Solving Customs Complexities in Brazil

Recently Antonio Dantas, District Director in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, took part of our Coffee with Crane podcast where he shared updates about the country and delved deep into the importance of Repetro, the unique customs regime for importing and exporting goods. 

Antonio has acquired a wide range of knowledge in importing and exporting, distribution, customs brokerage, and sales thoughout his career. With over 18 years of experience in logistics he currently sits as the District Director of Crane Worldwide Logistics Brazil North.

Below is an excerpt from the podcast interview. 

Give us an overview of Crane Worldwide Logistics in Brazil. 

In Brazil we have two main offices; Rio station which serves the North-East region and is managed by myself, and São Paulo that serves the South-East and is managed by Igor Morais. In terms of the market, in Rio de Janeiro we have a lot of oil and gas industries and pharmaceutical companies whereas, in São Paulo they have many industrial automotive companies.  

Can you tell us a bit more about Repetro? 

Repetro is a special customs regime that allows companies in Brazil to import equipment and goods with tax benefits. It would be practically impossible for oil and gas companies to execute their contracts without the Repetro regime because Brazil is such a complex country with high taxes. Without this regime we probably would not have any oil and gas companies based in Brazil. 

You mentioned that Brazil is a very complex country, is managing Repetro difficult? 

Yes it is quite difficult. As I mentioned before Brazil has very high taxes so if you miss any details, procedures, or make any mistakes the importer can incur pretty hefty fines at the end of the process. Although Repetro has many benefits it requires our employees to have a lot of knowledge on the regime in order to manage all of the details. 

What kind of experience has Crane had with the Repetro regime? 

Over the years our experience with Repetro has definitely grown. When I joined Crane two years ago I began a new project that’s purpose was to develop a team with a specialized focus in the Repetro regime. We had many opportunities to bring in new accounts that required background and expertise in Repetro.  

What are some steps that Crane, specifically, is taking in order to ensure the process runs smoothly. 

We have a team that specializes in this regime and is readily available to meet our clients’ demands whether they’re requiring details on NCM, contracts, or invoices our team is ready to help. Additionally, we have attorneys to support any demands in terms of contract discussions. 

Finally, what would you like our clients to know about importation through Repetro in Brazil? 

They need to know that Repetro provides some good benefits but all steps need to be properly followed. If customs brokerage misses something the impacts will be huge and so will the fines. For this reason, we need to have an open line of communication so we can discuss and evaluate the risks and the benefits. 

You can watch the full podcast episode here.