Countries › Brazil › Guide › 5. FX and capital controls › Cash at the border, eFX international payment services and small transfers: limits that apply to people and businesses

Cash at the border, eFX international payment services and small transfers: limits that apply to people and businesses

Argentina. For full detail on Argentina, go to The Argentine Thread.

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Status: Changing

Travellers may carry up to US$10,000 in cash in or out of Brazil outside the banking system, provided entry or exit is documented under Federal Revenue rules; any excess over that limit can be forfeited. Larger cash movements must go through an authorized institution with a bank. Payment and transfer services known as eFX let fintechs and banks handle cross border card payments, purchases, remittances and own account transfers, with US$10,000 caps on several uses since 1 October 2026.

USD figures use the Banco Central do Brasil PTAX selling rate of R$5.5007 per US dollar for 26 October 2026, the last rate published before verification. Conversions are for orientation only; the rate on the day of each FX contract will differ.

Key facts

Cash that may be carried across the border outside the banking system	10000 USDLei nº 14.286 art. 14 § 1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
eFX limit for unilateral, own account and investment transfers	10000 USDResolução BCB nº 277 art. 49 II, III and V, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
eFX limit for digital purchases not integrated into an e-commerce platform	10000 USDResolução BCB nº 277 art. 49 I b, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Occasional cash FX between individuals outside the FX law, up to	500 USDLei nº 14.286 art. 19, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Reais delivered per inbound unilateral transfer	10000 BRLResolução BCB nº 277 art. 26 II c, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Banco Central do Brasil PTAX selling rate, reais per US dollar	5.5007 BRLBanco Central do Brasil PTAX, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. Cash in reais or foreign currency entering or leaving Brazil must go through an authorized institution that identifies the client, except amounts up to US$10,000 or equivalent whose entry or exit is proven as required. Any excess over the limit is forfeited to the National Treasury after due process, by a Federal Revenue auditor through a notice of infraction, besides criminal penalties.
Cost to do it: Forfeiture of the undeclared excess.
Example: US$10,000 is about R$55,007. / A traveller carrying US$25,000 outside the system risks losing the US$15,000 excess.Lei nº 14.286, art. 14 §§ 4 and 5 as worded by Lei nº 14.651 of 2023, Art. 14 §§ 1, 3, 4 and 5, 2021-12-29 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. Cash over US$10,000 may move in or out of Brazil only through an institution authorized for FX with a bank's participation; payment institutions authorized for FX may not do it.Resolução BCB nº 277, Art. 12, 2022-12-31 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. eFX is the international payment or transfer service used for purchases of goods and services in person or through a digital payment solution (capped at US$10,000 when not integrated into an e-commerce platform); unilateral transfers up to US$10,000; transfers between own accounts in Brazil and abroad up to US$10,000; withdrawals in Brazil or abroad; and transfers for financial and securities market investments up to US$10,000. Splitting operations to use these limits is prohibited.
Example: A US$10,000 eFX transfer is about R$55,007. / US$10,000 per operation for transfers and non integrated purchases.Resolução BCB nº 277, art. 49 as worded by Resolução BCB nº 561 of 30 April 2026, Art. 49, items I to V and § 1, 2026-04-30 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Resolução BCB nº 561 of 30 April 2026, in force from 1 October 2026, rewrote the eFX rules: it added investment transfers up to US$10,000, capped non integrated digital purchases at US$10,000 and consolidated the list of eligible providers.

4. eFX may be provided by banks, Caixa Econômica Federal, development agencies, finance companies, securities brokers and dealers, FX brokers and payment institutions authorized as e-money issuers, post paid instrument issuers or acquirers, even without FX authorization; they may start five business days after registering the service in the Central Bank's Unicad system.Resolução BCB nº 277, art. 49 §§ 2 and 3 as worded by Resolução BCB nº 561/2026, Art. 49 §§ 2 and 3, 2026-04-30 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. Inbound payment orders for unilateral transfers may be converted and paid to individuals in reais within three business days, up to R$10,000 per operation, in cash or to an account.
Example: R$10,000 cap per delivery. / About US$1,818.Resolução BCB nº 277, Art. 26 II b and c, 2022-12-31 official text · verified 2026-10-27

6. A donation by sale of foreign currency of R$100,000 or more must settle no earlier than one business day after contracting; cash, traveller's cheques and card loading must settle on the same day.Resolução BCB nº 277, Art. 38 §§ 2 and 3, 2022-12-31 official text · verified 2026-10-27

7. Occasional, non professional sales and purchases of cash foreign currency between individuals in Brazil of up to US$500 are outside the FX law.Lei nº 14.286, Art. 19, 2021-12-29 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Worked example

An executive moving to São Paulo arrives with US$12,000 in cash (R$66,008). Only US$10,000 is within the personal carry limit; the US$2,000 excess (R$11,001) is exposed to forfeiture after due process unless it moves through an authorized institution (Lei nº 14.286 art. 14 §§ 1 and 3). Once settled, transfers from the executive's account abroad to a Brazilian account in the same name can use eFX up to US$10,000 each, but splitting a larger transfer to stay under the cap is prohibited (Resolução BCB nº 277 art. 49 § 1); larger amounts go through an ordinary FX contract.

Step by step

1. Keep cash carried across the border within US$10,000 and document its entry or exit under Federal Revenue rules; move larger sums through a bank (Lei nº 14.286 art. 14).
2. For business amounts, use an ordinary FX contract with a bank, not eFX.
3. Check that a fintech providing cross border payments is a listed eFX provider registered in Unicad (Resolução BCB nº 277 art. 49 §§ 2 and 3).
4. Do not split payments to fit under the US$10,000 eFX caps (art. 49 § 1).

Common traps

Carrying business cash. Above US$10,000 cash must go through an authorized institution with a bank; payment institutions cannot do it (Resolução BCB nº 277 art. 12).
Running treasury through eFX apps. Several eFX uses are capped at US$10,000 per operation from 1 October 2026 (art. 49).
Assuming the US$500 individual exemption covers businesses. It covers only occasional, non professional trades between individuals (Lei nº 14.286 art. 19).

Sources

Related: Brazil country profile · live dashboard · central bank and release calendar · our posts on X · where Argentina is involved, see The Argentine Thread guide

← Investing abroad from Brazil: outbound transfers, IOF and the Central Bank's Brazilian capital abroad (CBE) declarationCrypto and stablecoins in Brazil's FX market: what counts as FX, what is prohibited and how it is reported →