A carry-on bag packed for a flight to Rio de Janeiro, the context for Brazil's accompanied-baggage customs rules
    Arrival Rules · Customs & Duty-Free · Updated 26 October 2026

    Brazil Customs and Duty-Free Rules for Tourists

    Written and reviewed by Lotte — Rio local, founder & editor of PlanRio · How we research · First published · Last reviewed

    Quick answer

    Arriving in Brazil by air or sea, you may bring goods worth up to US$1,000 free of import tax, plus a separate US$1,000 of purchases from an arrivals duty-free shop at the airport. Overland arrivals get US$500. Allowances are personal and cannot be pooled with family. Anything above the quota must be declared on an e-DBV and is taxed at 50%.

    At a glance

    Air or sea arrival

    US$1,000 exemption for goods in your accompanied baggage.

    Land, river or lake arrival

    US$500 exemption — half the air figure.

    Arrivals duty-free shop

    A separate, additional US$1,000 at an airport free shop on arrival.

    Land-border free shops

    US$500 per 30-day rolling period, separate from the baggage quota.

    Alcohol

    Up to 12 litres of alcoholic drinks.

    Tobacco

    200 cigarettes (10 packs) of foreign origin, 25 cigars or cigarillos, 250 g of pipe tobacco.

    Other item caps

    Limits depend on arrival mode and unit value; check Receita Federal's current table, including its treatment of items at the stated price thresholds.

    Not transferable

    Exemptions are individual. A family of four cannot pool four quotas into one purchase.

    Tax on excess

    50% import tax on the value above your exemption, declared and paid via the e-DBV.

    Cash

    For a conservative threshold, declare cash of US$10,000 or more; Receita Federal says amounts above US$10,000 require an e-DBV.

    Declaration

    File an e-DBV when required. Since July 2026, some air travellers who declare goods may qualify for faster processing; others still undergo inspection.

    Personal effects

    Used clothing, toiletries, a used phone and a used camera may qualify; laptops and tablets are not classed as manifestly personal effects.

    The two allowances most visitors do not realise they have

    Brazil gives arriving travellers two separate tax-free allowances, and conflating them is the most common misunderstanding. The first is the accompanied-baggage exemption: goods you are bringing with you, bought anywhere, up to US$1,000 in value if you arrive by air or sea, or US$500 if you arrive overland, by river or by lake. The second is a duty-free shop allowance of a further US$1,000, available only for purchases made at an arrivals free shop in a Brazilian airport.

    They stack. If you land at Galeão with US$900 of gifts in your suitcase and then buy US$800 of spirits and perfume at the airport free shop after immigration, you are inside both allowances and owe nothing. What you cannot do is spend the free-shop quota on things you bought in London. At land borders the free-shop figure is lower — US$500, counted on a rolling 30-day basis — which matters if you are crossing from Argentina, Uruguay or Paraguay more than once.

    What the quota does and does not count

    The exemption applies to goods that are subject to import tax. Receita Federal lists used clothing and toiletries as personal-use goods, and gives a used phone and used camera as examples of manifestly personal effects. It explicitly says personal computers, including laptops and tablets, do not qualify as manifestly personal effects, even when you intend to use them yourself; their value can count against your baggage quota. Quantities must still fit the circumstances of the trip.

    Do not assume that unboxing a new device makes it exempt. Keep purchase records that help explain when and where an item was acquired, add new goods to your value calculation, and declare them when the rules require it. If you are unsure how Receita will classify a particular device, check its current traveller guidance before departure.

    Alcohol, tobacco and the quantity caps

    Beyond the money value, Brazil applies quantity limits that bite independently of the US$1,000 figure. Alcoholic drinks are capped at 12 litres. Foreign cigarettes are capped at 200 — ten packs — with cigars and cigarillos at 25 units and pipe tobacco at 250 grams. These are limits, not allowances to be added to the value quota: the drinks still count towards your US$1,000 as well.

    There are also caps on repeated items, and the unit-price thresholds and maximum counts differ between air or sea arrivals and land, river or lake arrivals. Receita Federal's current table distinguishes items below and above the stated thresholds, so check the full table for your route and be especially careful with items priced exactly at a threshold. These quantity limits apply alongside the value quota.

    Why family members cannot pool their allowances

    Brazilian law is explicit that baggage import-tax exemptions are individual and non-transferable. This surprises families and travelling couples: four people arriving together do not have US$4,000 to spend on one television. Each traveller has their own US$1,000, applied to the goods in their own baggage, and a single item worth US$3,000 cannot be split across three quotas.

    In practice, customs looks at whether the goods in a bag plausibly belong to the person carrying it. Four identical boxed appliances distributed across four suitcases from the same booking is a pattern officers recognise. If you are travelling as a group and genuinely each bringing your own purchases, keep them in your own bag with your own receipt, and be prepared to say so. Children have allowances too, but goods attributed to a child should plausibly be a child's.

