Moving from Canada to Brazil
A container run from Montreal or Halifax down the Atlantic to Santos, the port that serves Sao Paulo and the largest in Latin America. Here is the honest brief on shipping costs, how Brazil treats used effects as unaccompanied baggage, the visa routes for Canadians, and a timeline you can plan around.
Bring your goods in duty free as unaccompanied baggage with a valid visa.
A move from Canada to Brazil is a long ocean haul down the Atlantic. Containers leave Montreal and Halifax and sail to Santos, the gateway port for Sao Paulo and the busiest in Latin America, with Rio de Janeiro as a secondary option for the southeast. From Santos it is a short road leg up to Sao Paulo. A realistic door to door window is six to nine weeks.
Brazil treats a relocating person's used household goods as unaccompanied baggage, the bagagem desacompanhada, which can enter free of import duty for personal use. Clearance runs through the federal revenue service, the Receita Federal, and the key requirement is a valid visa for more than one hundred and eighty days with your residence registered, so the people side of the move must be in place before the goods clear.
Prices below are in Canadian dollars and indicative for 2026. Brazil's currency is the real. Your real shipping number turns on volume, whether you share a container or take a full one, and the inland delivery from Santos to Sao Paulo or beyond.
What it costs in 2026, by home size.
Your bill is driven by volume and whether you share or take a full load, plus the delivery within Brazil. The figures below are indicative ranges for 2026, door to door.
Indicative 2026 ranges in Canadian dollars, door to door by sea from Montreal or Halifax to the port of Santos in Brazil. Volume, season, the sailing and final delivery to Sao Paulo move the figure. Summer is the peak.
- +Best value for a studio or a partial home
- +You pay only for the space you use
- −Slower, because your goods wait for the consolidated load
- +Faster and sealed to your home only
- +The sensible choice for a full house
- −You pay for the whole box even if you do not fill it
- +Fastest way to get essentials over
- +Useful while your container is at sea
- −Rarely sensible for a full household
Get moving quotes for Canada to Brazil.
Tell us your size and timing. We pass your request to vetted movers who run the route from Canada into Brazil, and you compare them on your own terms.
A realistic schedule for this route.
Working back from the day your goods leave Canada, here is a realistic schedule for this move to Brazil.
Secure your Brazilian visa
Apply for a visa valid for more than one hundred and eighty days, because the duty free baggage relief depends on it. Goods can only clear after the visa is granted and residence registered.
Get surveys and quotes
Have movers run a video or in home survey for an accurate volume and a binding price. Confirm they sail to Santos and work with a licensed Brazilian customs broker.
Book the sailing
Confirm your Canadian sailing date and lock a valued inventory, with new items listed separately, for the baggage declaration and insurance.
Register with the Federal Police
Land, and complete your migration registration so your residence is stamped and your national migration record, the RNM, is in process before the goods clear.
Clear customs and deliver
Your broker lodges the unaccompanied baggage declaration, the Declaracao de Bagagem, with the Receita Federal at Santos, then delivers to Sao Paulo or wherever you settle.
Clearing your goods into Brazil.
Brazil clears a relocating person's belongings through the federal revenue service, the Receita Federal, at the port of Santos. Used and new household goods and personal effects may enter free of import duty when they are for personal use and properly declared, with new items identified on the packing list. The goods are treated as unaccompanied baggage, the bagagem desacompanhada, under a baggage declaration lodged by a customs broker.
The central condition is the visa. You need a visa valid for more than one hundred and eighty days, and your goods can only clear after the visa is authorised and your residence is stamped in your passport by the Federal Police. The shipment should arrive within one hundred and eighty days of your own arrival in Brazil. Holders of a temporary visa may be asked to sign a guarantee covering duties based on a share of the declared value, which is released once permanent residence is confirmed.
An accurate inventory matters, because items that look new or commercial can attract duty and tax. Bringing a car from Canada is generally not worthwhile, since Brazil restricts used vehicle imports tightly, so most movers buy locally instead.
The routes in for this corridor.
A Canadian moving to Brazil needs a visa valid for more than one hundred and eighty days both to settle and to clear the household goods duty free. Each route leads to a residence registration with the Federal Police and a national migration record, the RNM.
Residence tied to a Brazilian employer or an authorised work arrangement, the common route for people relocating for a job.
Residence based on a qualifying investment in a Brazilian company or in property at the level the authorities set.
For retirees who can show stable pension income at the required level, a popular route for those drawn to Brazil's climate.
Residence through marriage or family ties to a Brazilian citizen or a legal resident, each with its own evidence requirements.
How to pick a mover for this route, without the guesswork.
We do not rank or recommend individual companies. We teach you the criteria that separate a safe international move from an expensive mistake, then put your request in front of vetted movers who run this lane.
Check the trade affiliation. Membership of FIDI or IAM is the clearest signal a mover is financially screened and bound to industry standards for international household goods. For this route, ask whether the mover handles moves from Canada into Brazil regularly and works with an experienced customs broker at Santos.
Insist on a binding pre move survey. A real video or in home survey of your volume is the only honest basis for a price. A quote given without one is a guess that tends to grow on moving day.
Compare like for like. Read what each quote includes: packing, materials, the ocean freight, customs clearance, the broker fees, delivery to Sao Paulo, stair or long carry charges, and insurance. The cheapest headline number is rarely the cheapest move.
Understand the insurance terms. Ask whether cover is full replacement value or depreciated, what the excess is, and how claims are handled. Read the valuation clause before you sign.
Read recent reviews for this corridor. Brazilian clearance is paperwork heavy, so look for verified reviews that mention the Canada to Brazil route and a smooth clearance at Santos.
Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from Canada to Brazil?
For a two to three bedroom household by sea, plan on roughly 5,500 to 18,000 Canadian dollars door to door in 2026, depending on volume, shared or full container, and delivery from Santos. A studio is less and a four bedroom home more. These are indicative ranges, not a quote.
How long does shipping take from Canada to Brazil?
Door to door is usually about six to nine weeks. The sailing from Montreal or Halifax to Santos runs roughly four to six weeks, and clearance and delivery to Sao Paulo add the rest.
Do I pay duty on my household goods moving to Brazil?
Used personal effects can enter free of import duty as unaccompanied baggage when you hold a valid visa for more than one hundred and eighty days and your residence is registered. Verify the current conditions with the Receita Federal before you ship.
Do I need a visa to move from Canada to Brazil?
Yes, and it is central. You need a visa valid for more than one hundred and eighty days, through routes such as work, investor, retirement or family, and the goods only clear after the visa is granted. Confirm your route with the Brazilian authorities.
Which port do my goods arrive at in Brazil?
Santos, which serves Sao Paulo and is the largest port in Latin America, handles most household shipments, with Rio de Janeiro as a secondary option, and your mover delivers onward from there.
Can I bring my car from Canada to Brazil?
It is generally not worthwhile, because Brazil restricts used vehicle imports tightly, so most movers sell up in Canada and buy a car locally in Brazil instead.
Last reviewed: 22 April 2026. We refresh this guide as costs, customs, and visa rules change.