Importing an Expedition Vehicle into Brazil?

vagabondette

New member
My family and I are looking to buy a 15 Bliss Mobil, probably on something like an LMTV chassis (maybe the Acela Monterra refurbished ones). We plan to travel throughout Canada and Alaska for the first year, and then wind our way down to Florianopolis, Brazil where we would like to live for about three years. Then we would overland for another year or so before staying in another country for a few years. And so on.

It looks like we can get extended visas to live in Brazil through language study, but importing the expedition vehicle to Brazil seems incredibly complex and expensive. It seems that imported vehicles need to either be new or "vintage" cars over 30 years old.

Another possibility might be to keep the US plates but leave the country every 90 days, but I don't know if you can do that indefinitely and it sounds like a hassle. Having a Brazilian plate would be better anyway...so much less conspicuous.

Does anyone on this board have any experience with importing an expedition vehicle into Brazil?

Does a refurbished LMTV chassis even count as "vintage" in Brazil?

Does anyone have an idea on the rough cost to import an expedition vehicle like the 15 ft Blissmobil on an LMTV from the US into Brazil? I'm not asking about shipping costs per se, just the actual import fees.

Thanks!
 

daleskill

New member
Well, I have never imported an expedition vehicle, but I can suggest you to seek service from a trustworthy and insured shipping company. There are a number of shipping companies that ship cross-country. Surf on the internet for more information related to shipping companies. Costing mainly depends on the size and type of vehicle. Be sure not to consider companies that take upfront deposits.
 
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Marcelo

New member
I'm brazilian. Simply don't do it, you are better off leaving every 90 days. Importing fees will rack up to 65% of the declared value of the vehicle (minimum of US$5,000.00), plus time for inspections and burocracy (at least 4 months). The law is pretty clear, the car needs to be at least 30 years old, and also be in driving condition.
I looked into this more than I can count dreaming about a Range Rover Classic. It's simply not worthed unless of course you got money and time.

Or you could just buy a car over here. With the current exchange rate you would be waaaaay better off going this route.
 

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