How to pay suppliers in Brazil from the US

Pay in reais or in US dollars?

The first decision is the invoice currency. Brazilian suppliers selling abroad quote in US dollars (USD) or in Brazilian reais (BRL), and both are legal. The Banco Central do Brasil lists a payment order from abroad "in reais or in foreign currency" as one of the ways an exporter can be paid.

The choice decides who carries the exchange risk and who pays the conversion cost.

• USD invoice. You send dollars. The supplier's bank converts them to reais when the supplier closes the exchange contract. The supplier carries the exchange risk between invoice date and payment date, and the supplier's bank sets the rate it pays.
• BRL invoice. You buy reais and send them, or ask a provider to pay reais in Brazil. You carry the exchange risk. The supplier receives a fixed amount in reais, which many smaller suppliers prefer because their costs are in reais.

A practical rule: if the supplier is a large exporter with a dollar treasury, a USD invoice is simple. If the supplier is a smaller manufacturer that keeps chasing you about short payments or rates, a BRL invoice paid at a known rate usually removes the argument. Either way, write the currency, the amount and the charge terms on the purchase order so the invoice and the wire match.

Source: Banco Central do Brasil, ways to receive export proceeds and to receive money from abroad, as published on 21 October 2026.

Why the supplier's bank must close a contrato de câmbio

A contrato de câmbio is the foreign exchange contract a Brazilian company signs with an authorized bank or broker to buy or sell foreign currency; it records the amount, the rate and the reason for the payment.

The Banco Central do Brasil is explicit about what this means for your wire: foreign currency sent from abroad "will not go directly to the beneficiary's account". The beneficiary and the authorized institution must carry out an exchange operation, and only after that are the funds in reais available. The central bank also tells beneficiaries to contact their bank before the money is sent, to check that they have the documents the bank will ask for.

Bradesco describes the same process on its own page: incoming international payments are formalized by closing the exchange contract. The documents the bank requests depend on how the operation is classified, for example an export of goods.

For a US importer this has three consequences:

1. "Sent" is not "received". Your bank can show the wire as complete while the supplier has not yet been credited, because the supplier still has to close the contract.
2. The supplier needs your documents. Send the commercial invoice number and a clear payment reference so the supplier can match your wire to the export it declared.
3. The supplier sees the full cost. The Banco Central do Brasil requires the institution to tell the client the Valor Efetivo Total (VET), the total effective rate including the exchange rate, the financial operations tax (IOF) and any fees.

There are exceptions. Since 1 October 2026, Resolution BCB 575 allows companies that export goods to hold a foreign currency deposit account in Brazil, so a goods exporter with such an account can receive dollars without first converting them to reais. The central bank also says exporters may receive export proceeds into an account held in their own name at an institution abroad, and keep the money there. If your supplier asks you to pay its own account outside Brazil, that request can be legitimate, but confirm it by phone with a contact you already know before you change any bank details.

Pix explained: fast, but domestic only

Pix is the instant payment system created by the Banco Central do Brasil. It moves money between current, savings and prepaid accounts in Brazil in seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The central bank reports more than 7.8 billion Pix transactions in September 2026, worth more than R$3.8 trillion.

Suppliers often ask "can you just send a Pix?" because that is how their domestic customers pay. A US company cannot send a Pix from a US bank account: Pix moves reais between accounts in Brazil and is not an international transfer system.

Pix can still be part of your payment. Some international payment providers convert your dollars and pay the supplier in reais inside Brazil; the last step to the supplier's account may be a domestic transfer such as Pix. In that case the supplier receives a domestic credit in reais and does not close an exchange contract itself. Ask any provider which route it uses, in which name the supplier's credit appears, and what reference the supplier will see.

Helm sends international payments to suppliers by SWIFT and by local rails in the supplier's currency where available, and shows the rate, the fee and the expected arrival before you send.

Details you need to pay a Brazilian bank by SWIFT

SWIFT is the network banks use to send international payment messages. Each bank has a SWIFT code (also called a BIC) of 8 or 11 characters. Bradesco asks for the payment to arrive as an authenticated SWIFT message, preferably an MT103 (the standard customer transfer message), and states that it does not process a printed form on its own.

The CNPJ (Cadastro Nacional da Pessoa Jurídica) is the Brazilian company tax registration number issued by the Receita Federal. It has 14 characters. From July 2026 new registrations receive an alphanumeric CNPJ that can contain letters; existing numbers do not change. If your accounts payable system only accepts digits in a tax ID field, fix that before you onboard a new Brazilian supplier.

Source: Bradesco, payment orders from abroad, and Receita Federal, CNPJ Alfanumérico, as published on 21 October 2026.

Check any SWIFT code against the bank name before you pay; the SWIFT code lookup helps. Ask for bank details on the supplier's letterhead or invoice, and confirm them by phone the first time and every time they change.

