Port and customs clearance fees in Brazil

The short answer

Before any tax is calculated, a shipment carries a small set of fixed or formula-based fees, and a larger set with no published figure at all. AFRMM runs at 8% of the freight and port handling charges stated on the bill of lading. TUM is R$ 20.00 per bill of lading. The Siscomex fee runs on a sliding scale by addition, starting at R$ 115.67 plus R$ 38.56 for the first addition. Terminal handling, storage, demurrage and the customs broker's own fee are not published anywhere reliable, because each terminal, shipping line and broker sets its own.

AFRMM

AFRMM, the merchant marine renewal charge, runs at 8% for both long-haul and cabotage shipping, in force since 25 March 2022 under Lei 10.893/2004 article 6 I, as amended by Lei 14.301/2022 (the veto on the reduction was overridden by Congress on 17 March 2022 and promulgated on 24 March 2022). The rate was previously 25%; any material still quoting that figure is describing a rule that no longer applies. River and lake transport carries its own rates: liquid bulk in the North and Northeast pays 40%, other cargo on those routes pays 8% (article 6 III-IV).

The base is the port-to-port freight plus the port handling charges stated on the bill of lading, converted to reais at the exchange rate on the date of the transaction (article 5 §1, article 9; IN RFB 2.102/2022 article 4 §4). The consignee named on the bill of lading pays it, with the cargo owner jointly liable (article 10). AFRMM and TUM are paid through the Mercante system before Receita Federal authorises release (article 11). Cargo starting or ending in a North or Northeast port is exempt from AFRMM until 8 January 2027, under Decreto 12.555/2025, which extended an exemption originally set by Lei 9.432/1997.

TUM

TUM, the Mercante system usage fee, is R$ 20.00 per bill of lading registered in Mercante (CE-Mercante), under IN RFB 2.102/2022 article 8 §2. The statutory ceiling is R$ 50.00 (Lei 10.893/2004 article 37 §1).

The Siscomex fee, by addition

The Siscomex fee is charged per declaration plus per adição (addition), not per item or SKU. An addition groups goods sharing the same NCM code, exporter, manufacturer, application, valuation method, Incoterm and similar attributes; twenty models from one factory under one NCM count as one addition, while twenty different NCMs from different factories count as twenty. The rule is IN SRF 680/2006 article 13, as amended by IN RFB 2.024/2021, with Portaria ME 4.131/2021 (which revoked Portaria MF 257/2011) setting the current amounts, in force since 1 June 2021.

Duimp has no additions as such; the system groups items by the same attributes only to compute this fee, per the Siscomex FAQ on Duimp, updated 14 July 2025. The Receita Federal page titled "Taxa de utilização do Siscomex," which still shows R$ 185.00 and R$ 29.50, has not been updated since 17 September 2019 and should not be cited.

What has no published figure

Terminal handling (capatazia/THC) and storage (armazenagem) are set by each terminal's own price list. Demurrage and detention run on the contract with the shipping line, charged per day beyond the free time it grants. The customs broker's (despachante) fee runs on its own contract, per shipment or per hour. No national table exists for any of the three; no data, and any figure quoted without naming the specific terminal or broker should be treated as an estimate, not a rate.

Wooden packaging

Pallets and crates fall under Portaria MAPA 514/2022 (ISPM 15 / NIMF 15), which revoked IN MAPA 32/2015. The mark has to be legible, not red or orange, indelible, and applied to two opposite external sides (article 15 §1). Heat treatment requires at least 56°C for 30 minutes at the core (article 7); other NIMF 15 treatments, including methyl bromide and sulfuryl fluoride, are also accepted, though the sulfuryl fluoride detail here comes from a secondary summary rather than the Portaria text itself. Exemptions for plywood, particleboard and wood under 6mm run through the NIMF 15 reference rather than being stated as a figure in the Portaria itself. Non-compliant packaging is returned, treated, or destroyed, destruction only by a MAPA-accredited contractor in the customs zone (article 35), at the cost of the importer, carrier, depositary or port operator (article 40, with Lei 12.715/2012 article 46).

What this page does not confirm

Article 306 of Decreto 6.759/2009 as a stated basis for Siscomex, the text of Decreto-Lei 2.404/1987, and any ANTAQ rule specifically governing demurrage were not confirmed against their primary text while preparing this page.

Sources

• AFRMM: Lei 10.893/2004, articles 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 37 §1, as amended by Lei 14.301/2022; Decreto 12.555/2025 for the North/Northeast exemption extension.
• TUM: IN RFB 2.102/2022, article 8 §2 (text via a secondary republication, normaslegais.com.br).
• Siscomex fee: Portaria ME 4.131/2021; IN SRF 680/2006 article 13 as amended by IN RFB 2.024/2021; FAQ Siscomex on Duimp, updated 14 July 2025.
• Wooden packaging: Portaria MAPA 514/2022, articles 7, 15 §1, 35, 40; Lei 12.715/2012 article 46.

Rates verified 23-24 September 2026. Check the date before relying on any figure here.