Key facts for Brazil buyers, as of October 2026
— The buyer's RADAR category and readiness to import need an individual check.
— Used-goods licensing includes a national-production condition, subject to exemptions and a refusal-of-supply route.
— Licence timing before declaration registration is distinct from exceptional pre-shipment rules.
— LPCO I00078 calls for a Portuguese catalogue; the machine's complete technical pack still needs checking.
— The EU–Mercosur interim trade agreement has applied provisionally since 1 May 2026.
Sources are listed at the end of this guide. The buyer's Brazilian broker checks the actual import route and line treatment; the relevant technical authority checks machine-specific compliance.
Can I import a used machine into Brazil?
Put the licence answer ahead of the purchase. As of October 2026, Annex V lists NCM 8429.52.90 and 8701.95.10 as capital-goods lines. NCM is Brazil's tariff classification. A listing in Annex V does not classify the selected excavator or tractor, and it does not establish permission to import it.
Article 30 makes the absence of Brazilian production a condition for the used-goods licence. The rule is subject to exemptions and a refusal-of-supply route. That means the practical question is not “Does Brazil allow used machinery?” but “What route applies to this unit, importer and classification?”
Give the broker or licensing consultant the make, model, serial details, configuration, year, condition, intended use and proposed NCM code. Ask for the national-production assessment, any relevant exception and the evidence needed for this machine. Keep the answer beside the seller's technical material before you negotiate transport.
A short written decision note is useful here. Put the proposed importer, NCM code, licensing route, unresolved evidence and named decision-maker on one page. Mark which answers are conditions of purchase and which can wait until later preparation. That gives the buyer a clear reason to pause if the seller changes the unit or cannot supply the requested material.
Use the European machinery buying guide to organise seller and condition checks. Arrange a pre-purchase inspection before committing to a machine. Neither replaces the Brazilian licence decision, but both help make sure the decision refers to the unit you are actually buying.
Confirm classification, national-equivalent production, any exception and the evidence route with the buyer's Brazilian customs broker or licensing consultant.
Who will be the importer and what does RADAR mean?
Name the importer before the contract is final. These are the October 2026 importer checks. Receita Federal provides RADAR importer-enablement categories, but the buyer's own category and readiness to import still need checking.
The importer question affects the commercial papers, declaration plan and licensing work. Decide whether the buyer's company will import directly or whether a trading-company structure is proposed. Do not choose that route from a label alone. The broker needs to check the actual entity, its enablement and whether it is ready to make the declaration.
Use the same legal name and details consistently once the route is settled. A seller, forwarder and licensing consultant should not be working with different versions of the importer. Treat any change of entity as a reason to recheck the plan before the machine moves.
RADAR is an enablement question, not an import permission for the machine. A ready importer can still need a used-goods licence, technical evidence and other unit-specific decisions.
Confirm the named importer, company or trading-company route, RADAR enablement and declaration readiness with the buyer and Brazilian broker.
When do I need the licence and what documents go with it?
Do not turn “before declaration” into “after shipment is always safe”. As of October 2026, Article 5 requires the licence before registration of the import declaration. Article 6 reserves pre-shipment licensing for exceptional cases under specific rules.
The distinction matters because another authority or rule may impose a control before movement. The buyer's broker or licensing consultant must identify those controls for the actual machine. Ask for a stop/go sequence that separates licence filing, any pre-shipment action, booking and declaration registration.
The Siscomex manual gives LPCO I00078 a 180-day validity. LPCO is the Single Foreign Trade Portal's licence, permit, certificate and other-document model. That validity is not permission to ship and should not be treated as the machine's transport window without a written answer.
The same manual requires a Portuguese catalogue for LPCO I00078. The broker or licensing consultant must confirm the exact machine's complete licensing documents. Collect clear technical information from the seller early enough for it to be translated or reorganised if the licensing consultant requires a particular format.
Ask the seller for one orderly source pack rather than a stream of partial messages. Keep serial plates, engine details, photographs, manuals and catalogue material labelled to the machine. Then give the licensing consultant a question list with a requested written answer for each item. This is practical purchase control, not a substitute for the consultant's formal route.
Confirm the correct LPCO model, filing point, exceptional pre-shipment controls, validity and full technical pack with the Brazilian broker or licensing consultant.
What technical and plant-health checks apply to a used machine?
