How do I export to Brazil?
South America's largest economy with complex regulations and high growth potential—a strategic guide to exporting to Brazil.
Key Summary
Brazil is South America's largest economy with a GDP of approximately $2 trillion and a population of 210 million—a top-10 global market. Korea-Brazil annual bilateral trade is approximately $6 billion, with Korea primarily exporting semiconductors, petrochemicals, and automotive parts. Brazil is a MERCOSUR member, and Korea-MERCOSUR trade agreement negotiations are ongoing with limited tariff reductions gradually being expanded on some products. Brazil's economy has been showing stable growth centered on agriculture, energy, and manufacturing, with digital infrastructure investment expansion and increased domestic consumption opening various opportunities for Korean exporters.
Market Overview
Brazil is South America's largest economy with a GDP of approximately $2 trillion and a population of 210 million—a top-10 global market. Korea-Brazil annual bilateral trade is approximately $6 billion, with Korea primarily exporting semiconductors, petrochemicals, and automotive parts. Brazil is a MERCOSUR member, and Korea-MERCOSUR trade agreement negotiations are ongoing with limited tariff reductions gradually being expanded on some products. Brazil's economy has been showing stable growth centered on agriculture, energy, and manufacturing, with digital infrastructure investment expansion and increased domestic consumption opening various opportunities for Korean exporters.
Market Characteristics & Trends
Brazil's market has vast geographic scale with large regional economic disparities, with the southeastern region centered on São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro accounting for over 60% of total consumption. The Korean Wave (K-Wave) is spreading among Brazil's MZ generation, with interest in K-Beauty, K-Food, and electronic devices surging, broadening Korean consumer brand entry opportunities. Brazil is one of the world's largest agricultural producers, with steadily increasing demand for precision agriculture-related technology and equipment and food processing machinery. According to the expanding infrastructure investment trend, demand for premium Korean equipment and parts in energy, construction, and telecommunications sectors also continues to grow. The e-commerce market is growing rapidly, with consumer goods export potential through online channels also attracting attention.
Key Regulations & Certifications
The most critical regulation for Brazilian exports is INMETRO (National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology) certification, which mandatorily applies to over 90 product categories including electrical/electronic products, toys, and safety-related products. Food, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and cosmetics require ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency) registration, and registration procedures are complex and can take months to years—advance preparation is important. Agricultural and livestock products and related goods require MAPA (Ministry of Agriculture) phytosanitary approval and permits, with pre-export consultation with Korean quarantine authorities also recommended. ANATEL (telecommunications authority) certification mandatorily applies to telecommunications and wireless equipment, with average certification acquisition taking 6–12 months. Brazil's complex tax structure—ICMS (interstate distribution tax), IPI (manufactured goods tax), and PIS/COFINS (social contribution taxes)—must be thoroughly understood and reflected in price structures.
Business Culture & Commercial Practices
Brazilian business culture prioritizes human relationships above all else, and investing sufficient time and face-to-face meetings to build trust before closing deals is essential. Portuguese is the official language and many corporate managers have limited English communication, so a communication strategy through Brazilian local agents or interpreters is needed. The flexible time concept means meeting delays frequently occur, and cultural understanding that this is not rudeness is important in negotiations. The decision-making process is hierarchical and slow, so securing direct access to the final decision-maker is key to accelerating deal closures. Brazilian partners prefer long-term partnership building and tend to place great value on sustained relationship maintenance over initial transactions.
Buyer Discovery Strategy
Actively utilizing KOTRA's São Paulo trade office's local buyer matching service and market research support is the first step to entering the Brazilian market. Securing direct contact opportunities with local buyers is possible through industry-specific specialized trade show participation—FEIMAFE (manufacturing technology), AGRISHOW (agriculture), and HOSPITALAR (medical) are Brazil's largest industry fairs. B2B contacts with importer networks organized by Apex-Brasil (Brazil's trade promotion agency) and FIESP (São Paulo State Federation of Industries) members are also effective. Establishing local entities or exclusive agent contracts to build a long-term market attack base is advantageous for large-scale market entry. Simultaneous online buyer discovery through digital platforms like LinkedIn and MercadoLivre corporate channels is also effective.
Customs Procedures & Logistics
Brazil's customs procedures are known as among the world's most complex, with average clearance taking 10–15 business days and sometimes months if documents are deficient. All imports must be declared through Brazil's customs system SISCOMEX, and using a customs broker (Despachante Aduaneiro) is practically mandatory. Many product categories require Brazilian import licenses (Licença de Importação, LI), and whether LI issuance is required in advance must be confirmed. Major import ports are Santos, Paranaguá, and Rio de Janeiro, with Santos Port processing approximately 40% of total container cargo as the largest port. Using the Manaus Free Trade Zone (Zona Franca de Manaus) can provide IPI and ICMS exemption benefits for some products—strategic use is possible for electronics and certain industries.
