Sea Freight from China to Salvador
China → Salvador · via SSA air / Salvador sea · clearance by Receita Federal do Brasil
We move sea freight cargo from South China into Salvador through SSA air / Salvador sea. Salvador is north-eastern regional capital, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.
On the destination side, Receita Federal do Brasil handles clearance; budget 7–15 days of dwell before the cargo is released.
What you will pay on arrival in Brazil
Imports into Brazil are cleared by Receita Federal do Brasil. The headline position is: Import duty 10–35% plus IPI, PIS/COFINS and state ICMS — the compounded effective rate frequently exceeds 60%. The de-minimis threshold is USD 50 for consignments between individuals only.
Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: ANATEL homologation for telecom and radio devices; INMETRO certification for a wide range of consumer goods. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.
Restrictions and known friction points for Brazil: ANATEL homologation is mandatory for anything that transmits, and takes months to obtain — start before production. INMETRO certification covers many consumer categories. Import licensing applies to a substantial list of goods and must be granted before shipment.
How this lane actually runs
Brazil is the most complex tax jurisdiction in the Americas. Federal duty is only the starting point — IPI, PIS/COFINS and state-level ICMS compound on top, and ICMS differs by state, so the same goods cost different amounts landed in São Paulo and Manaus. The Manaus Free Trade Zone is a genuine alternative structure for electronics assembly inputs.
| Sea gateways used | Santos, Paranaguá, Itajaí |
|---|---|
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 30–40 calendar days |
| Gateway serving Salvador | SSA air / Salvador sea |
| Inland leg to Salvador | +3 days from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 7–15 days |
| Peak season to plan around | Sep–Nov |
Before you book: Salvador checklist
- Confirm the consignee in Salvador can act as importer of record — Receita Federal do Brasil will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
- Check the de-minimis position (USD 50 for consignments between individuals only) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: ANATEL homologation for telecom and radio devices; INMETRO certification for a wide range of consumer goods.
- Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
- Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Brazil duty rate against it yourself.
- Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the Brazil lane.
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Salvador take?
China to the Brazil gateway is 30–40 calendar days. On top of that, allow 7–15 days of clearance with Receita Federal do Brasil and a +3 days inland leg to Salvador.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Salvador?
Receita Federal do Brasil applies: Import duty 10–35% plus IPI, PIS/COFINS and state ICMS — the compounded effective rate frequently exceeds 60%. The de-minimis position is USD 50 for consignments between individuals only. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Salvador.
What documents does Receita Federal do Brasil require?
A commercial invoice with HS codes, a packing list, the bill of lading or air waybill, a certificate of origin where it lowers duty, and any product certification (ANATEL homologation for telecom and radio devices; INMETRO certification for a wide range of consumer goods). We prepare and file these as part of the service.
How is the chargeable weight calculated for Salvador?
We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight — length × width × height in centimeters divided by 6000 for air — and bill the greater of the two, rounded up to the next kilogram. Light, bulky cargo is almost always billed on volume.
Which port or airport does cargo for Salvador clear through?
Cargo for Salvador is routed via SSA air / Salvador sea. Sea gateways for Brazil are Santos, Paranaguá, Itajaí; air gateways are GRU (São Paulo), VCP (Campinas), GIG (Rio de Janeiro). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.
Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Salvador?
Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 30–40 calendar days by sea versus 4–7 business days by air to the Brazil gateway, before clearance and the +3 days inland leg. The crossover point is normally somewhere between 100 and 300 kg depending on the density of your cargo.
Other delivery cities in Brazil
References & official sources
Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Brazil change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling — confirm the current position for your own HS code with Receita Federal do Brasil or your broker before you ship.
- Receita Federal — Aduana
- ANATEL homologation
- INMETRO
- WTO — Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- IATA — Lithium battery shipping guidance (PI 965–970)
- World Bank — Logistics Performance Index
- ICC — Incoterms 2020 rules (DDP, DAP, FOB definitions)
- IPPC — ISPM 15 wood packaging standard
Page data last reviewed: 10 月 2026.
Shipping by industry
This page covers the route and clearance picture for the destination. Packing, classification and the compliance step that actually holds a shipment depend on what you are sending — these guides cover that by commodity.
- Umbrellas Consumer Goods & Gifts
- Bearings Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Solar Panel New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Prefabricated Building Building Materials & Construction Products
- Pallet Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
- Conveyor Belts Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Hotel Furniture Furniture & Home Products
- Textiles Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Leather
- Restaurant Furniture Retail, Display & Commercial Fixtures
- Metal Fabrication Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Pressure Vessels Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Switchgear New Energy, Power & Electrical
Checking the Brazil duty position yourself
Treat the landed-cost numbers here as a planning baseline. Receita Federal do Brasil sets the rate that actually gets charged, assessed against your HS classification at the moment of clearance, so their own guidance is worth reading before a large order.
If you want to sanity-check a duty figure yourself, start from the heading rather than the product name — the WCO Harmonized System is the underlying nomenclature, and the WTO Tariff & Trade Data portal holds the applied rates by country pair.
For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.
On the origin side, export declaration and any commodity inspection requirement fall under China Customs (GACC); we handle that filing as part of the service, but the requirement is theirs, not ours.
For a wider view of how importing into Brazil actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Brazil customs regulations is a useful independent read alongside our own lane notes.
Watch: the process behind this route
This guide covers routing and clearance for Salvador. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
How to Ship Internationally via Ocean Freight | Step-by-Step Process, Documents & Cost Explained — 10 Min For Supply Chain. Published on YouTube by a third party; we link it because it explains the process well, not because we produced it or endorse the provider.
Customs clearance in Brazil
Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.
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