Expert: Ken Rapoza Cruz - 3/15/2009

Question
Dear Sir,
I am UK resident (Greek nationality) and my wife is Brasilian.We have lived in UK for past 3 years.
We want to buy a car in the UK and send it to Brasil so that we have a car when we visit there instead of having to rent one(twice a year).
I have the following questions:
1)Is it true that only new cars can be imported to Brasil or can a used car be imported from UK to Brasil?
2)What are the costs involved?
3)What is the process that we need to follow in order to send the car from UK to Brasil? (Does the fact that it will be a right hand drive matter?, What about licence plates?)
3)Can you recommend a business that specialises in transporting cars to Brasil from UK?

Sincere thanks


Answer
You are about the tenth person to ask me this very question so you are in luck. I have the answer!

You cannot bring cars to Brazil unless they are 30 year old or more collectors cars, classics like a 57 Chevy. You will have to sell it and buy a new one in Brazil.  You cannot bring your personal car into the country.

So to answer your questions one by one.
1)You cannot import your own car into Brazil. There is no point. You will have to pay a HUGE import tax. Better off buying a really nice Ford, Chevy, Puegot, VW or Fiat locally made. If you must have your Audi, then sell your Audi there, save the money, and buy one here. It will cost about the same as you paying the huge import fee to bring it here (Which you cant do anyway).

2) Cannot import your car. The fact that it was a right handed drive especially. Cannot do it.

You can buy any car you want in the world here in Brazil. You want a Maserati? You can buy one. You want a Rolls Royce? You can buy one. You want a mini?  You can buy it. You will just have to pay a big import fee for that imported vehicle, which will be buried in the sticker price for the car at the new andused car lots. That said, you cannot import your own personal car.