Separate workplace safety, engine approval and plant health. These are the October 2026 checks. Regulatory Standard NR-12 applies to new and used machinery, subject to its scope and exclusions. A CE mark does not answer which NR-12 provisions or retrofit work apply in Brazil.
NR-12 includes Portuguese-manual and marking requirements. Ask an NR-12 engineer to assess the mobile machine, its intended application, the relevant annex, any retrofit scope and who must certify the work. Keep the Portuguese catalogue used for licensing distinct from the manual and marking work required for technical compliance.
The emissions approval or exemption for the selected used machine has not yet been settled. Ask IBAMA or the buyer's broker in writing whether the Vehicle or Engine Configuration Use Licence, known as LCVM, applies to the used unit and what proof is accepted.
The plant-health route is also unresolved for the machine and its previous use. Ask Brazil's International Agricultural Surveillance service, Vigiagro, through the broker, and ask the exporting plant-health authority through the seller. Do not invent a cleaning certificate or assume that a farm-used or construction machine sits outside the controls.
Confirm the three written answers with the broker or NR-12 engineer, IBAMA, Vigiagro and the exporting plant-health authority.
What duty, taxes and origin evidence will Brazil require?
Ask for one written assessment tied to the arrival and NCM code. As of October 2026, the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC) tariff workbook says specified later annexes take precedence over Annexes I and II. A base Common External Tariff entry therefore does not settle the applied duty.
Ask the buyer's broker and accountant for a transaction-specific tax assessment. The federal treatment, state-tax base, credits and arrival-year changes still need review for the buyer and unit. Do not start with a headline percentage and try to fit the transaction around it.
The EU–Mercosur interim trade agreement has applied provisionally since 1 May 2026. Its line-by-line staging and the selected used machine's eligibility still need the broker's assessment. A European yard is not proof of European origin, and the agreement date does not create a UK preference.
Keep preference and tax as separate questions. The broker should identify the current NCM, any overriding tariff annex, the origin rule and proof, then the accountant should assess the buyer's complete federal and state treatment.
Confirm the NCM, overriding annex, applied duty and origin treatment with the broker; confirm federal and state taxes, bases and credits with the broker and buyer's accountant.
What should I agree before shipping from the UK or Europe?
Book only after the import route and technical owners are identified. As of October 2026, a UK VAT-registered seller can zero-rate the sale only if the goods leave the United Kingdom and it holds valid export evidence within 3 months of the time of supply.
The seller should state its invoice treatment and the evidence it expects before collection. Do not carry the UK rule across to an EU seller. Ask the EU seller and the buyer's tax or customs adviser how the transaction will handle exporter identity, proof and invoice treatment.
The machine's freight route, carrier acceptance and handling arrangements are not yet confirmed. Give measured dimensions, weight and transport configuration to the forwarder. Ask for the loading method, named sailing, destination handling and inland plan without turning an estimate into a promise.
The seller's technical material, licence file and transport description should refer to the same unit and configuration. If an attachment will travel separately, show that in the document and loading plan rather than leaving it to be discovered at hand-off.
Compare working with a buying agent with buying directly from the seller. Either way, the buyer's own Brazilian agent remains responsible for the import decision and clearance.
Confirm the invoice, export-evidence, carrier-acceptance, handling and inland-delivery plan with the seller, forwarder and haulier.
The pre-purchase checklist
For the October 2026 position, complete these checks before committing to a machine for Brazil:
— Name the importer and have its broker check RADAR enablement and declaration readiness.
— Obtain the exact-machine NCM classification and a written licensing and national-production assessment.
— Establish the declaration deadline and any pre-shipment approval point before arranging transport.
— Obtain the Portuguese catalogue and have a technical adviser assess applicable manual, marking and safety work.
— Obtain written used-unit emissions and plant-health answers from the relevant authorities.
— Ask the broker and accountant to assess current duty, other taxes and any origin preference for the exact unit and arrival.
— Agree the UK seller's invoice treatment and valid export evidence within 3 months of the time of supply.
— Give measured dimensions and weight to the forwarder for carrier acceptance, handling and inland arrangements.
Keep the broker's sequence beside the purchase approval. If the importer, machine configuration, intended use or seller changes, ask the owners of the affected decisions whether their answers still apply.
Set clear stop points before paying or booking. One might be the broker's written licensing route; another might be the technical adviser's acceptable document pack. Record who can release each stop and which document proves it. A tidy decision trail helps the buyer avoid treating an encouraging conversation as the formal answer needed for the exact machine.
