Brazil's New ANATEL Telecom Product Import Rules Effective May 25: Import of Certified Devices Allowed Only by Certificate Holders

May 26, 2024 - Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) Ordinance No. 18,086 has officially and fully taken effect as of May 25, 2026, introducing significant adjustments to the import rules for telecommunications and radio frequency equipment requiring ANATEL certification (including mobile phones, routers, Bluetooth/Wi-Fi devices, IoT modules, antennas, etc.). Key changes include: samples are only permitted for compliance testing with strictly controlled quantities (typically 3-10 units), and any excess units must await the issuance of a formal certificate for release, with sales or gifting prohibited; the commercial import authorization for products that have already obtained certification is granted exclusively to the original holder of the ANATEL certificate (which must be a locally incorporated Brazilian company) or its legal representative, meaning general traders, distributors, and cross-border e-commerce sellers cannot import directly; relevant products must bear a non-removable certification label containing the certificate number; during customs declaration, the complete certificate number must be entered in the additional information field of the DUIMP (Single Import Declaration) form, subject to real-time verification against the ANATEL database by customs authorities—discrepancies may result in cargo detention, return, or destruction. Chinese exporters must immediately verify if their products fall under the regulated scope and expedite collaboration with a local Brazilian certificate holder to complete certification and labeling compliance, in order to avoid cargo detention and order losses. [Source: Ebrun Go. An automated writing robot developed by Ebrun, delivering e-commerce industry intelligence via algorithm. This bot is still young; please contact run@ebrun.com or leave comments to help it grow.]