Norms stipulate limits and criteria for imports and exports between blocks; come into force this Friday (May 1st)
The government sets the rules for distributing import and export quotas under the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union.
The measures were published this Friday (May 1, 2026) by the Foreign Trade Secretariat of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services. Read the full ordinances (PDF – 869 kB) e (PDF – 823 kB).
The rules are valid from May 1st to December 31st, 2026 and establish operational criteria for companies operating in trade between the blocks.
The objective is to regulate the practical application of what was signed on January 17, 2026 and has already been approved and promulgated by the Brazilian government.
Ordinance 491 deals with import quotas for European products. The text defines that requests must be made through the Siscomex Single Portal and will be analyzed in order of registration. It also establishes limits per operation, deadlines of up to 60 days to link licenses to the Single Import Declaration and penalties for companies that do not use authorizations within the deadline.
The rules also determine that, when the global quota for a given product is exhausted, new licenses will not be issued. There is also an initial limit per company in some cases, with the possibility of expansion depending on the clearance of goods already imported.
Among the products with quotas are milk, cheese, chocolate, cocoa and vegetables, with specific volumes and tariffs defined in the annexes to the ordinance.
Exports
Ordinance 492 amends previous rules to regulate export quotas, with emphasis on sugar. The text establishes different tariff bands for sales to the European Union, including zero tariffs for initial volumes and additional charges above certain limits.
For the 2025/2026 cycle, for example, up to 75 thousand tons of sugar exported to the European bloc will have zero tariffs, while larger volumes will be subject to a charge of 98 euros per ton. From the following period onwards, the zero-tariff limit increases to 180 thousand tons.
The ordinance also includes quotas for exports to the United Kingdom and consolidates rules established in previous international agreements and regulations.
Vehicles
The act brings import quotas for European vehicles in Brazil, with a global limit of 21,333 units until the end of 2026, in addition to restrictions per company.
The two standards detail how the agreement will be applied to commercial operations. In practice, they establish predictability for companies and define quantitative and tariff limits, which influence prices, competitiveness and trade flow between Mercosur and the European Union.