Pricing Strategy & Payment Terms
Brazil's multilayered tax structure often means imported goods' final consumer prices can be 2–3 times the FOB price, requiring thorough tax planning for price competitiveness. Since Brazilian Real (BRL) has high exchange rate volatility, making USD payment the principle and specifying exchange hedge conditions in contracts is safer. Applying L/C (letter of credit) or advance payment (T/T Advance) conditions for initial transactions with new partners and gradually flexibilizing payment conditions as transaction history accumulates is recommended. Brazilian buyers tend to prefer long-term installment payments, so providing installment payment structures linked with local financial partners can become a competitiveness factor. Using K-SURE's Brazil export insurance products to proactively manage non-collection risk is important.
Marketing & Localization Strategy
Marketing in the Brazilian market must be produced in Portuguese, and localization reflecting Brazil's unique emotional and relationship-centered communication style is essential. Brazil is in the world's top tier for social media usage, so digital marketing using Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, and collaboration with local influencers is effective for raising consumer brand awareness. Korean Wave-linked marketing targeting Brazil's MZ generation with high interest in K-Beauty, K-drama, and K-pop is usable as a differentiated brand positioning strategy. Since Brazil has large regional consumption pattern differences, establishing São Paulo southeastern concentration strategy and then expanding to northeastern and southern regions step by step is efficient. Joint marketing investment with local distribution partners or import agents is advantageous for reducing initial brand awareness building costs.
FTA & Tariff Benefits
Brazil is a MERCOSUR member (including Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay), with Korea-MERCOSUR trade agreement negotiations ongoing and limited tariff reductions currently applied to some products. Brazil's average import tariff rate is 12–20%, with some products up to 35%, making HS code-specific tariff rate confirmation essential. Installing logistics bases in the Manaus Free Trade Zone (ZFM) can provide IPI exemption, ICMS reduction, and 88% import duty reduction benefits—with high strategic use value for electronics and related industries. Reviewing tariff saving possibilities by examining origin regulations of existing trade agreements concluded by Brazil is also part of export strategy. Continuously monitoring Korea-MERCOSUR agreement progress and applicable product expansion schedules through Korea Customs and KOTRA is important.
Business Culture
Buyer Types
Large Retail / Retail Chains
Brazil's major retail buyers—Grupo Pão de Açúcar, Carrefour Brasil, Magazine Luiza—are large enterprises with nationwide chains that prefer suppliers with stable supply capability and local A/S infrastructure. Large orders require strict local certification and Portuguese-language labeling compliance, with sufficient sample testing and certification review periods before initial supply contracts.
Industrial Goods Importers
Industrial goods specialty importers for machinery, parts, and chemicals possess expertise specialized in specific industries, and highly value Korean suppliers with technical support capability and A/S competence. They mainly resell to manufacturers, construction companies, and energy companies, preferring long-term exclusive agent contracts and prioritizing technical reliability and delivery stability over price.
Government / Public Institutions
Brazil's federal and state government public procurement proceeds through the ComprasNet electronic procurement system, with Pregão (reverse auction) method commonly used. Local entity establishment or local representative designation is mandatory for public procurement participation, with government projects being large-scale and stable but requiring working capital planning due to long payment cycles.
E-Commerce Platforms
Local e-commerce platforms—MercadoLivre, Amazon Brasil, Shopee Brasil—are growing as direct entry channels for Korean consumer brands, with particularly increasing Korean brand demand in K-Beauty and electronics categories. Platform entry requires local tax registration, Portuguese-language product descriptions, and securing Brazilian logistics warehouses, with local fulfillment partner collaboration being key to operational efficiency.
Logistics Information
Lead Time
Sea: 30–35 days, Air: 3–4 days
Est. Shipping Cost
Sea: $3,500–5,000/20ft, Air: $5–10/kg
Payment Methods
FTA/Trade Agreements
Frequently Asked Questions
A. INMETRO certification mandatorily applies to over 90 mandatory certification product categories including electrical/electronic products, toys, safety products, and building materials—selling in the Brazilian market without certification is illegal. Certification acquisition period typically takes 6–18 months depending on product type and test items, requiring product testing through a Brazilian authorized test institution (OCP). While mutual recognition discussions with Korean KC certification are ongoing, full application is still difficult, so proceeding through Brazilian local certification specialty consulting companies helps shorten the process. Regular post-management and renewal procedures for certification maintenance must also be included in export plans.
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