Importer Qualifications for Brazil, Chile and Peru

Importer readiness · buyer guide

The best enquiries we receive are from buyers who already know who their importer of record is and which broker will clear the goods. This page sets out the importer qualifications for Brazil, Chile and Peru at a practical level: what to have in place before you order from China, and how to protect the first payment.

On this page

1. Formal import versus small parcels 2. Registrations and who owns them 3. Prepare before contacting suppliers 4. Audit, sample, trial order 5. Payment and bank details 6. Quote structure

Formal import versus small parcels

A formal import runs through an importer of record, a licensed broker and a declaration that carries duties and taxes. Small-parcel and consolidated-cargo routes bundle clearance into a service. The dividing line and the treatment change with policy, so we do not quote thresholds here — confirm them locally. What does not change is that buyers ordering machinery, custom parts or a container need the formal route, and need their China-side documents prepared before loading. Importer of record explained.

Registrations and who owns them

Market	Concept to have in place	Who handles it
Brazil	Company registration and an active import authorisation within the foreign-trade system	The importer and its licensed broker / despachante. Confirm current status with the relevant authority.
Chile	RUT registration with the tax authority, plus any sector approvals	The importer and its broker.
Peru	RUC registration and any sector approvals	The importer and its broker.

Watch out: We do not hold these registrations, apply for them on your behalf or act as importer of record. A supplier or agent that offers to “lend” an import identity is creating a risk that sits with you, not with them.

Prepare before contacting suppliers

Have these ready before you ask for a quote

A written specification: materials, dimensions, ratings, standards, labelling, packaging
Quantity, target price and whether this is a trial or a repeat order
The destination and the Incoterm you want quoted
The product classification input and any known conformity requirements
The name of your broker, so document drafts can be reviewed early

A buyer with this list gets comparable quotes. A buyer without it gets three different products priced three different ways, and spends a week working out which is which. The RFQ checklist and the quote cost breakdown are good templates.

Audit, sample, trial order

Verify the legal entity — Business licence, registered scope and the name that will appear on the invoice and bank account. Factory verification.

Approve a physical sample — Keep a signed reference sample for the pre-shipment inspection.

Place a trial order — One model, one shipment, documented — cheaper than discovering a systemic problem at scale.

Inspect before loading — Quantity, workmanship, labelling, packing and documents against the approved sample. Inspection service.

Then scale — Repeat the same specification, the same documents and the same broker process.

Payment and bank details

Agree payment milestones in the purchase order and tie them to evidence: an approved sample, a production milestone, a passed inspection and a complete document set. Pay into the company account named on the invoice. If bank details change, verify by a phone call to a number you already have — not by replying to the email that announced the change. This is the cheapest control against payment diversion, and it applies to every market.

A supplier that accepts every term, asks no questions about your destination and promises every certificate before seeing the product is not being helpful. It is agreeing to anything to secure the deposit.

Quote structure

Ask for the factory invoice and the service fee on separate lines, and for freight, testing, inspection and packaging shown where they belong. That is what makes an audit possible and a second order comparable. It also makes it obvious whether you are dealing with an agent working for you or an intermediary working for the seller — our sourcing agent guide explains the difference. Our service scope is written the same way.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import before my registration is active?

That is a question for your licensed broker and the relevant authority, not for a Chinese supplier. Settle it before you place an order, because it affects who can clear the goods.

Do you act as importer of record?

No. We prepare and verify the China-side goods and documents. The importer and its licensed broker handle declaration, valuation and release.

Is a trial order worth the extra effort?

Yes for a new supplier or a new category. One model, one shipment, with a signed sample and a documented inspection, is the cheapest way to test the whole chain.

What is the single most common first-order mistake?

Paying before the specification, the classification input and the document set are agreed. Those three decisions determine most of what happens afterwards.