New Brazilian law: package recipients passport number requirement?

Master (252)

20-01-2022, 15:12

Last year I ordered Team Tecnobytes' new V9999 cartridge. Last week, I received an email from their usual address, claiming they need my tax ID (they later clarified they meant a passport number) from anyone outside Brazil they send packages to, as per a new Brazilian law.

I'm hesitant to provide them with my passport number, because I've never heard of such a law or custom, while I've imported packages from several non-EU countries into the EU, even quite recently. I am wondering if the email address tecnobytesbrasil@gmail.com has been taken over by someone else.

Does someone here know anything about this new law, have any experience with similar laws or have any way of assuring me Team Tecnobytes is still in control of their gmail account?

By aoineko

Paragon (1138)

20-01-2022, 15:44

I got the same message from Tecnobytes and it seems legitimate.
I am not an expert on international trade, but it seems that the ask for a Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) is quite common.
You can check on the OECD website what this number corresponds according to your country: https://www.oecd.org/tax/automatic-exchange/crs-implementati...
For France, it is not a passport number but perhaps this is the case in your country.

By The Apeman

Master (252)

20-01-2022, 16:07

Thanks for clearing that up. Your link led me to https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/tin/#/tin-country, where I could download a ZIP with clear instructions how to obtain my TIN, and for NL it's the social security number.

By gdx

Enlighted (6438)

21-01-2022, 01:21

If your purchase predates the law then I believe you can ignore the request.

By Parn

Paladin (854)

21-01-2022, 03:06

If you ignore the request they won't be able to send your V9990 cartridge.

By meits

Scribe (6573)

21-01-2022, 10:51

That raises an economical border around Brazil. I can't believe everybody is going to share that info.
However... I doubt that the Brazilian mail system can check if the info is valid.

By SLotman

Paragon (1242)

21-01-2022, 13:23

The mail system can't. But everything going out of the country goes through Brazil Customs ('Receita Federal') and they can.
They can even DESTROY your package if there isn't that information available.

Yay for the far-right extremist government in Brazil!

By meits

Scribe (6573)

21-01-2022, 14:10

I'm happy I already have my Shockwave 2, cuz I wouldn't order one now. I don't want that info in the hands of people who have no use fot it. Especially not that Bolsonaro clown and his puppets.
I feel sorry for Brazilian traders and producers

By ducasp

Paladin (712)

21-01-2022, 16:11

This is a requirement since January 2020!

And it is not that the Brazilian government or postal services need that information. Unfortunately, many countries (Brazil does that for quite a few years) postal services / courier services / customs are asking that the TAX ID is placed along with the information that declares value/etc...

When that information is not present and the country demands it, the package might be returned (then it is a loss of the shipping charge), or even worse, get destroyed / auctioned (then it is a total loss).

It seems Brazilian post office is taking the easy route, asking this information for any country, other than doing like USPS that has forms for any country so it asks only for those that request that kind of information.

Not really sure what to tell you, other than, it is a real requirement, and without that information, it is unlikely Brazil post office is going to allow the item to be shipped... Perhaps if you want you can pay extra for a courrier service like UPS (not USPS) or FEDEX and ask Tecnobytes to check if those require that kind of information as well...

By SjaaQ

Champion (381)

21-01-2022, 17:57

I have the same problem. I am trying to get a Brazilian CPF number for myself though. I am afraid the dutch 9 digit number won't be good enough for the Brazilian government. So far I passed "the first boss". Now it can take up to 10 days for a response to arrive.

Fun fact, if you communicate with their foreign CPF number department they still communicate in Portuguese. Where would I be without google translate.

By Parn

Paladin (854)

21-01-2022, 21:20

Meits wrote:

That raises an economical border around Brazil. I can't believe everybody is going to share that info.
However... I doubt that the Brazilian mail system can check if the info is valid.

We don't usually appreciate how complex foreign commerce can be. As @ducasp explained, this is not actually a requirement by the Brazilian government, but rather an increasingly needed necessity in shipping stuff to other countries. Big companies have entire departments to deal with this kind of thing, mostly hassle-free from the client's perspective, but small, hobbyist companies or real people can't possibly know all the wrinkles related to shipping to most countries. The post office is just trying to be helpful, asking for some info they know it may (or may not) be asked by the other country's customs or, I don't know, the revenue and income department of said country.

All this is already complex as it is, and it got even messier with pandemic shenanigans. And we're talking about Brazilian postal services, which are universal, but there's also courier services (like FedEx and DHL, but they're not available everywhere), and I know that some of them won't even touch that kind of stuff, or will surcharge it horribly "in any event".