Brazil is South America’s largest economy and one of the world’s more demanding customs environments — stacked import taxes, colour-channel clearance through Siscomex, and a licensed despachante aduaneiro on every shipment. Your forwarder affects landed cost here far more than your carrier does.
At IFN we connect businesses with vetted, independent freight forwarders worldwide through our global freight network. Our premium Brazil members are listed first below — followed by the ports, customs and vetting detail you need to brief them properly.
IFN member freight forwarders in Brazil
Cold-searching for a forwarder means trusting a website. Working through a freight network means working with companies screened before admission — for operating history, financial standing and reputation — and that have something to lose by underperforming.
IFN spans 93+ countries. Members are individually vetted, most are covered by our cargo payment protection programme against non-payment and insolvency, and they meet face to face each year at IFN Global Connect.
Brazil is one of our better-covered markets, with eight member companies spread across the country’s main industrial and port regions.
At a glance
| Company | Location | Established | Size |
| Antrand Solutions | Indaiatuba, São Paulo | 2019 | — |
| Marelo Logística Internacional | Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo | 2019 | 1–10 |
| SD International | São Paulo | 2019 | 1–10 |
| Speak Logistics Brazil | Santos, São Paulo | 2017 | 11–50 |
| Prompt Brazil Logistics | São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul | 2006 | 11–50 |
| Auscorp | Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul | 2002 | 1–10 |
| Blue Line Agenciamento Marítimo | Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina | 2002 | 1–10 |
| Smart Shipping Transportes Internacionais | Itaúna, Minas Gerais | 2016 | 1–10 |
São Paulo state — the industrial and port heartland
São Paulo generates the largest share of Brazil’s trade and contains Santos, the busiest port in Latin America, plus Viracopos and Guarulhos airports. Four of our members are here.
Speak Logistics Brazil
- Location: Av. Ana Costa 416, Santos, São Paulo
- Established: 2017
- Company size: 11–50 employees
- Website: speaklog.com.br
- Cargo payment protection: Active
- Notable: based inside Santos itself — useful when you want people physically close to the terminal
- Services: air, sea, LCL, dangerous goods, warehousing, trucking
Antrand Solutions
- Location: Indaiatuba, São Paulo (Viracopos airport region)
- Established: 2019
- Website: antrand.com.br
- Cargo payment protection: Active
- Notable: the broadest declared service scope of our Brazilian members, covering the full 14-service range including rail and time-critical
- Focus: imports into Brazil
In their own words: “Founded with the vision of transforming challenges into solutions, Antrand was born from the vast experience of our partners in Logistics and Business Management — driven by the determination to offer reliable services, combined with technology and in-depth market knowledge in Brazil.”
Marelo Logística Internacional e Tecnologia
- Location: Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo
- Established: 2019
- Company size: 1–10 employees
- Website: marelo.digital
- Cargo payment protection: Active
- Focus: both import and export flows
- Notable: technology-led multimodal forwarder — ocean, air and road
In their own words: “Marelo is an international multimodal freight forwarder specializing in connecting businesses to global opportunities … Our approach integrates cutting-edge technology with logistical expertise, ensuring efficiency and security at every stage of the process.”
SD International
- Location: Rua Conde de la Hure 40, São Paulo
- Established: 2019
- Company size: 1–10 employees
- Website: sdinternational.com.br
- Notable: owner-led operation — direct principal contact
- Services: air, sea, LCL, dangerous goods, warehousing, trucking, time-critical
Southern Brazil — Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina
The south is Brazil’s other manufacturing engine — footwear, leather, machinery, agrifood and a growing wine trade — served by Rio Grande, Itajaí, Navegantes and Paranaguá. Three of our members operate here.
Prompt Brazil Logistics
- Location: São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul
- Established: 2006 (approaching 20 years)
- Company size: 11–50 employees
- Website: promptbrazil.com.br
- Cargo payment protection: Active
- Notable: nationwide coverage — able to handle cargo through any Brazilian port or airport
In their own words: “Prompt Brazil Logistics is a proud Brazilian based freight forwarder. For almost 20 years, the company provides full logistics services to all Brazilian territory … being able to receive/send cargoes from/to any port or airport in Brazil.”
