Move from the United Kingdom 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 disembarkation in Brazil. Receita Federal do Brasil requires, among the documents for clearance, proof of the traveler's arrival in the country, and the right to exemption is linked to your definitive disembarkation. The cargo can leave the United Kingdom and arrive before you — the legal window allows up to three months in advance — but it will remain waiting at the port or airport until you arrive, with storage and demurrage running in that interval. That is why we build the schedule based on your disembarkation date, and not on the date when the house is ready to be packed.

Goods must be shipped to Brazil within the window of 3 months before your disembarkation up to 6 months after it. Shipments made outside this period lose the exemptions and the special taxation regime, and are subject to a 20% fine on the import duty due, conforme o art. 44, III e §3º da 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.

Those who resided abroad for more than 1 year are exempt from taxes on furniture and other household goods and personal effects, new or used, and also on tools, machines, appliances and instruments necessary for the exercise of their profession, art or trade, subject to prior proof of the activity. Used personal effects, books, pamphlets and periodicals are exempt regardless of length of residence. Other goods falling under the concept of baggage enter the Special Taxation Regime, with import duty of 50% on the total value.

Proof is made by a set of documents, and the hierarchy among them matters. The two pieces of evidence that effectively support the clearance are the Declaration of Residence issued by the Brazilian Consulate of 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 Biometric Residence Permit or eVisa, the council tax bill, the tenancy contract, payslips and NHS registration 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 the 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 central document is the electronic Simplified Import Declaration (DSI), registered in Siscomex. Siscomex registration can be waived when the declaration is transmitted by a Customs official or prepared by a customs broker appointed by the traveler. In addition to it, the required documents are the list 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.

In most cases, no. The United Kingdom operates at 230 V and uses three flat-pin outlets, a standard that does not exist in Brazil, so refrigerators, washing machines and ovens would require adaptation or a permanent transformer. Furniture, decorative items, books, clothing and items of sentimental value are worthwhile without reservations. We evaluate item by item in the virtual pre-move survey and show the freight cost of each item before you decide, because it makes no sense to pay transport for equipment that will not work.

The Receita Federal do Brasil itself advises the traveler to require the contracted company to have the bill of lading issued and delivered in their name, stating the number of volumes 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 the regime being disapplied 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 a document review. In the red channel, in addition to document review, a physical inspection of the cargo occurs. In the grey channel, a full valuation audit is carried out. Red and grey channels can add days or weeks to the timeline, regardless of the transport mode chosen, and consistent documentation is the main lever to mitigate 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 disembarkation; they must be covered by a bill of lading; they must come from the countries of stay or origin of the traveler; and they must fall under the concept of baggage in art. 2, II, of IN RFB nº 1.059/2010. Failure to comply with any of them leads to the regime being disapplied.

Collection, packing and export documentation in the United Kingdom are carried out by accredited agents of our international network, under coordination of our team. Customs clearance in Brazil, delivery to the final address and assembly of the furniture are conducted by One Moving's own team, with a customs broker appointed for the process. The client has a single person responsible for the entire route, without needing to negotiate with different providers at each end.