Companies intending to perform import and/or export activities in Brazil on a regular basis must include such activities in their corporate purpose.
Any company wishing to carry out import and/or export activities must register with the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service (RFB), which is the Brazilian customs authority, in order to access SISCOMEX (or the Single Foreign Trade Portal), where all import/export transactions in Brazil are recorded. This registration was previously known as RADAR.
RADAR is regulated by RFB Normative Instruction No. 1.984/2020 and COANA Ordinance No. 72/2020. RADAR is required for importation for processing or for resale in Brazil, for importation for third parties, and for export activities in general.
There are two types of RADAR available to companies:
- Limited RADAR: imports with a value of up to USD 50,000.00 CIF or up to USD 150,000.00 CIF per six-month period, and export without limitation;
- Unlimited RADAR: imports without value limitation, and export without limitation
The type of RADAR is granted by the RFB based on the “company’s financial capacity to carry out import activities in Brazil”—federal taxes paid by the applicant in the previous five years. New companies may receive a RADAR type that is not sufficient for their intended activities—financial capacity review.
In such cases, it is possible to request a review of the financial capacity, based on legal requirements.
We have extensive experience in obtaining RADAR, including for newly established companies intending to carry out substantial import operations in the country.