The lowdown on sending parcels to Brazil
Home of Copacabana beach and the Amazon rainforest, Brazil is one of the biggest countries in the world and represents an important market for couriers. As hosts of World Cup 2014 and upcoming hosts for Olympics 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has a reputation as being a sport haven and there's no doubt the country will be importing and exporting numerous goods in the coming years.
However. the spiritual home of football also has a number of licensing requirements and restrictions that senders need to be aware of before they send letters, parcels and packages into the mail delivery system. Here's the lowdown on sending items to Brazil.
Writing addresses
Brazil has a number of recommendations when it comes to writing addresses on a piece of mail. The following information needs to be presented, in capital letters, in this order:
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Name or company name
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Name and number of the road and further information if required
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Name of the district
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City or region name, followed by Brazilian Federal Union sign
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Post code
Prohibitions
Brazil has a number of prohibited products that cannot be sent in the mail under any circumstances. For instance, live animals cannot be sent to Brazil along with meat, edible meat offal, fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates. Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes are also prohibited alongside products of the chemical and allied industries. Pharmaceutical products, miscellaneous chemical products and organic chemicals also make Brazil's prohibited list.
Superhero villains are also out of luck as Brazil has prohibited the sending of nuclear reactors, firearms and ammunition. Also appearing on the list are poniards, stilettos, canes, umbrellas and any article containing swords or daggers.
Some of the more eyebrow-raising items appearing on the prohibited list include printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and plans, for instance. In addition, cereals and musical instruments are also prohibited.
Licenses
Brazil requires important licenses for the vast majority of goods and, as such, senders need to check with the addressee before mailing that the necessary documents are in possession. In addition, Brazil reserves the right to collect a "presentation-to-Customs charge" from customers for any item submitted to customs control, regardless of any custom charges that are (or aren't) levied. As such, senders should prepare themselves for a potential financial charge should this happen.
As Brazil is a sizable country - the fifth largest in terms of population in size - delivery to the country is not instant and may take several days for the letter, parcel or package to reach its recipient. Furthermore should your item or items be held in customs, delivery is generally delayed by 12 days on average.
These are some of the biggest issues to consider when sending items to Brazil. However it's worth double-checking with the courier before sending a package to the country - ensuring the parcel reaches its intended destination quicker than you can say 'carnival'!
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Sending parcels to Brazil