance. Important caution: this count admits exceptions, and specific situations — travel for health reasons, family bereavement, employer requirement, among others — may receive different treatment. If your visits to Brazil approached this limit, do not conclude on your own that you lost the customs duty relief: a customs specialist will assess your specific case before any decision about the move.

The central document is the electronic Simplified Import Declaration (DSI), registered in Siscomex. Siscomex authorization can be waived when the declaration is transmitted by a Customs officer or prepared by a customs broker appointed by the traveler. In addition to it, the inventory of goods with description and approximate value per volume, the bill of lading, proof of the traveler's arrival in Brazil, a copy of the identification document and, in the case of foreigners, the permanent visa document are required.

Proof is provided by a set of documents, and the hierarchy among them matters. The two pieces of evidence that effectively support the customs clearance are the Declaration of Residence issued by the Brazilian Consulate in the city where you live and utility bills in your name, such as water, electricity, gas and internet: these demonstrate effective residence at the address. Documents such as the Residency Authorization or Portuguese residence permit, the rental agreement, payslips and proof of tax registration and contributions to the Portuguese Social Security enter the dossier as supporting documents, together with the passport showing entries and exits, but do not prove residence in isolation, because they attest authorization to reside and not the fact of having lived there. We assemble this dossier with you before shipment, because gathering documents abroad after you are already in Brazil is much more difficult.

The Receita Federal itself advises the traveler to require that the contracted company issue and deliver the bill of lading in their name, stating the number of packages shipped. Without this document in the name of the owner of the goods, the condition that the baggage be covered by a bill of lading is not met, which leads to disqualification from the regime and the loss of the exemption.

Receita Federal do Brasil (Brazilian Federal Revenue Service) assigns to each import declaration a customs inspection channel. In the green channel, release is automatic. In the yellow channel, there is document review. In the red channel, in addition to document review, a physical inspection of the cargo takes place. In the gray channel, a complete valuation audit is carried out. Red and gray channels can add days or weeks to the timeframe, regardless of the chosen mode, and consistent documentation is the main leverage against this risk.

The exemption depends on the simultaneous fulfillment of four conditions: the goods must arrive within the window of 3 months before to 6 months after the arrival; they must be covered by a bill of lading; they must originate from the countries of stay or origin of the traveler; and they must fit within the concept of baggage of art. 2º, II, of IN RFB nº 1.059/2010. Failure to comply with any of these leads to disqualification from the regime.

Yes. In 2023 One Moving acquired Premier International Movers, a company with more than 15 years of history and one of the largest in the international moving segment in Portugal. This means that the team that packs your goods in Portugal and the team that clears customs and delivers in Brazil belong to the same group, with its own operation at both ends of the route, without intermediation by third‑party agents.