RADAR Registration & Customs Clearance in Brazil — Guide

Before your product can enter Brazil, your buyer needs RADAR — a mandatory registration with Receita Federal that authorizes them to import. Without it, nothing moves. This guide explains RADAR, the customs clearance process, and what you as a foreign exporter need to understand to avoid delays that cost both parties money.

Why this matters to you as an exporter

If your Brazilian buyer doesn't have RADAR — or has the wrong modality — your goods will be stuck at customs. Understanding RADAR lets you qualify leads faster: a buyer without RADAR isn't ready to import, regardless of how good your price is.

What is RADAR?

RADAR (Registro e Rastreamento da Atuação dos Intervenientes Aduaneiros) is Receita Federal's mandatory registry for all participants in Brazilian foreign trade. Think of it as an import license — every Brazilian company that wants to import must be registered and have an active RADAR before filing any import declaration.

RADAR was created to combat fraud, money laundering, and illegal imports. It tracks every importer's activity, cross-referencing declared values with the company's financial capacity.

RADAR modalities: the import ceiling your buyer faces

RADAR comes in three modalities, each with different import value limits. This directly affects how much your buyer can purchase from you:

Modality	CIF Limit (6 months)	Who qualifies	Approval time
Express	USD 50,000	Micro and small companies, MEI. Automatic approval via e-CAC.	Instant
Limited	USD 150,000	Companies with proven financial capacity. Requires document review by Receita Federal.	10-30 days
Unlimited	No limit	Companies importing above USD 150k/semester. Must demonstrate financial capacity and operational history.	30-90 days

What this means for your sales process

A buyer with Express RADAR can only import up to USD 50,000 in a 6-month period. If your machine costs USD 200,000, they need to upgrade first.
Upgrading from Express to Limited or Unlimited takes 10-90 days — factor this into your deal timeline.
Ask early: "Does your company have RADAR? Which modality?" This saves both parties months of wasted negotiation.

The customs broker: your buyer's essential partner

In Brazil, virtually every import is handled by a despachante aduaneiro (licensed customs broker). The profession is regulated by Receita Federal — only certified individuals can operate.

The customs broker handles:

NCM classification — confirming the correct 8-digit code for your product
Siscomex filings — registering the import declaration (DI/DUIMP)
Tax calculation and payment — computing all 7 cascading taxes
LI (Import License) filing — for products requiring regulatory approval
Customs clearance navigation — responding to channel requirements
Document verification — ensuring your commercial invoice, packing list, and certificates meet Brazilian requirements

Broker fees are typically 0.5-2% of CIF value, with a minimum fee of R$ 1,000-3,000. This is not where your buyer should try to save money — an experienced broker prevents costly mistakes.

The import declaration: DI vs. DUIMP

Brazil is transitioning from the old DI (Declaração de Importação) to the new DUIMP (Declaração Única de Importação). Both coexist during the transition:

	DI (legacy)	DUIMP (new)
System	Siscomex Importação	Portal Único de Comércio Exterior
When filed	After goods arrive at port	Can be filed before goods arrive
Regulatory agencies	Separate LI process per agency	Integrated — all agencies in one filing
Fee	R$ 214.50 per DI	R$ 214.50 per DUIMP
Status	Being phased out	Gradually expanding

DUIMP is faster because it allows pre-arrival processing — your buyer's customs broker can start the declaration before your goods reach port, significantly reducing dwell time.

Customs clearance channels

When an import declaration is registered, Siscomex automatically assigns it to one of four parametrização (clearance) channels. This determines how fast — or slow — your goods are released:

Green Channel — Automatic release

No document check, no physical inspection. Goods are released immediately after tax payment. This is the best-case scenario — your buyer gets the goods within 1-2 business days of arrival.

Yellow Channel — Document review

Customs verifies the documentation (commercial invoice, packing list, certificates of origin, LI if applicable) against the declaration. No physical inspection. Adds 2-5 business days. Common for first-time importers or new product categories.

Red Channel — Physical inspection

Both document review and physical inspection of the goods. Customs officers open containers and verify that the goods match the declaration. Adds 5-15 business days. Triggered by risk analysis or random selection.

