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shipping a container to Brasil

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Joaozinh
  1/8/2022 16:11 EST

I am in the process of putting together a 20' container to ship to Brasil in the next few months. Just would like to hear from anyone who has been through this process for any tips or problems that you may have encountered along the way

pensadenos
  1/8/2022 18:03 EST

We too shipped our belongings to the NE of Brazil in July 2015 and we have been living here permanently since. 1) if you are going to live in an area of Brazil that has 120v then you can use your 110v appliances. But if you live anywhere else within Brazil where it is 220v then leave your 110v appliances in the US and buy locally those things you will need. 2) Take a 3rd and very strong look at what you are wanting to send and ask yourself if you really will need it or if it can be replaced with something local. 3) Most of us use despanche......this person specializes in ensuring that all paperwork for those things shipped is done, correct and given to the authorities. Sometimes they take a little bit of pressure off of you and they will charge you for this service. 4) Most likely the dock company that unloads your container in Brazil will charge you about R$1,500.00 to unload your container. This is legal and the USA recognizes this as a "facilitation fee." They realize that you either pay it or it might not get unloaded. It is tax deductible. Some say they have had no problems. Some say they have not had to pay the fee. I moved here twice and had to pay it both times. You will need a complete list of all things being imported into Brazil. The Recita Federal requires this inventory list and it will also have to be translated into Portuguese. I had someone from California, on-line and certified translate the list for me at a cost of $50.00. 5) It is possible that Receita Federal will inform you that there is a hold to be placed on your container so it can be inspected by Receita Federal. They did that to me last time and it sat in storage on the dock for 30 days. At the end of the 30 days they released the container without inspecting it and I had to pay the dock company $900.00 for storage. After I paid the storage fee the container was released and I received it within 2 weeks. I'm not sure of your history with Brazil but appliances like stoves, microwaves, washer and dyers are of good quality here and maybe easier and cheaper if you don't bring those items with you. There are a lot of things I would not have shipped if I did it over again. Photo albums, and the like can be stored at a relatives house maybe. The one thing I shipped and would still do it was my 5 person Jacuzzi as Brazil doesn't make these things with the same quality as those made in the USA. If there is anything I can help and answer for you please do not hesitate to contact me. Some specialty items to consider.....if you are a master BBQ chef you might want to make sure you have a good gas grill with cover. Brazil is now selling some grills but they cost way, way too much. You might purchase some extra parts like the cast iron grill and the burner tube. Those will burn out fast and will need to be replaced. Unless you are going to live in the central/south of the country big heavy blankets will not be needed. Make sure the bed your shipping is high quality.....ours was a motionless, feather top and heaterless waterbed. Dishes, silverware, pots and pans are good to ship, especially if you have cast iron skillets. Computers : Electronics are all expensive here and good quality stuff is hard to find. If you have an old laptop consider upgrading. If you are a photographer and picky about your equipment get back up camera before you come. A good subscription to a paid VPN will help you with your favorite US programs. I had a 52" Samsung Smart TV and hung it on the wall when it arrived.....never used it because I use my computer instead to watch Sling and Netflix. We turned it on for the first time the other day and it didn't work.

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Joaozinh
  1/10/2022 01:24 EST

I appreciate all of the great info! Very helpful

VovoBillinBrazil
  2/24/2022 18:05 EST

Which company?

VovoBillinBrazil
  3/11/2022 06:27 EST

We found a company that has been used by several family friends for the moves both to the USA and reverse. They are a franchise of Atlas Moving that has been in business for a very long time nationally here in the USA.

Granero Moving out of Miami. Speak with Regina at 786-614-4441. She will set you up for your move and guide the process.

For a 20 foot container, it will cost about $8000.00 USD. Door-to-door service. They do everything. No packing on your part unless you would prefer to do it. An additional Duana/Customs fee of $1400 USD gets tacked on. The overall cost may seem high, however, my father moved four hours away and packed two semi-trucks full and it cost him $11,000 USD. If there are any hiccups upon arrival and inspection in Santos those costs are passed along to you. As an example, you may not bring a machine that uses gasoline or propane tanks. If you get inspected and that is located there will be a fine and the item is confiscated.

So far the process is pretty simple. There is the paperwork needed. A lot of scanned copies of entire passport(s) all pages. Brazil ID. CPF.
13 months of electric bills or water (not cable, internet, cellphone bill). Marriage certificate (translated and only if this is your situation). About six other papers were provided by the moving company. We notarized all of them, just for safety's sake. If you know Brazil, you know why. It took about a day to put all that information together, scan and email Dennis in Brasil.

Your flight confirmation, not a reservation, a paid-in-full ticket.

You or your wife must be in Brasil when the container arrives in Santos. You do not meet in Santos, you go to your final destination and wait. The agent Dennis will handle all the port of entry and liberation of the container details. The container is expected to arrive approximately 25 days after it departs my house in Santos. Then another few days (I guess) to the house. My wife is flying down and will meet with the container when it arrives by truck. Unloading the container is up to you. You will need to hire people to do it. They will only load it here in the USA.

Joaozinh
  3/11/2022 15:14 EST

thank you for your post! Very helpful information

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Joaozinh
  3/17/2022 13:19 EST

thanks for the info! Just so others know, the price varies greatly depending on where you live in the U.S. and where your final destination is in Brasil. For example, our quote from Granero for a 20'container is over 12,000 because we live in northern Wisconsin

VovoBillinBrazil
  3/31/2022 21:51 EST

Yes I should have mentioned that. Your distance from Santos or another receiving port in Brazil can certainly cost you more. I'd say we are as close to Santos as one can get in the USA, unlike Wisconsin (aka Cheeseland) Go-PACK-GO!!!!.

