Government expedites air and sea transit of new international donations to RS

The Federal Government continues to speed up the transportation of international donations to the population affected by the floods in Rio Grande do Sul, in an effort spearheaded by the Extraordinary Secretariat to Support the Reconstruction of Rio Grande do Sul (Secretaria Extraordinária para Apoio à Reconstrução do Rio Grande do Sul), the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (Agência Brasileira de Cooperação - ABC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Ports and Airports, and the Secretariat of Federal Revenue (Secretaria Especial da Receita Federal do Brasil – RFB)

On Tuesday, May 21, a cargo plane carrying 60 tons of humanitarian donations from the Bolivian government landed in Guarulhos, São Paulo. The shipment included drinking water, food items (powdered milk, cooking oil, pasta, beans and rice), and emergency supplies like tents, tarps, blankets, mattresses, and disposable diapers.

The cargo was received by Ambassador Alfredo Camargo, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Representative Office in São Paulo (ERESP-MRE), and by the Consul General of Bolivia in São Paulo, Rolando Ignacio Bulacios.

Just hours later, the second of three humanitarian aid flights from the United Arab Emirates arrived at the same airport. Weighing 69 tons, the shipment included 500 electric generators, 10,000 blankets, 5,200 solar lights, 3,000 mattresses, 200 folding beds and seven tons of food.

In recent days, the country has received several tons of donations from foreign citizens, Brazilians living abroad, humanitarian organizations, and governments. These donations have arrived on flights from Portugal, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.

EXPEDITED CUSTOMS PROCESSING

All these donations are headed to Rio Grande do Sul after expedited customs processing, thanks to the Receita Via Rápida initiative by the Brazilian Federal Revenue. This initiative aims to streamline the receipt of donations from abroad.

GUIDELINES FOR SENDING DONATIONS TO BRAZIL

Donations have generally been organized by foreign governments, solidarity groups spontaneously formed abroad, local citizens, Brazilian residents, NGOs and various institutions, with support from Brazil's network of embassies and consulates. Individual or corporate donors wishing to send contributions independently can choose a carrier (air, land, river, or sea) and designate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' National Register of Corporate Taxpayers (CNPJ) number as the recipient: 00.394.536/0006-43.

In Brazil, the entire arrival procedure is handled by the RFB. Donations can be processed using a paper version of the Simplified Import Declaration (Declaração Simplificada de Importação — DSI), an electronic DSI form, or an Import Declaration form (Declaração de Importação — DI). All of these donations are tax-exempt.

DONATIONS BY AIR AND SEA – The Ministry of Ports and Airports reports that airlines have already completed 25 flights carrying 348 tons of donations from Brazil and abroad. Minister Silvio Costa Filho stated during his appearance on the TV Brasil show "Bom Dia, Ministro" that the total amount of donations transported by sea is expected to reach 500 tons by Sunday (26). "This is a collective and daily effort, in coordination with the Civil House, alongside Minister Paulo Pimenta. Now is the time to unite Brazil and bring people together. This is not a matter of right-wing, left-wing or centrist politics. It is about what’s best for Brazil," summarized the minister.