Shipping a part to a US or European operator is mostly a logistics problem. Shipping the same part to a Brazilian operator is a logistics problem wrapped around a regulatory one, and the regulatory side is where shipments actually get stuck. This is a plain overview of how the process fits together, written for anyone selling into Brazil who wants to understand what their customer's broker is actually doing, not a substitute for advice from a licensed broker on a specific shipment.
The customs broker is not optional
A despachante aduaneiro, customs broker, is the licensed professional who handles the formal customs clearance process with Receita Federal, Brazil's federal revenue authority, on the importer's behalf. Brazilian customs clearance runs through Siscomex, the government's integrated foreign trade system, and in practice the process is specialized enough that importers of any size use a broker rather than attempting to self-file. If you are selling to a Brazilian buyer, assume a broker is involved on their end, and route technical questions about the shipment, correct part description, weight, value, and documentation, through that broker rather than around them.
RADAR: the registration that comes before any of this
Before a Brazilian company can import in its own name, it needs a RADAR registration, Registro e Rastreamento da Atuação dos Intervenientes Aduaneiros, granted by Receita Federal. This registration authorizes the company to operate in foreign trade through Siscomex, and it comes with operating limits tied to the company's financial capacity. A buyer without an active RADAR registration, or with a limit too low for the shipment value, cannot clear the import themselves and typically needs to work through a trading company or an import-on-behalf-of arrangement instead. This is worth confirming early, because it affects who the actual importer of record is on the paperwork.
NCM classification drives almost everything downstream
Every imported item gets classified under an NCM code, Nomenclatura Comum do Mercosul, an eight-digit tariff classification shared across Mercosul member countries. The NCM assigned to a part determines the import duty rate, which additional federal taxes apply, and critically, whether the item requires an import license or specific regulatory clearance before it can be released. Two parts that look similar from a buyer's perspective can carry different NCM codes with very different licensing requirements, so classification is not a formality, it is the decision that determines the rest of the process. This is squarely the broker's job, working from an accurate part description, not something to guess at from the sales invoice alone.
Import licensing and where ANAC comes in
Depending on the NCM, an import may be automatically cleared once the shipment arrives, or it may require an import license processed through Siscomex before or during clearance. For a meaningful share of aeronautical products, that licensing step includes a review by ANAC, Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil, acting as an anuente, an endorsing authority that confirms the item meets applicable Brazilian aviation requirements before customs will release it. Whether ANAC involvement applies to a given part depends on its classification and intended use, and that is a question for the broker to confirm against the specific NCM, not something to assume either way.
What typically slows things down
The delays we see traced back to a small set of recurring issues, most of them avoidable with accurate documentation from the start:
- A part description on the commercial invoice that does not clearly match the part itself, forcing a broker to guess at classification or triggering a manual review.
- NCM misclassification, which can cause a shipment to be flagged for the wrong licensing pathway entirely.
- Traceability documentation, an 8130-3 or equivalent, that does not match the part number or condition stated on the invoice, which raises questions before customs will release regulated items.
- An importer without sufficient RADAR capacity for the shipment value, discovered after the part is already in transit.
- Missing power of attorney or incomplete authorization for the broker to act on the importer's behalf in Siscomex.
None of these are exotic problems. They are documentation and classification issues that a broker can catch before a shipment leaves origin if they have complete, accurate information up front.
Realistic expectations on timing
Clearance time varies with the NCM assigned, whether a license or ANAC anuência is required, the port or airport of entry, and the current processing queue at that point of entry. There is no single number that applies to every shipment, and any promise of a fixed clearance time before the broker has actually classified the specific part should be treated as a rough estimate, not a commitment. What does reliably speed things up is getting complete, accurate documentation, commercial invoice, packing list, airway bill, and any traceability paperwork, into the broker's hands before the shipment departs, rather than after it lands.
What this means if you are the seller
You are not responsible for your Brazilian customer's import process, but a shipment that is properly documented from your side, accurate part description, correct value, complete traceability paperwork matching the part exactly, gives their broker the best possible starting point. Most of the delays that get blamed on Brazilian customs actually originate in documentation gaps on the export side that could have been closed before the box left the warehouse.
Shipping a part to a Brazilian operator and want to make sure the paperwork is right before it leaves? Talk to our Brazil desk before you ship.