Cash Declarations: Entering and Leaving Brasil

Carrying cash across a border is legal. Carrying a lot of it without telling customs is where people get into trouble. Brasil, like the US, sets a threshold above which cash must be declared, on the way in and on the way out. This guide explains the threshold and how to declare.

It is general information. For anything close to the limit, read the Receita Federal pages yourself before you travel.

The threshold

The Receita Federal sets the line at the equivalent of US$10,000:

• Entering Brasil with more than US$10,000, or the equivalent in other currencies, you must declare it.
• Leaving Brasil with more than US$10,000, or the equivalent, you must fill in the declaration and present it to customs.

The wording is "more than", so the obligation starts above US$10,000. The Receita exit page applies the rule to each traveler, and to paper money in reais or any foreign currency. It excludes credit instruments, checks and traveler's checks. If you carry several currencies, convert them and add them up. Check the official page for how the conversion is done.

How to declare

Declarations are made through the e-DBV, the electronic traveler goods declaration, on the gov.br service page. You fill it in online before you reach customs:

• On departure, the Receita page says you present the declaration at the Receita traveler service point for the airport, port or border crossing you leave from, together with the cash.
• On arrival, you declare in the e-DBV and then go to customs to present it. Check the official page for the channel to use.

The exit page lists what to show: the cash itself, the e-DBV, and proof of where the money came from. Examples it gives are a receipt for buying the foreign currency from an authorized bank or exchange, or the declaration you made when you brought the money into Brasil. So if you bring a large amount in and plan to take it out again, keep your entry declaration.

What can happen if you do not declare

Not declaring an amount over the threshold has consequences under Brazilian rules. Check the official page for what they are; this is not an area to take a risk on.

Do you need to carry cash at all?

For most moves, the answer is no. Moving money electronically is safer, leaves a clear record and avoids the declaration. See Sending money abroad for how transfers work, and Bank accounts and cards abroad for spending money once you are here.

A small amount of cash on arrival is still useful for a taxi or a coffee before your cards are set up. That is a few hundred reais or dollars, far below the threshold.

The US side

The US has its own reporting rule for carrying currency into or out of the country, set by US authorities. It is separate from the Brazilian rule. If you carry a large amount from the US, check the US rules too.

Checklist

1. Add up all the cash you will carry, in every currency.
2. If the total is above US$10,000, fill in the e-DBV.
3. On departure from Brasil, present it with the cash and proof of origin.
4. On arrival, use the declaration channel at customs.
5. Keep documents that show where the money came from.
6. Ask yourself whether a bank transfer would be simpler.

Common questions

Do traveler's checks count? The Receita exit page says the rule covers paper money and excludes credit instruments, checks and traveler's checks. Prepaid cards are not mentioned; check the official page.

My spouse and I are carrying US$15,000 between us. Do we declare? The rule is written for each traveler. How an amount split between two people is assessed is a question for the official page.

Mistakes to avoid

• Counting only dollars. Reais, euros and any other paper money in your bag all count toward the total.
• Splitting cash with a travel companion to stay under the limit. The rule is written per traveler, but deliberately splitting to avoid declaring is a risk not worth taking.
• Throwing away the entry declaration. If you bring cash in and take some of it out again, that document is part of the proof of where it came from.
• Leaving the declaration for the last minute. Fill in the e-DBV before you head to the airport.