A few hiccups here and there as far as moving. The ports here in the USA are having employment problems. NO ONE wants to work. So our container was delayed departure two weeks to mid April. The guys packing it, did an ok job.
Very nice Cuban crew, but had we packed it all, everything would have fit into the container. They were very "loose" in packing the boxes. One item into a box. My wife caught it a number of times so I imagine we will find several lightly packed boxes upon unpacking. My Weber Grill and a sofa didn't make it.
So I'm a bit unhappy with that..

Also. As of March 31, 2022 Receita Federal will require a Power of Attorney notarized IN Brasil. Not only the two we did here in the USA. Wife is leaving soon so she will be able to get that handled quickly. That is what the shipper Regina told us yesterday.

I'll update as I have news positive or negative.

VovoBillinBrazil
  5/23/2022 11:33 EST

OK. So the "Dublin Express" our container ship finally picked up ours in Port Everglades on May 03.

It arrived in anchorage area outside Santos on May 14. Our container was offloaded on May 17th.

We are now awaiting it's clearing of Duana (Customs). Fingers crossed I don't get additional fees for inspection. Red Line or Yellow line. Red you pay generally and Yellow it gets put on a truck and sent out for delivery.

It has truly been a "what can be expected with Brazil's bureaucracy,

-Agent "You need this Notarized and that".
-Me, "Wait we did that?", "Explain please."
-Agent "A new one needs to be completed because you only put your middle initial, not your entire middle name. And on that one the top of the paper has letter and number printed that don't match anything."
-Me, "That paper was a PFD supplied by you. How am I supposed to know that?"
-Agent, "Please correct the paper and notarize."

Yep. That kind of thing. And Notary fees etc. Not terribly expensive, but.

Some forms must be completed with the Receita Federal online, Then printed out. Then Notarized. We did that here and there just to be certain.
Keep that in mind.

We are HOPING we have everything in order. The amount of paperwork is indeed seemingly endless. My wife who wanted to send the belongings even stated if she had known the headaches, we would have sold everything. But here we are. I'll let you know.

VovoBillinBrazil
  6/12/2022 20:25 EST

We are still waiting on Red line or Yellow line notification. Dennis the agent hasn't heard from Duana as of yet. I'll update as I get news. Good thing we can extend my wife's stay.

VovoBillinBrazil
  6/14/2022 14:15 EST

Success. We made the Yellow Line. Container should leave within the next few days. Expect delivery in Goiania June 23rd.

A few points my wife and I spoke about earlier.

1. Have two people at home when the company comes to pack. It was a 3 day event, FYI, so it can be supervised. They did a careful and complete job, however, they packed very light boxes (not too much in the way of contents). A 20 foot container is allowed a weight of approximately 8200lbs. Excluding big furniture or appliances which we only took 4 chairs, that is a large amount of everything else. And my Weber could have made it.

2. Do AS MUCH packing as possible yourself. I packed my entire office (had to donate a majority of my books (Very Sad about that) to save on space. But. I packed about 20 boxes myself and evenly distributed the items so they were not too heavy per box. If you do this. You will get much more on the container. I foolishly fell in love with the idea of them packing the boxes, but learned a hard lesson for it.

3. Had we packed all. Then items (A lot of items set aside for donation, clothing, small kitchen appliances, things not usable in Brazil) would have been given to neighbors or such again, allowing for more space.

Anyway. That's our shipping container story for Brazil. I will update when it all arrives by truck.

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Oliveira Lawyers is the foremost Brazilian law firm dedicated to representing the interests of foreign citizens in Brazil. From immigration to real estate and other life events, our bilingual attorneys got you covered! Main services include immigration, real estate, notary services, tax services, collections, family law, and litigation.
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VovoBillinBrazil
  7/5/2022 20:38 EST

Container arrived last week.

Once the container was released from the Yellow Line. No extra surprises as far as fees, it was taken to a moving company facility in the Sao Paulo area and our belongings were transferred to a moving truck. Just like the big American moving trucks we all know.

It arrived at 0700 hours sharp at the property. Three guys, and several people we hired, unloaded and went through the shipping manifest. My wife checked off items as they were brought in. It was detailed and took the better part of the day.

High value items, you will designate these when you fill out the list you need to submit, were opened and inspected. All of our electronics were fine along with the other items. The packers did do a thorough and good job with packing. Even all the garden tools were wrapped in heavy cardboard. Many had dirt on them still. LOL.

Overall. A good experience. Not great, since I didn't get my Weber on there but that's ok. My Green Egg made it without a scratch.

Any questions. Please ask.

Oliveira Lawyers
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Oliveira Lawyers is the foremost Brazilian law firm dedicated to representing the interests of foreign citizens in Brazil. From immigration to real estate and other life events, our bilingual attorneys got you covered!
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Oliveira LawyersOliveira Lawyers

Oliveira Lawyers is the foremost Brazilian law firm dedicated to representing the interests of foreign citizens in Brazil. From immigration to real estate and other life events, our bilingual attorneys got you covered!
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Oliveira Lawyers is the foremost Brazilian law firm dedicated to representing the interests of foreign citizens in Brazil. From immigration to real estate and other life events, our bilingual attorneys got you covered!
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Oliveira Lawyers is the foremost Brazilian law firm dedicated to representing the interests of foreign citizens in Brazil. From immigration to real estate and other life events, our bilingual attorneys got you covered!
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