Brazil market entry for industrial equipment and parts suppliers
Industrial goods rarely need ANVISA or MAPA sign-off, but a share of them sit on INMETRO's compulsory certification list, tracked by object rather than by NCM code, and missing that check stops a shipment as surely as a missing health registration would.
The problem for an industrial supplier specifically
Most industrial goods clear Brazil without touching a health or agriculture regulator, and that absence tends to make suppliers underestimate the one gate that does apply broadly: INMETRO's compulsory certification list. It covers a defined set of objects, not everything crossing the border, but a product on that list cannot be sold without both the certificate and the separate Registro de Objeto that authorises the market, and the certificate can only be held by a supplier legally established in Brazil, never by the factory abroad. Suppliers who assume "industrial equipment doesn't need registration" often discover the specific exception the hard way, at the port.
Rio de Janeiro also runs a regime worth checking before assuming the standard ICMS rate applies: RioComex brings qualifying imports down to a 4% ICMS burden, and fasteners, bearings, pumps and compressors are explicitly inside the regime rather than excluded from it, unlike some other categories.
What to check before quoting a Brazilian buyer
- Whether your specific object is on INMETRO's compulsory list, checked through Portal Único, not a static published table. INMETRO certification covers the check and who has to hold the certificate.
- Whether the shipment needs an import licence beyond the standard declaration, automatic or non-automatic depending on the case. Import licensing covers the periods and which agencies act as consenting bodies.
- Whether RioComex or a similar state regime cuts your ICMS rate for the specific code and clearance state. ICMS by state has the entry conditions and the exclusion list.
- The full landed cost, since duty, IPI, PIS/COFINS and ICMS stack in a fixed order regardless of category. How Brazil's import taxes cascade sets out the order.
How we can help
Regulatory registration checks your object against INMETRO's list and runs the certification and Registro de Objeto through a Brazilian entity. Import operations runs the landed cost and checks RioComex or Ex-Tarifário eligibility for your specific NCM code and destination state.
Who this fits
A manufacturer or supplier of industrial equipment, fasteners, bearings, pumps or compressors evaluating a Brazilian buyer or distributor relationship.
Sources
- INMETRO compulsory certification, checked by object not NCM code, and clause 6.2.1.2 restricting certificate-holding to a Brazilian-established supplier: as discussed on INMETRO certification.
- Import licensing and LPCO: import licensing.
- RioComex, in force from 1 June 2026, ICMS down to 4% for qualifying imports, fasteners/bearings/pumps/compressors included: ICMS by state.
- Ex-Tarifário mechanism, filing restricted to Brazilian companies/associations: Ex-Tarifário.
Facts checked 24 September 2026.
Brazil import readiness pack
17 pages: who can import, RADAR limits, the regulator map, the tax cascade with a worksheet, and a one-page checklist.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my equipment needs INMETRO certification?
Not from a list organised by NCM code, because INMETRO keeps its compulsory list by object name. The reliable check runs through Portal Único Siscomex, either the LPCO simulation of administrative treatment or the Classif query. See INMETRO certification for how that check works and why the published object list itself is dated.
Can our factory abroad hold the INMETRO certificate directly?
No. Certification is applied for exclusively by a supplier legally established in Brazil, under clause 6.2.1.2 of the general certification rules, and the Registro de Objeto that actually authorises sale needs an e-CNPJ. The factory can be abroad; the certificate holder cannot.
Is there a reduced import duty for capital equipment without a Brazilian equivalent?
The Ex-Tarifário regime exists for exactly that case, capital goods and IT/telecom goods on a specific list without a domestic equivalent, cleared at a reduced or usually zero duty. See Ex-Tarifário for the mechanism, who can file (a Brazilian company or association only, never the foreign supplier), and how to check whether a specific code currently qualifies.
Do fasteners and bearings get any tax relief clearing through Rio de Janeiro?
RioComex, in force in Rio de Janeiro from 1 June 2026, brings the ICMS burden on qualifying imports down to 4% for goods with a domestic similar, and fasteners (NCM 7318), bearings, pumps and compressors are inside the regime; entry needs RADAR Ilimitada and customs clearance in Rio de Janeiro among its conditions. See ICMS by state for the entry conditions and the exclusion list.
Work the Brazilian side of your deal with us
We are based in Rio de Janeiro. Send us the specifics and we will tell you where things stand before you commit.