Frequently Asked Questions

Fill out our New Client Intake form with your shipment details, or start a conversation with Astro, our chat assistant, in the bottom corner of any page. A member of our team will follow up within one business day.

Both. First-time shippers usually need more guidance on RADAR registration, documentation, and Incoterms, which is exactly the kind of hands-on support our founder-led model is built for.

At minimum: origin and destination, commodity and HS/NCM classification if known, approximate weight/volume or container size, and your target ship date. The more detail you provide up front, the more accurate your first quote will be.

At minimum: a commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, and an accurate NCM classification. Depending on the product, you may also need an Import License (LI), INMETRO certification, or ANVISA registration. We confirm the full list for your specific commodity before booking.

RADAR is the credential that allows a Brazilian company to operate through Siscomex, Brazil's foreign trade system. Any Brazilian importer or exporter needs an active RADAR registration before their first shipment. It can take several weeks to process, so we recommend confirming it well ahead of your ship date.

The Harmonized System (HS) code is the international 6-digit classification used by U.S. Customs and most countries worldwide. Brazil's NCM (Nomenclatura Comum do Mercosul) extends the same 6 digits to 8, adding Mercosul-specific detail that determines your actual Brazilian duty rate.

It depends on how much control you want over customs, insurance, and risk at each leg of the shipment. FOB and CIF are the most common for USA-Brazil ocean freight; EXW and DDP appear more often with experienced importers managing the full door-to-door process themselves. We walk through this with every new client.

Typically 15-30 days port to port, depending on the specific port pair and whether the routing is direct or transshipped. Add several days on either end for trucking and customs clearance.

Usually 1-3 days for the flight itself, making air freight the default choice for time-sensitive, high-value, or perishable cargo where the ocean transit window doesn't work.

On the U.S. side: Houston, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Savannah, and Charleston. On the Brazilian side: Santos, Paranaguá, Rio de Janeiro, and Itajaí for ocean freight, and Guarulhos (GRU) and Viracopos for air freight. See our full Port Database for details.

Yes. Full Container Load (FCL) makes sense once you have enough volume to fill a container; Less-than-Container Load (LCL) lets smaller shipments share space and cost with other cargo. We help you decide which makes sense for your volume.

We work one trade lane, USA-Brazil, instead of spreading across the whole world. That focus means real, hands-on expertise in the customs rules, ports, and carriers specific to this corridor, and every account is worked directly by someone with actual operating experience, not a call center.

Both. Many clients start with a single shipment and move into an ongoing relationship once we've proven out the lane for them. Our Managed Transportation Services are built specifically for clients who want an outsourced transportation desk handling this on an ongoing basis.

Visit our Track Your Shipment page, or contact your account manager directly. Every active shipment has a named point of contact on our team.