Auscorp
- Location: Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul
- Established: 2002
- Company size: 1–10 employees
- Website: auscorp.com.br
- Cargo payment protection: Active
- Notable: licensed freight forwarder and customs broker — clearance handled in-house rather than subcontracted
- Reach: 23+ operating locations, inland services reaching 3,000+ Brazilian cities
Auscorp also states it is audited for credit certification and fraud protection, and operates in compliance with AML requirements — worth noting if counterparty risk is a concern on your lane.
Blue Line Agenciamento Marítimo
- Location: Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina
- Established: 2002
- Company size: 1–10 employees
- Website: bluelinelog.com.br
- Cargo payment protection: Active
- Focus: imports into Brazil
- Notable: positioned in the Itajaí / Navegantes port cluster, Brazil’s second container gateway; declared scope includes rail and project-type services
Minas Gerais — the inland industrial state
Smart Shipping Transportes Internacionais
- Location: Itaúna, Minas Gerais
- Established: 2016
- Company size: 1–10 employees, 2 branches
- Website: smartshipping.com.br
- Cargo payment protection: Active
- Notable: the only member of the eight with multiple branches, and the only one based in Minas Gerais — relevant for mining, metallurgy and automotive cargo moving inland to Santos or Rio
Which member fits your shipment?
| If you need… | Consider |
| Presence at the Port of Santos itself | Speak Logistics Brazil |
| In-house customs brokerage, not subcontracted | Auscorp |
| Nationwide coverage through any Brazilian port or airport | Prompt Brazil Logistics |
| Itajaí / Navegantes and the southern container cluster | Blue Line Agenciamento Marítimo |
| Inland Minas Gerais origin cargo (mining, metals, automotive) | Smart Shipping |
| Technology-forward multimodal handling | Marelo Logística Internacional |
| The widest service range including rail and time-critical | Antrand Solutions |
| A small owner-led team with direct principal contact | SD International |
Not sure which fits, or shipping to a region none of them covers directly? Contact our team and we will point you to the right member. Become part of the innovative freight network to get full access to our freight forwarder
Before you send a brief to any forwarder, it is worth understanding which port you should actually be quoting, how Brazil’s stacked import taxes will hit your landed cost, and which questions separate a competent partner from an expensive one. The rest of this guide covers exactly that.
What a freight forwarder in Brazil handles
A forwarder is not a carrier. They buy transport capacity in volume, resell it, and manage everything around it. In Brazil the surrounding work is where most of the value — and most of the risk — sits:
- Booking ocean, air or road capacity on services calling Brazilian ports
- Siscomex filings — the integrated foreign trade system through which every import (DI/DUIMP) and export (DU-E) declaration passes
- Coordination with a despachante aduaneiro — the licensed customs broker who legally files clearance on your behalf
- Import tax calculation — II, IPI, PIS, COFINS and state-level ICMS, which compound rather than sit side by side
- Import licensing (LI) — where required, plus consenting-agency approvals from ANVISA, MAPA, INMETRO or IBAMA depending on the product
- Radar / Siscomex registration support — the accreditation an importer must hold before it can operate at all
- Port and terminal handling, plus inland trucking across a country the size of a continent
- Bonded warehousing and consolidation
- Cargo insurance placement
For the role explained from the ground up, see our complete guide to international freight forwarders.
Brazil’s major ports and airports
Seaports
| Port | State | Best for |
| Santos (BRSSZ) | São Paulo | Latin America’s largest container port. Default gateway for São Paulo, Minas Gerais and the industrial southeast |
| Itajaí / Navegantes (BRITJ / BRNVT) | Santa Catarina | Second container cluster; strong reefer, agrifood and southern manufacturing |
| Paranaguá (BRPNG) | Paraná | Grain, soy and agricultural bulk; also containerised cargo for the south |
| Rio Grande (BRRIG) | Rio Grande do Sul | Southern gateway — footwear, leather, machinery, agrifood |
| Rio de Janeiro & Itaguaí (BRRIO / BRIGI) | Rio de Janeiro | Oil and gas, project cargo, iron ore, southeastern distribution |
| Suape (BRSUA) | Pernambuco | Northeast hub — petrochemicals, growing container volumes |
| Vitória (BRVIX) | Espírito Santo | Iron ore, steel, coffee, marble and granite |
| Manaus (BRMAO) | Amazonas | The Manaus Free Trade Zone — electronics and motorcycle assembly; river access via the Amazon |
Airports
| Airport | Location | Best for |
| Viracopos / Campinas (VCP) | São Paulo | Brazil’s leading dedicated air cargo hub — freighter capacity, electronics, pharma, perishables |
| Guarulhos (GRU) | São Paulo | Largest bellyhold capacity, widest long-haul network |
| Galeão (GIG) | Rio de Janeiro | Oil and gas equipment, southeastern air cargo |
| Manaus (MAO) | Amazonas | Free Trade Zone inbound components |
Practical note: Santos handles enormous volume but is prone to congestion and long truck queues in peak season. If your cargo is destined for the south, quoting Itajaí, Navegantes or Rio Grande frequently beats Santos on total landed cost once inland haulage and demurrage risk are counted. Ask your forwarder to price at least two gateways.
