Moving to Brazil

04/11/24    Hello I am retiring after 23 years of USA and returning to Brazil. I am a disabled USA Army Veteran, have Disabilities in the USA, can I validate those there?
Also I need to ship Less than a Container, 8-10 boxes, and one electric scooter and one electric bike. I have some IT stuff like 2 monitors, a computer, etc. Lets say total weight 150KG-200KG   

    -@williamggs

Welcome!  See my response on the Relocation thread regarding movers.

With respect to "validating" your disabilities, I'm not sure what you mean.  If you mean "making them non-taxable under Brazilian law", probably not.  They'll probably be treated as any other pension.  Brazil has a policy against double taxation, so if they're included in your taxable income in the United States, that will help you.  At any rate, you shouldn't have to file income taxes in Brazil until early 2025, and before then you should be able to talk to Brazilian accountant in the city you're moving to in order to arrange the most advantageous treatment possible.

    Hello I am retiring after 23 years of USA and returning to Brazil. I am a disabled USA Army Veteran, have Disabilities in the USA, can I validate those there?
Also I need to ship Less than a Container, 8-10 boxes, and one electric scooter and one electric bike. I have some IT stuff like 2 monitors, a computer, etc. Lets say total weight 150KG-200KG
Can someone refer me a shipping service, sea shipping cheaper. Thank you.

I already got the proof of residency from the Brazilian COnsulate, so I don't get taxed. Thanks
   

    -@williamggs

Look for Brazilian enclaves in the US, as most of them do ship stuff to Brazil.  That's Grapevine

Places like

Newark, NJ

Framingham, MA

Orlando, FL

Brigeport, CT

There are Brazilian Weeklies in the US, check them with them.

Places like

Newark, NJ
Framingham, MA
Orlando, FL
Brigeport, CT

There are Brazilian Weeklies in the US, check them with them.
   

    -@sprealestatebroker

Any places in CA?  How to ship stuff to Brazil is an often-asked question and probably deserve its own specialized thread.

04/21/24 How to ship stuff to Brazil is an often-asked question and probably deserve its own specialized thread.        -@Pablo888

We have several.  One of the most current ones was lost in a recent cleanup, but this one still has a lot of useful information:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=209755

In spite of its age, the leadoff post from @emilie116 back in 2012 is still largely correct, although a mover with a lot of Brazil experience is a little more able these days to make things a little easier than she experienced.

JK Moving is the company I'm working for. I'm moving on June 15. Belongings will be shipped on May 13. I'm in the process of validating my 30+ years of residency in the USA. The Brazilian consulate didn't like my pay stubs. The bills I sent, I coul only get the last 13 to 14 months. That's more than a year.

Can you share what you sent to the consulate? It's difficult to reach someone on the phone.

04/21/24  Can you share what you sent to the consulate? It's difficult to reach someone on the phone.        -@Roger Fonseca Santos

I was only a US citizen (not a dual national) at the time of my move, so I didn't need to deal with the Consulate at all.  All dealings with the Alfândega/Receita Federal were handled by my mover, who had a warm handoff with their Brazilian counterpart, Sirva.  Sirva advised me ahead of time of exactly the documentation that would be required, and dealt directly with the US mover to be sure that they prepared their part of the documentation properly.  They sent the Customs Broker to meet with me at my address in Brazil to collect my personal documents from me.  There was nothing much they could do about the holdups at the Customs Warehouse, but they were great on the paperwork.  I followed the ship that was carrying my container online, and they were very good about answering questions en route.

If it will be useful to you, I can post the checklist that they gave me here.  I posted it once, but that thread seems to have disappeared in one of our periodic cleanups.

    Places likeNewark, NJFramingham, MAOrlando, FLBrigeport, CTThere are Brazilian Weeklies in the US, check them with them.         -@sprealestatebroker

Any places in CA?  How to ship stuff to Brazil is an often-asked question and probably deserve its own specialized thread.
   

    -@Pablo888

California, I would guess mostly around Los Angeles

Weeklies...

https://www.braziliantimes.com/quem-somos

https://www.gazetanews.com/

Local hangouts for Brazilians

http://services.brazuca.online/communit … california

https://hibrazilmarket.com/pages/sobre-nos

Grocery store in Redondo Beach by Artesia Boulevard

San Diego

Here's a merchant guide.

https://portalbrazilusa.org/categoria/lojas/

Look for groceries with a lunch counter.   Most often locals hangout on those places, and someone knows of a good shipper.  And you have those free off the rack weeklies.

We have several.  One of the most current ones was lost in a recent cleanup, but this one still has a lot of useful information:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=209755

In spite of its age, the leadoff post from @emilie116 back in 2012 is still largely correct, although a mover with a lot of Brazil experience is a little more able these days to make things a little easier than she experienced.
   

    -@abthree

@abthree, I have looked at the thread conclusion and it seems that everyone who has done it is suggesting NOT TO DO IT because it is ridiculously expensive and complex.  Did I get this right?

@abthree, I have looked at the thread conclusion and it seems that everyone who has done it is suggesting NOT TO DO IT because it is ridiculously expensive and complex.  Did I get this right?        -@Pablo888

Yes, you did.   I don't recommend it, but if anybody feels the need to do it, doing it wrong costs even more than doing it right.

I only did it because after disposing of at least 2/3 of my household, including most of my books, I still had an art collection that I didn't want to part with, and enough heirloom furniture, computer equipment, kitchen gear, and odds and ends to fill a 10 ft. container, close to 4,000 lb.  Excluding charges that a lot of people may not have -- storage in the US totally my option @ $400 and fine art packing @$1,800 -- it cost me almost $20,000 in 2018.   That included insurance @ $4,200 (negotiable, but most people will want some), and $4,500 in port charges at the Port of Manaus.

I had great movers at both ends, no paperwork issues, and no onward freight to speak of (we could go from our apartment to the port in 15 minutes via Uber), but the shipment STILL sat in the Customs Warehouse for three weeks accumulating charges while it waited for the Customs Officers to release it.  And they opened every box, although nothing was broken or missing.