    The e-DBV: when you must declare

    Brazil's customs declaration is the e-DBV, the Declaração Eletrônica de Bens de Viajante, filed online through the Receita Federal portal before you present yourself to customs. File one when your goods exceed the exemption quota, when you carry cash worth more than US$10,000 (or the equivalent in another currency), or when you bring items outside the legal definition of baggage, such as a vehicle, boat, aircraft or their parts. GOV.UK describes the cash threshold as US$10,000 or more, so use that conservative boundary and check Receita Federal's instructions for the exact steps and where to present the declaration.

    A Receita Federal system launched in July 2026 can speed up the arrival process for some air travellers who declare goods. Eligibility is determined by risk criteria: some declarations may be processed without an in-person interview, while others still require inspection. This does not remove the duty to declare or guarantee automatic clearance. Keep your e-DBV receipt accessible and follow the channel and instructions given at the airport.

    The 50% rule, and the cost of not declaring

    Goods above your exemption are taxed by import tax at 50% of the excess value. That is the headline number to plan with: a US$1,500 item on an air arrival means tax calculated on the US$500 above your quota. You declare it on the e-DBV, the system calculates the amount, and you pay before the goods are released.

    Not declaring is materially worse than declaring. Omitting or misdeclaring baggage goods attracts a penalty on top of the tax, which in the ordinary case means you end up paying the import tax plus a fine rather than just the tax — and the goods can be retained until it is settled. Brazilian customs uses scanners, baggage profiling and risk criteria, and the arrivals green-channel decision is a legal declaration, not a guess about whether you will be stopped. If the sums are close, declaring is simply the cheaper risk.

    Cash and currency

    Receita Federal says a traveller entering Brazil with more than US$10,000 in cash, or the equivalent in another currency, must file an e-DBV and present the cash to customs. GOV.UK phrases the threshold as US$10,000 or more. To avoid a boundary dispute, declare at US$10,000 or above and check Receita Federal's separate instructions before leaving Brazil, because entry and exit procedures can differ.

    Most visitors do not need to carry a large amount of cash. If you are near the threshold, check the live e-DBV instructions and retain the receipt. Do not rely on an older guide that quotes the former reais-denominated threshold.

    What you cannot bring at all

    Separate from the tax rules, Brazil restricts or prohibits categories of goods, and several agencies enforce different rules. Controls for food, plants, seeds and animal products depend on the specific item and its origin, so check the current Ministry of Agriculture guidance before packing them. Health-surveillance rules under Anvisa separately apply to medicines and some foods and supplements; our guide to bringing medication to Brazil explains where to check.

    Also restricted or prohibited: weapons and ammunition, counterfeit goods, products made from protected wildlife, and cultural property removed without authorisation. Bringing a pet requires an international veterinary certificate issued in advance and is a planned process, not something to resolve at the desk. If you are unsure about a specific item, the Receita Federal traveller guide lists the categories, and the honest default is to leave it at home — the cost of an uncertain item being seized is higher than the cost of not bringing it.

    Leaving Brazil: the other direction

    Most of this page is about arriving, but check the cash declaration rule again before departure; Receita Federal publishes separate entry and exit instructions. If you bought something significant in Brazil — gemstones are one example — keep the nota fiscal and check your home country's import rules before travelling back.

    Remember also that your home country has its own allowance, which is usually much lower than Brazil's. UK, EU, US and Australian arrival limits on alcohol, tobacco and goods value are all tighter than the Brazilian inbound figures, so a 12-litre Brazilian limit is irrelevant if your own country allows a fraction of that. Work out the stricter of the two before you buy. Our gemstone shopping guide covers certificates and invoices for the one purchase where this most often goes wrong.

    A practical checklist for the Galeão arrivals hall

    Before you land: add up the value of anything new you are bringing in and compare it with US$1,000 per traveller. If you are over, file the e-DBV on the Receita Federal portal while you still have wi-fi or data. If you are under, and carrying no restricted goods and no large cash, you have nothing to file.

    On arrival: clear immigration, collect your bags, then follow the customs instructions and choose a channel honestly. If you want to use the additional arrivals-shop quota, confirm the shop's location and opening status at your airport. Keep receipts accessible rather than buried in a suitcase, and answer an officer's questions plainly. Our airport guide covers the rest of the arrival sequence, and the transport guide covers getting into the city afterwards.