Indicative ocean transit times to Santos
| Origin | Typical port-to-port |
| Shanghai / Ningbo | 32–42 days |
| Shenzhen / Guangzhou | 30–40 days |
| Singapore | 28–36 days |
| Rotterdam / Hamburg | 16–24 days |
| Genoa / Barcelona | 18–26 days |
| New York / Savannah | 14–20 days |
| Jebel Ali (Dubai) | 28–38 days |
Indicative only. Asia–South America services usually transship, often via Singapore, Cartagena or a European hub, and routing choice can swing transit by a week or more. Always confirm against the live schedule on your actual quote.
Brazilian customs: Siscomex, channels and the tax stack
This is the part of Brazilian logistics that surprises people, so it is worth understanding before you request quotes.
The clearance channels
Every import declaration is assigned a channel by Receita Federal, and the channel decides how long you wait:
- Green (verde) — automatic clearance, no review. The goal
- Yellow (amarelo) — documentary examination
- Red (vermelho) — documentary examination plus physical inspection
- Grey (cinza) — full customs value investigation on suspicion of fraud or under-invoicing. This can take weeks and is the one to avoid at all costs
Channel assignment is driven partly by the importer’s own compliance history — which is a strong argument for working with an experienced forwarder and broker from your first shipment rather than learning on the job.
What you need in place
- CNPJ — Brazilian corporate tax ID. You need a Brazilian legal entity, or an importer of record acting for you
- Radar / Siscomex accreditation — the licence that permits your CNPJ to trade internationally, issued in tiers based on financial capacity
- A despachante aduaneiro — the licensed broker who files your declaration
- NCM classification — Mercosur’s 8-digit tariff code. It determines duty, IPI, licensing and whether an import licence is required
- Import Licence (LI) where applicable, plus approval from the relevant consenting agency — ANVISA (health, food, cosmetics, medical devices), MAPA (agriculture, animal and plant products), INMETRO (product certification), IBAMA (environmental)
- Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading — with details matching exactly. Discrepancies between documents are a leading cause of yellow and red channelling
- ISPM 15 treated wood packaging — non-compliant pallets can hold an entire container
The single most important thing to get right: INMETRO certification and ANVISA registration must be secured before the goods ship. They cannot be fixed while a container sits at Santos accruing demurrage. Ask your forwarder to run an NCM, licensing and consenting-agency check at quotation stage.
Why Brazilian landed cost is higher than you expect
Brazil’s import taxes are not a simple percentage of your invoice. They cascade — several are calculated on a base that already includes other taxes.
| Tax | What it is | Typical range |
| II (Imposto de Importação) | Import duty on CIF value | 0–35%, most manufactured goods 14–18% |
| IPI | Federal excise tax on industrialised products | 0–15% typical, higher on some categories |
| PIS / COFINS | Federal social contributions on imports | ≈ 11.75% combined |
| ICMS | State VAT — varies by state, calculated on a grossed-up base | 17–20% depending on state |
| Siscomex fee, AFRMM, terminal and broker fees | Administrative and freight surcharges | Varies; AFRMM is levied on ocean freight |
The practical effect is that total taxes on an imported manufactured good frequently land somewhere between 40% and 80% of CIF value, and in some categories higher. Anyone quoting you a landed cost without modelling ICMS at the destination state is not giving you a real number.
