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Brazilian Customs: How to Speed Up the Clearing Process

Published on 02/01/2018 - Updated on 11/07/2023

Brazilian digital consumers are very keen on purchasing from international websites. In fact, nearly half of them have purchased at least once from a foreign website and 22% are regular buyers. However, when it comes to receiving physical goods shipped from another country, local consumers might experience frustrating delays. We have already mentioned the challenges merchants face with the cross border sales of physical goods to Brazil, including the need to train customer support staff to deal with complaints regarding the delays.

 

Read also: How are import taxes calculated in Brazil? A guide for e-commerce in 2023

 

Nevertheless, the merchant is not at fault in this situation. In reality, the buyer holds the power to try and speed up the clearing process by presenting their complaint to the right element of the chain, frequently the Receita Federal, the Brazilian customs.

 

 

How to Present a Complaint to Brazilian Customs?

 

Reclame AQUI, the popular internet portal where consumers can complain about businesses, has thousands and thousands of complaints registered against Brazilian customs. The vast majority of them refer to the delays in the clearing process. However, as the Receita Federal is a public entity, the complaints must be registered on the official channel of the Treasury Department (Ministério da Fazenda).

 

In many cases, the lack of personnel and the huge amount of international parcels to be processed manually on a daily basis – over 200,000 – means consumers often have to wait up to 40 days to receive their purchases. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for delays to happen. When the buyer tracks the parcel and sees details that it is sitting at the Brazilian customs waiting for inspection, there is a way to present a complaint in the hopes of speeding up the clearing process. This is how it can be done (the instructions are also available in Portuguese, so feel free to share them whenever a buyer contacts your store regarding delivery delays):

 

    1. First of all, the consumer should access the website for the Ombudsman of the Treasury Department (Ouvidoria do Ministério da Fazenda).

Brazilian Customs

    1. Once on the page, in the menu on the left, under “Ouvidoria”, click on the “Formas de Contato” option. Then scroll-down to “Registre sua mensagem” and click on the button.

Brazilian Customs

    1. Now all you have left to do is write your complaint and send it.

Brazilian Customs

On the same page from step 2, it is possible to choose the option “Consulte sua mensagem” to verify the status of your complaint. The answers can be received in less than 24 hours. However, bear in mind that the main intent of the complaint is to notify the public entity of the poor conditions of the services provided. It might speed up the clearing process. But if it does not, it will still help towards the implementation of a better and more agile service on the Receita Federal side.

 

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Comments

  • zim191 6 de June de 2018

    Hi!
    Do you know if this also would help if the package you shipped has to be sent backed to sender and is now stuck at customs via DHL ?

    • Bianca Lopez 29 de June de 2018

      Hi. In theory, it should work regardless of the shipping method. Let me know how your experience goes so we can update the article! Good luck!

  • Tranae Davidson 26 de October de 2020

    I’m still waiting on a response as to why my package still in customs it’s there from sept 12 2020 it was supposed to be delivered oct 14 2020 what’s the hold up please let me know I’m waiting on my refund

  • Larry Frank Herrera 31 de January de 2022

    I sent a package through US Priority mail, and i believe it is being held up for a fee. Is there a number I can contact in order to verify?

    Thank you

  • Moses Gomes 25 de April de 2022

    Hey Bianca, very good post, thank you very much.
    I’m in a similar situation as my package shipped from the US to Brazil via UPS service that just arrived in Brazil on April 18 is delayed in updating and processing.

    I hope the Brazilian customs service that is processing my package received from US UPS will be improved.

  • Pedro 25 de August de 2022

    Meu produto está mais de um mês e ainda n chegou o que eu faço