    Common mistakes tourists make

    • Assuming the US$1,000 duty-free shop quota can be spent on goods bought at home — it only applies to purchases at a Brazilian arrivals free shop.
    • Pooling a family's allowances to buy one expensive item; exemptions are individual and non-transferable.
    • Treating the 12-litre alcohol figure as an allowance on top of the value quota — the drinks count towards it too.
    • Assuming a new boxed laptop or phone is automatically tax-free as a personal effect; used phones and cameras may qualify, but personal computers are excluded from Receita Federal's manifest-personal-effects category.
    • Walking through the green channel with declarable goods, which is a legal declaration rather than a gamble.
    • Using the outdated R$10,000 cash threshold; Receita Federal now states the entry threshold in US dollars, while GOV.UK advises declaring at US$10,000 or more.
    • Packing food, plant or animal products without checking item-specific agricultural rules.
    • Checking Brazil's generous inbound limits and forgetting your own country's much tighter allowance on the way home.

    Local expert tips

    • Add up the value of new goods before you fly, and file the e-DBV while you still have data if you are over the quota.
    • Use the arrivals free shop after immigration if you want the second US$1,000 allowance — not the departure shop at home.
    • Keep receipts for new electronics and include their value when checking your quota; unboxing alone does not create a personal-use exemption.
    • Keep each traveller's purchases in that traveller's own bag with their own receipt.
    • Save the e-DBV receipt to your phone and to email, not just the browser tab.
    • Declare rather than gamble when you are close to the line; the tax is 50% of the excess, and a penalty is extra.
    • Keep the nota fiscal for any significant Brazilian purchase — it is your proof of value on the way home.
    • Check the official agricultural rules for any food, plant or animal product before packing it.
    • If you need to travel with a pet, start the veterinary certificate process weeks in advance.
    • Check the Receita Federal traveller guide for your dates: customs figures and procedures change by regulation.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is Brazil's duty-free allowance for tourists?+

    Arriving by air or sea you may bring goods worth up to US$1,000 in your accompanied baggage free of import tax, plus a separate US$1,000 of purchases from an arrivals duty-free shop at a Brazilian airport. Arriving overland, by river or by lake, the baggage exemption is US$500 and the land-border free-shop allowance is US$500 per 30 days.

    How much alcohol and tobacco can I bring into Brazil?+

    Up to 12 litres of alcoholic drinks, 200 foreign cigarettes (ten packs), 25 cigars or cigarillos, and 250 grams of pipe tobacco. These are quantity ceilings that apply in addition to the value limit — the drinks and tobacco still count towards your US$1,000 baggage exemption.

    Can my family combine our duty-free allowances in Brazil?+

    No. Brazilian baggage import-tax exemptions are individual and non-transferable, so four travellers cannot pool four US$1,000 quotas to bring in one expensive item. Each person's exemption applies to the goods in their own baggage, and a single high-value item cannot be split across several quotas.

    What tax do I pay on goods above the Brazilian exemption?+

    Import tax is charged at 50% of the value above your exemption. You declare the goods on an e-DBV, the system calculates the amount due, and you pay before the goods are released. Failing to declare adds a penalty on top of the tax, so declaring is the cheaper option when you are close to the limit.

    When do I have to file an e-DBV declaration in Brazil?+

    File an e-DBV if your goods exceed the exemption quota, if you carry cash of US$10,000 or more (the conservative threshold; Receita Federal says amounts above US$10,000), or if you bring items outside the definition of baggage, such as a vehicle, vessel, aircraft or their parts. Follow Receita Federal's current instructions for submission and presentation at customs.

    How much cash can I bring into Brazil?+

    Receita Federal says a traveller entering with more than US$10,000 in cash, or the equivalent in another currency, must declare it. GOV.UK says US$10,000 or more. To stay on the safe side, declare at US$10,000 or above and check Receita Federal's current e-DBV instructions.

    Do my clothes, laptop and camera count against the allowance?+

    Used clothing and toiletries are personal-use goods, and Receita Federal lists a used phone and a used camera as examples of manifestly personal effects. It explicitly excludes personal computers, including laptops and tablets, from that category even when you intend to use them yourself, so their value may count against your baggage quota.

    What food or products can't I bring into Brazil?+

    Rules for food, plants, seeds and animal products depend on the specific item and where it comes from. Check the current Ministry of Agriculture guidance before packing them. Medicines are separately subject to Anvisa rules, and pet travel requires advance paperwork.

    Where is the duty-free shop on arrival in Rio?+

    The additional arrivals-shop quota applies to purchases at a Brazilian airport duty-free shop after arrival. The store's location and opening status can vary, so check Galeão's current passenger information before relying on it. Purchases made at an overseas departure airport do not use Brazil's arrivals-shop quota.

    Has Brazil changed its customs process recently?+

    Yes. A Receita Federal system introduced in July 2026 can speed up arrival processing for some air travellers who declare goods. Risk criteria determine whether a declaration can be processed without an in-person interview; other travellers still undergo inspection. The e-DBV requirement remains in force.

    Sources and image credit

    Details, eligibility and requirements can change. Use these official, operator and public-information sources to check current access and procedures before you plan or act.

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