Arrival times and cut-offs

A SWIFT payment to Brazil has two stages. First, the dollars travel from your bank to the supplier's bank, sometimes through a correspondent bank (an intermediary bank that holds dollar accounts for foreign banks). Second, the supplier closes the exchange contract and receives reais.

For the first stage, Swift reports that nearly 60% of payments sent with its tracking service (gpi) are credited to end beneficiaries within 30 minutes, and almost 100% within 24 hours. Each gpi payment carries a unique reference, the UETR, which your bank can use to trace it. For the second stage, the timing depends on the supplier: how quickly it signs the contract and provides documents.

Source: Swift, gpi payment tracking; Banco Central do Brasil; Bradesco, as published on 21 October 2026.

Send early in the US day, and never on the afternoon before a Brazilian holiday or weekend. If your shipment release depends on the supplier seeing the money, send the supplier the UETR and the MT103 copy on the same day so it can ask its bank to process the contract.

Why payments to Brazil are delayed or returned

Most problems come from data that does not match, or from the supplier's side of the exchange process. These are the causes to check first:

• Name mismatch. The beneficiary name on the wire differs from the account holder's registered name. Use the full razão social, not a trading name.
• Wrong branch or account number. Brazilian accounts are identified by branch and account. A missing branch number or check digit is enough to hold the payment.
• Missing or wrong CNPJ. The bank compares the tax number with its records.
• Exchange contract not closed. The money has arrived, but the supplier has not signed the contract or sent the documents.
• Unclear purpose. A reference such as "payment" alone forces the bank to ask questions. State the invoice and that it pays for goods.
• Deductions on the way. Under SHA or BEN charges, intermediary banks may deduct fees, and the supplier receives less than the invoice.

If a payment is held, ask your bank for the SWIFT trace using the UETR, and ask the supplier to call its bank's foreign exchange desk with your MT103 copy. Most holds are resolved by supplying a missing detail rather than by resending the money.

Fees as published

Fees sit in three places: your bank's wire fee, any correspondent bank deductions, and the supplier bank's exchange rate, fees and IOF, which it must show to the supplier as the VET. The charge option on your wire decides who pays which part.

• OUR: you pay your bank's fee and the intermediary fees; the supplier should receive the full amount.
• SHA: charges are shared; you pay your bank, the supplier pays the rest.
• BEN: the supplier pays all charges, deducted from the amount.

Source: Chase, Performance Business Checking, as published on 21 October 2026. Additional processing fees may apply. Exchange rate margins on foreign currency wires are not shown in the fee table.

A low or zero wire fee on a foreign currency payment does not mean the payment is free: the cost is in the exchange rate. Compare the reais the supplier will receive, not the fee line. Helm's fees are agreed with your account manager; speak to the team.

Step by step: paying a Brazilian supplier

1. Agree the currency and charges on the purchase order. USD or BRL, the amount, and OUR or SHA.
2. Collect the bank details in writing. Legal name, CNPJ, address, bank, SWIFT code, branch, account and any USD correspondent bank.
3. Verify them by phone. Call a contact you already know, not a number from the email that carried the details.
4. Check the calendar. Avoid Brazilian and US holidays, and the afternoon before them.
5. Send the wire with a full reference. Invoice number and "payment for goods".
6. Send the proof the same day. Give the supplier the MT103 copy and the UETR.
7. Ask the supplier to close the exchange contract. The reais are available only after that.
8. Reconcile. Confirm the amount credited and record any deductions for the next order.

Importers that pay several Latin American suppliers can reuse the same checklist; the main differences are local identifiers and exchange rules. See how to pay suppliers in Colombia and the Brazil country guide. Helm's accounts for importers hold USD, EUR and GBP in your company's name with a named account manager.

Brazilian holidays that stop payments

An exchange contract can only be closed on a Brazilian business day. National holidays below are from the ANBIMA national holiday calendar used by Brazil's financial market. Local holidays in the supplier's city can also close its branch.

Source: ANBIMA, national holidays calendar, as published on 21 October 2026.

Combine this calendar with US bank holidays, when your own bank will not release a wire. A wire sent on Thursday 19 November 2026 arrives just before the Brazilian holiday on Friday 20 November, so the supplier may not be able to close the exchange contract until Monday 23 November.

Questions

References

1. Banco Central do Brasil: Pix
2. Banco Central do Brasil: How to send money abroad or receive money from abroad in foreign currency (FAQ)
3. Banco Central do Brasil: How exporters can receive export proceeds (FAQ)
4. Bradesco: Ordem de pagamento (payment orders from abroad)
5. Receita Federal: CNPJ Alfanumérico
6. ANBIMA: National holidays calendar (feriados nacionais)
7. Chase: How Performance Business Checking works (wire fees)
8. Swift: Fast, transparent and trackable payments (gpi)

This guide is general information for businesses, not financial, legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and timings were checked against the sources listed on the review date and may change.