Brazil market entry assessment
Before you set up a company or move a container, you can pay for an honest answer: does your product sell in Brazil, to whom, at what landed price, and what regulatory or logistics step is the one that could stop the deal.
Who this is for
A foreign manufacturer, brand owner or distributor that has a product and a genuine question: is Brazil worth the cost of entry for this specific product, at this specific volume, right now. Not a company that has already decided to open a Ltda and wants the paperwork done. This is the step before that decision, not after it.
The problem this solves
Most companies price the wrong risk before entering Brazil. They budget for company formation and freight, and treat the tax and regulatory stack as a detail to sort out once the entity exists. In practice the order runs the other way: the NCM classification decides the duty rate and which of ANVISA, MAPA or INMETRO applies; the regulatory gate decides whether the product can be sold at all before any tax is even calculated; and the landed cost, run against what competitors already charge on the shelf, decides whether the margin survives contact with Brazil's tax cascade (see how Brazil's import taxes cascade). Getting any one of these wrong after the company exists is expensive to unwind. Getting them wrong before it exists costs three weeks and this fee.
What we do
| Step | What we do | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Product diagnosis | Classify the product under its NCM code, confirm target volumes and price, and set the criteria for what counts as success | A product card with the NCM code, the goal, and the deal success criteria in writing |
| 2. Demand validation | Pull import data for the category from ComexStat/MDIC: who imports it, at what volume, the trend, seasonality, and who the competitors are with their shelf prices | A demand report with figures and the source and date behind each one |
| 3. Regulatory gate | Map the duty (II under the Mercosur common external tariff), IPI, the PIS/COFINS regime, whether ANVISA, MAPA or INMETRO applies, and the RADAR/Siscomex accreditation the importer will need | An access map: what is required, realistic timelines, and which requirement is the one that could stop the deal |
| 4. Landed cost and deal economics | Calculate landed cost through duties, taxes, logistics, AFRMM and the Siscomex fee, and compare it against competitor shelf prices from step 2 | A landed cost calculation and a margin verdict weighed against what your product will actually have to sell for |
| 5. Distributor or buyer shortlist | Identify 3-5 candidate distributors or buyers on the Brazilian side and make first contact | A target contact list with the status of each first contact |
| 6. Go/no-go verdict | Weigh steps 1-5 into a single recommendation and, where the answer is yes, a roadmap for the next stage | A final report with the verdict and the next steps, good or bad |
Step 5, the distributor shortlist, sits in the route to sales package rather than the base market reconnaissance package; see pricing for what each package includes.
Timeline
Two to three weeks from the diagnostic call, depending on how quickly product and volume details are confirmed and how many regulatory bodies the product touches. ANVISA or MAPA categories with an existing product registration route move faster than a product that needs a new registration decided first.
What we need from you
The product itself or full specifications, target volume and price expectations, any certifications or registrations you already hold anywhere in the world, and 30 minutes for the initial diagnostic call. The more specific the product description, the more specific NCM code we can classify it under, and the whole assessment runs on that classification.
Importing without your own company
Assessment step 3 also answers a question most guides skip: you do not need a Brazilian entity of your own on day one to sell into Brazil. Importer accreditation in Siscomex is available to Brazilian legal entities and individuals acting in their own name, and a foreign company's own CNPJ cannot be used for import activity, so the goods move through a Brazilian buyer or distributor instead. That Brazilian party either imports directly, holding its own RADAR accreditation, or engages a Brazilian trading company to import on its behalf under IN RFB 1.861/2018, either por conta e ordem de terceiro, where the trading company clears customs in its own name for goods the adquirente, the Brazilian buyer, has bought abroad, or por encomenda, where the trading company buys and clears the goods in its own name for onward sale to the pre-agreed Brazilian encomendante. In both structures the adquirente or encomendante is the Brazilian buyer or distributor, and it holds its own RADAR accreditation regardless of which route is used. Where this fits your volumes, the assessment identifies and vets that Brazilian buyer or distributor, and the trading company behind it where one is needed, rather than proposing you set up a company you may not need yet.
Price
From USD 1,500 as the market reconnaissance package (steps 1-4 and 6 above). Adding the distributor shortlist (step 5) and a sales plan moves it to the route to sales package, from USD 5,000. Our fee is in USD; government fees, notary costs, sworn translation and any third-party report costs are quoted separately. The exact figure follows the free 30-minute diagnostic call. Full package detail is on pricing.
Who does the work
The assessment is run by our desk in Rio de Janeiro. Where a specific regulatory question needs a licensed professional's sign-off, we bring in the relevant partner: a Brazilian lawyer registered with the OAB for legal questions, or a licensed customs broker (despachante aduaneiro) for classification questions that sit at the edge of a published ruling.
Sources
- Importer of record and the two alternative structures: Instrução Normativa RFB nº 1.861/2018, articles 2 and 3, as discussed on RADAR and Siscomex: who can actually import.
- Import duty, IPI, PIS/COFINS and the tax cascade referenced in step 4: how Brazil's import taxes cascade.
This page describes a paid service. It is not a guarantee of a specific outcome; the go/no-go verdict in step 6 can come back "no" if the product does not clear the deal economics.
Frequently asked questions
What does the market entry assessment actually deliver?
Six things: a product card with the NCM classification, a demand report from ComexStat with figures and sources, a regulatory access map naming every registration or licence your product needs, a landed cost calculation compared against competitor shelf prices, a shortlist of 3-5 distributors or buyers with first contacts made, and a final go/no-go verdict with a roadmap for the next stage.
How long does it take and what does it cost?
Two to three weeks. The assessment itself starts from USD 1,500 as the market reconnaissance package; adding distributor search and a sales plan moves it into the route to sales package, from USD 5,000. The only free step is the 30-minute diagnostic call where we define the task and give an estimate. Full detail, including what packages include, is on pricing.
Can you act as the importer of record for my company?
No. Brazilian customs rules make accreditation available to Brazilian legal entities and individuals acting in their own name, and the Receita Federal's own list of purposes for which a foreign company may hold a CNPJ does not include import activity, so in practice a foreign company does not act as the importer itself. You sell to a Brazilian buyer or distributor, who imports directly with its own RADAR or engages a Brazilian trading company to do it under IN RFB 1.861/2018, either por conta e ordem or por encomenda. What we do is identify and vet that Brazilian buyer or distributor, and the trading company behind it where one is used. We are not that party ourselves.
What is not included in the assessment?
Negotiating a deal to signature, opening the company, and running logistics. The assessment is the validation and the entry points, not the transaction itself. Clients who pass the assessment move to the full-cycle package, which does cover company set-up, negotiation support and logistics.
Who qualifies for this?
A company that already has a product, understands that selling it is the actual goal rather than a side effect of registering a company, and is ready to fund a real sales effort in Brazil if the answer comes back yes. If your product has no realistic route to market, we tell you that in the verdict rather than sell you the next stage anyway.
Work the Brazilian side of your deal with us
We are based in Rio de Janeiro. Send us the specifics and we will tell you where things stand before you commit.