Two things worth asking your forwarder about:
- State choice matters. ICMS rates and incentive regimes differ by state — Santa Catarina and Espírito Santo have historically operated import-friendly programmes. Where you clear can change your tax bill
- Ex-Tarifário. For capital goods and IT equipment with no equivalent Brazilian manufacturer, the Ex-Tarifário regime can reduce II substantially. It requires an application, so plan ahead
Demurrage and detention deserve their own line in your budget. Santos congestion plus a yellow or red channel is a common combination, and free time expires quickly. Confirm your free days and the daily rate before you book.
How to vet a freight forwarder in Brazil
Whether you are speaking to one of the IFN members above or a forwarder you have found elsewhere, ask these questions. The answers tell you almost everything.
- “Do you have an in-house despachante aduaneiro, or do you subcontract?” Both are normal — but you need to know who files your declaration and who carries the liability if it is wrong. Auscorp, for example, is licensed as both forwarder and broker.
- “Are you OEA certified?” Operador Econômico Autorizado is Brazil’s AEO-equivalent trusted-trader programme. Certified operators see materially fewer inspections and faster channelling.
- “Show me a full landed cost including ICMS at my destination state.” A quote showing only ocean freight is not a quote in Brazil. It is a hook.
- “What is your experience with my NCM code?” Ask specifically whether it requires an import licence and which consenting agency is involved. A forwarder who has to go away and find out has not handled your product before.
- “What happens if I get channelled grey?” A good answer covers who compiles the valuation evidence, how they escalate, and who absorbs the storage cost while it is resolved.
- “Which network do you belong to?” IFN, WCA, FIATA. Network membership means a third party vetted them financially and there is a dispute mechanism. You can check ours in the IFN member directory.
- “Who is my named contact and what hours do they cover?” Brazil is UTC−3. If you are in Asia or the Middle East the working-day overlap is narrow, and urgent clearance issues do not wait.
Red flags: rates dramatically below market, no verifiable CNPJ, reluctance to name their customs broker, no cargo insurance option, no written terms, or payment requested to a personal account.
Frequently asked questions
How long does customs clearance take in Brazil?
A green-channel declaration can clear within a day or two. Yellow adds several days for document review, red adds physical inspection, and grey — a full customs valuation investigation — can run for weeks. Your compliance history influences which channel you get, so the quality of your first few declarations matters disproportionately.
Do I need a Brazilian company to import into Brazil?
You need a CNPJ with valid Radar/Siscomex accreditation. Foreign companies without a Brazilian entity typically import through an importer of record or a trading company under a por conta e ordem or encomenda arrangement. These are legitimate and widely used — confirm the structure and who bears tax liability in writing.
Why are import taxes in Brazil so high?
Because they cascade. II, IPI, PIS, COFINS and state ICMS are not simply added together — several are calculated on a base that already includes the others. Total tax on a manufactured import commonly lands between 40% and 80% of CIF value. Model it before you commit to a purchase price.
Which Brazilian port should I ship to?
Santos by default for the southeast, because carrier coverage is deepest. But if your cargo is heading south, Itajaí, Navegantes or Rio Grande often win on total landed cost once inland haulage and Santos congestion risk are priced in. Ask for at least two gateway options.
Is LCL or FCL better for Brazil?
Below roughly 12–15 CBM, LCL is usually cheaper. Above that, price a 20′ FCL — it often costs less and clears faster, since a consolidated LCL container moves only as fast as its slowest co-loaded shipment. In Brazil that matters more than usual, because one problematic co-loaded consignment can channel the whole container.
Do you have members on other trade lanes?
Yes — IFN covers 93+ countries. If you are working a Europe–South America lane you may also want our guide to freight forwarders in Italy, or simply contact our team with your origin and destination.
Are you a freight forwarder in Brazil?
If your company provides freight forwarding or customs brokerage in Brazil, IFN gives you a direct route to cargo referrals from vetted independent forwarders across 93+ countries — backed by payment protection and an annual conference where the relationships actually get built. Brazil is an active lane for our members, and the eight companies above are already fielding that demand.
Review the full list of inclusions on our membership benefits page, compare options on our membership plans page, explore our member tools and resources, or read more on the frieght and logistics industry blog.
New to the sector? Start with how to become a freight forwarder.
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