Miami to Brazil Freight Shipping: 2026 Guide

Freight moving from Miami to Brazil normally sails to the Port of Santos, the largest container port in Latin America, with port-to-port transits that typically run about two to three weeks depending on the rotation and whether the service transships. Air freight from Miami International Airport into Viracopos (VCP) near Campinas or Guarulhos (GRU) in Sao Paulo takes one to three days. Brazil is one of the more paperwork-heavy destinations in the hemisphere, so the documents matter as much as the sailing schedule.

Ocean freight from Miami to Brazil

Santos handles the majority of Brazil’s containerized imports and serves the Sao Paulo industrial belt. Depending on where your consignee is, other useful gateways include Itajai and Navegantes for the south, Paranagua for Parana, Rio de Janeiro and Itaguai for the southeast, Suape and Salvador for the northeast, and Manaus for the Free Trade Zone in the Amazon.

FCL or LCL?

Full container loads are the norm for Brazil because destination handling charges on LCL can be steep and because Brazilian customs inspection is easier to manage when your cargo is not sharing a box. That said, LCL still makes sense under roughly eight pallets. Either way, cargo is consolidated or loaded at a South Florida container freight station and drayed to the terminal by our drayage team.

Air freight from Miami to Sao Paulo

Viracopos is Brazil’s primary dedicated air cargo airport and generally clears faster than Guarulhos. Air is the right mode for spare parts, medical devices, electronics, samples and anything where the cost of downtime exceeds the freight premium. Our freight forwarding desk books both, and our air vs ocean comparison covers the break-even math.

What Brazilian customs requires

Imports are administered by Receita Federal through the SISCOMEX system. Your consignee must hold an active RADAR authorization before they can clear anything commercially, and the level of RADAR they hold caps how much they can import. Confirm this before you book, because a shipment sitting in Santos while a consignee applies for RADAR accrues storage fast.

A standard file includes:

• Commercial invoice with detailed descriptions, NCM classification, unit values and the Incoterm
• Packing list with piece counts, marks, net and gross weights
• Bill of lading or air waybill, correctly consigned
• Certificate of origin where required
• Product registrations from ANVISA for food, cosmetics, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, or INMETRO certification for many electrical and consumer goods

NCM codes are Mercosur’s eight-digit classification, built on the HS system. A wrong NCM is one of the most common causes of Brazilian clearance delays and reclassification penalties, which is the same trap we describe in our post on HS code mistakes.

Duties and taxes: budget realistically

Brazil is not a US free trade agreement partner. Imports face the Mercosur common external tariff plus federal and state taxes including IPI, PIS, COFINS and ICMS, and those taxes are calculated on a landed base that includes freight and insurance. The practical takeaway for a US exporter is simple: quote FOB or CIF and let your Brazilian buyer, who understands their own tax position, act as importer of record. DDP into Brazil is rarely worth the complexity. Our guide to Incoterms explains where the handoff lands.

Packing and export filing from the US side

Solid wood packaging must be ISPM-15 stamped. Palletize and band cargo so it survives a long ocean leg plus inland trucking on Brazilian highways. On the US side, an Electronic Export Information filing through AES is required for most shipments over $2,500 per Schedule B line, covered in our AES and EEI filing guide.

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping take from Miami to Santos?

Port-to-port ocean transit from South Florida to Santos typically runs about two to three weeks. Add cargo cutoff, consolidation and Brazilian clearance and a realistic door-to-door estimate is four to six weeks. Air freight to Viracopos or Guarulhos moves in one to three days plus clearance.

Does my Brazilian buyer need a RADAR license?

Yes. Any company importing commercially into Brazil must hold an active RADAR authorization registered in SISCOMEX. Without it the shipment cannot be declared, and storage charges accumulate while the paperwork is sorted out. Confirm RADAR status before booking.

Should I ship DDP to Brazil?

Usually not. Brazilian import taxation involves federal and state layers that are calculated on a landed value base, and non-resident sellers cannot easily act as importer of record. FOB or CIF terms, with the Brazilian buyer clearing, is the standard and far simpler structure.

Move your Brazil freight through Miami

Go Freight is an asset-based 3PL at 3300 NW 110 St, Miami, FL 33167, handling ocean and air exports, drayage, consolidation and warehousing for Latin America shippers. Request a freight quote or call (786) 445-0150.