Working with a buying agent who already does this
Euro Plant Finder works on the sourcing and export side. We find machinery in the UK and Europe, check the seller, arrange inspection and coordinate export-side documents with the buyer's advisers.
The buyer's own Brazilian customs agent handles the import declaration and clearance; Euro Plant Finder does not act as the broker or decide the Brazilian licensing route.
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Download the free import checklist →Frequently asked questions
Can I import used machinery into Brazil?
A used machine may have an import route, but Brazil's answer is conditional rather than universal. As of October 2026, the exact NCM classification, importer readiness and used-goods licence route must be checked before purchase. Article 30 applies a national-production condition, subject to exemptions and a refusal-of-supply route. Give the unit's full technical details to the buyer's Brazilian customs broker or licensing consultant and obtain a written assessment before arranging transport.
Do I need a licence before shipping used machinery to Brazil?
As of October 2026, Article 5 requires the licence before registration of the import declaration, while Article 6 reserves pre-shipment licensing for exceptional cases under specific rules. Do not turn that distinction into a universal permission to ship. The manual gives LPCO I00078 a 180-day validity, but validity is not a shipment deadline or approval. Ask the buyer's broker or licensing consultant which model applies, when to request it and what must be complete before movement.
What documents do I need for a used-machine licence?
The broker or licensing consultant must confirm the complete licensing-document list for the exact machine. As of October 2026, the Siscomex manual requires a Portuguese catalogue for LPCO I00078, while NR-12 includes Portuguese-manual and marking requirements where that standard applies. Those are different documents serving different decisions. The importer also needs a ready declaration route. Ask the buyer's Brazilian customs broker or licensing consultant for the complete technical and filing pack for the exact unit.
How much import duty and tax does Brazil charge on used machinery?
Do not rely on a generic rate. As of October 2026, the MDIC tariff workbook says specified later annexes take precedence over Annexes I and II, so a base TEC entry alone does not settle the applied duty. The complete federal and state tax treatment, base and credit position also need a written assessment. The EU–Mercosur interim agreement has applied provisionally since 1 May 2026, but that date alone does not prove preference for the unit.
Can I import a used tractor from Europe?
Annex V lists NCM 8701.95.10 as a capital-good line, but that does not classify or admit a particular tractor. As of October 2026, national-production licensing, NR-12, emissions, plant-health and origin questions remain machine-specific. The EU seller's location is not proof of European origin. Ask the Brazilian broker or licensing consultant, the relevant technical authorities and the seller's plant-health authority to assess the exact tractor, its previous use and its documents before purchase.
Can Euro Plant Finder handle the Brazil customs side?
The buyer's own Brazilian customs agent handles the import declaration and clearance. Euro Plant Finder works on the sourcing and export side: finding machinery in the UK and Europe, checking the seller, arranging inspection and coordinating seller-side documents. We coordinate with the buyer's agent so the machine, invoice and export information match what they request, but we do not act as the Brazilian customs broker or lodge the Brazilian import declaration.
Sources and last check
This guide was last checked on 26 October 2026 against the official sources below. It is general guidance, not a quotation or legal advice: rates and rules change, so confirm anything that affects your machine with your customs agent or the authority named.
— Receita: Receita RADAR pages (updated 23 August 2022 and 27 April 2021; checked 24 October 2026)
— SECEX: Portaria 249 compiled text (checked 24 October 2026)
— Siscomex: Annex V xlsx (checked 24 October 2026)
— Siscomex: Manual (checked 24 October 2026)
— Labour ministry: NR-12 PDF (checked 24 October 2026)
— IBAMA: gov.br service page (checked 24 October 2026)
— MAPA: gov.br Vigiagro page (updated 19 May 2026; checked 24 October 2026)
— MAPA: MAPA manual (checked 24 October 2026)
— gov.uk: export or move plants and plant products from Great Britain and Northern Ireland (last updated 27 August 2026; checked 24 October 2026)
— MDIC: MDIC tariff workbook (checked 24 October 2026; workbook note through 24 June 2026; website updated 19 October 2026)
— Planalto: Lei 10.865 (checked 24 October 2026)
— European Commission: Commission factsheet (30 April 2026; checked 24 October 2026)
— Siscomex: entry-into-force page (published 1 May 2026; checked 24 October 2026)
— HMRC: Notice 703 (last updated 4 March 2026; checked 24 October 2026)