Hello,
I am presently in Brazil and I'm looking for a way to have a small package shipped to me from Canada ... I don't want to use the regular mail because the brazilian customs services often hold your package for months ... I don't care about the price, my concern is secure and fast delivery ...
So I was thinking to use an expedited service like Fedex ... But would that prevent the custom to hold it anyway for a long time ? And also, in order to be able to use a fast delivery service like Fedex, you need a Fedex branch counter on the receiving end ... I don't think it is the case ... I am in Abadiania, a small village about halfway between Brasilia and Goiânia, in the state of Goias ...
So I'm not sure how to go about this, or if there's a better option than Fedex ...
Thanks for any insight on this !
Tom
Expedited mail into Brazil
FedEx is about it as far as your options go. Even sending something via FedEx is not going to eliminate it being opened and inspected.If it is anything taxable then you can be sure they're going to want their pound of flesh. If it's anything they don't particularly like or want coming into Brazil you may not get it at all.
Cheers,
James Expat-blog Experts Team
FedEx or UPS
But as James said, if it is taxable they will inspect it. I had Macaroni and Cheese sent to Brazil and it sat in customs while agriculture inspected a piece of grain from it. Ironically had they dug deeper in the Macaroni they would have found a USB hard drive, RAM and SD card. In addition there was clothing (new) that exceeded $300USD and inside the clothing hidden was a brand new iPad. Morons!
Documents are not inspected if the package contents are marked legal, because legally they can not be inspected without a warrant. That said if they contents don't feel like documents or the they are sent in something other than an envelope your right to privacy is gone.
Outbound packages are rarely screened. (Packages leaving Brazil)
The bottom line is FedEx and UPS hold the Brazilian customs process more accountable and you know where the package sits - and they are obligated to move it along. If you use the state run postal system (USPS in the United States) you have no advocate. All packages sent UPS and FedEx are insured so if you do get shafted you'll get a check for the item(s) value.
Thank you guys,
I'll meditate on this ... I have heard and read so many bad things about the custom in Brazil, like this crazy tax scam, or holding your package for months, when not stealing it pure and simple ... You would think that someone in the government would realize that a postal service is suppose to be a "service" for the people, not a mean to extort money from them ...
Anyway, thank you both for your answer !
Tom
Well, there you go thinking like a Canadian again!!! That just doesn't work here in Brazil, trust me!!!
If you try comparing ANYTHING in Brazil to a "first world" country you're going to go crazy here in no time flat. NOTHING works in this country, and if it does it doesn't work like it's supposed to.
Just within the past 12 months, I have had 6 of my CPP checks 'vanish' in the Brazilian Postal System - have to say vanished because I have to have video footage of the individual in order to use the real word that fits. Nobody at the post office cares, they stopped delivering mail in my neighborhood altogether over 6 months ago now. Maybe once a month the letter carrier comes around, of course by then all the bills are long overdue.
I've been here for over 13 years now Tom, please for your own sake you can't compare anything. You'll never make it in this country if you do. You have no idea just how spoiled we are anywhere in North America, because we have grown up with government and with systems that actually work, we have come to accept that is just the way it's supposed to be. Here it is not anywhere near that, so don't expect it because it will NEVER change.
Cheers,
James Expat-blog Experts Team
Articles to help you in your expat project in Brazil
Have you always dreamed of dancing to the rhythm of a Brazilian carnival? Do you wish to enjoy the sand and the ...
Brazilians enjoy exercise and athletics. Perhaps this is no surprise, as the weather makes it ideal to spend time ...
Rio de Janeiro may conjure up images of golden beaches populated by unimaginably beautiful people or of streets ...
It's much easier these days to get a cell phone in Brazil, and phones and calling plans are inexpensive ...
Brazil can be a romantic country, and you may want to marry here. Perhaps you even want to remain in Brazil ...
If you're single and ready to mingle, then you might want to try your hand at dating after you've settled ...