Gray Channel — Full audit

Document review, physical inspection, AND verification of the declared value against international databases. The most thorough — and slowest — channel. Can add 15-30+ business days. Triggered when customs suspects undervaluation or transfer pricing issues.

What triggers non-green channels?

First imports — new importers almost never get green channel on the first shipment
New product categories — importing something the buyer hasn't imported before
Value discrepancies — declared CIF value significantly below international averages for the NCM code
Incomplete documentation — missing or inconsistent details in commercial invoice
Regulated products — ANVISA, INMETRO, or MAPA-regulated goods get extra scrutiny
Country of origin — some origins trigger higher risk scores

Import timeline: from shipment to delivery

Here's what a realistic import timeline looks like, and where delays happen:

Phase	Typical duration	What happens
Pre-shipment	5-60 days	LI filing (if needed), RADAR verification, proforma approval
Transit	15-45 days (sea)	Ocean freight from EU/US/Asia to Brazilian port
Port arrival	1-3 days	Vessel discharge, container moved to terminal
Declaration filing	1-2 days	Customs broker registers DI/DUIMP in Siscomex
Parametrização	1-30 days	Green (1d) → Yellow (2-5d) → Red (5-15d) → Gray (15-30d)
Tax payment	1 day	All 7 taxes paid via DARF
Release	1-2 days	Goods released from customs area
Total (best case)	20-55 days	No LI needed, green channel, sea freight
Total (worst case)	90-150 days	LI required, red/gray channel, delays

Port storage costs: why delays are expensive

Brazilian port storage (armazenagem) is among the most expensive in the world. Every day your goods sit in customs adds cost:

First period (up to 10 days): usually included in terminal handling charge
After 10 days: R$ 0.50-2.00 per ton per day (dry cargo) or more for temperature-controlled
Demurrage: if the shipping container isn't returned on time, the shipping line charges USD 50-200/day per container
Santos (SP), the busiest port: storage costs can reach R$ 5,000-15,000 for a 40ft container held 30+ days

This is why documentation accuracy matters so much. A missing Certificate of Origin or an incorrect NCM code can add 2-4 weeks in yellow/red channel — costing thousands in storage and demurrage that neither you nor your buyer planned for.

Documentation your buyer's broker will need from you

Providing accurate, complete documents is the single most impactful thing you can do as an exporter to accelerate clearance:

Document	Critical details
Commercial Invoice	Must include: NCM code (ask your buyer's broker), Incoterm (FOB/CIF/etc.), unit price and total, country of origin, manufacturer name, detailed product description matching the NCM classification
Packing List	Item-by-item breakdown with: gross and net weights, dimensions per package, number of packages, marks and numbers matching the B/L
Bill of Lading / AWB	Original B/L for sea freight (3 originals standard). Air waybill for air freight. Must match the commercial invoice exactly in shipper/consignee details
Certificate of Origin	Required for EU-Mercosur preferential tariffs. Issued by your country's chamber of commerce. Without it, your buyer pays full tariff even if the FTA rate is lower
Technical specs	For machinery/equipment: technical datasheet proving the product matches the Ex-Tarifário description (if applicable). For ANVISA/INMETRO products: compliance certificates
Proforma Invoice	Sent before shipment. Your buyer needs this to: apply for LI, request foreign exchange from their bank, and register the RADAR operation

?What is a CNPJ?

CNPJ (Cadastro Nacional da Pessoa Jurídica) is Brazil's national business registry number — equivalent to an EIN (US), Company Number (UK), or Handelsregisternummer (Germany). Every company that imports into Brazil must have a CNPJ.

CNPJ registration guide

?What is Siscomex?

Siscomex (Sistema Integrado de Comércio Exterior) is Brazil's electronic foreign trade system where all import and export declarations are filed. Managed by Receita Federal, it connects customs, tax authorities, and regulatory agencies in a single platform.

Customs clearance process

?What is DUIMP?

DUIMP (Declaração Única de Importação) is Brazil's new digital import declaration, replacing the old DI (Declaração de Importação). Filed through the Portal Único de Comércio Exterior, it unifies all import documentation in a single electronic form.