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Selling beer, wine and spirits in Brazil

In Brazil, alcoholic drinks are beverages under Law 8.918/1994, with wine under Law 7.678/1988, and Decree 12.709/2025 sets the definitions, labelling and import rules, enforced by MAPA. Labels are in Portuguese, Law 9.294/1996 adds a moderation warning and advertising limits, and imports need MAPA authorisation.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Regulator
MAPA (Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária)
Alcoholic
From 0.5% to 54% alcohol by volume at 20 °C
Main rules
Law 8.918/1994, Law 7.678/1988 (wine), Decree 12.709/2025
Label warning
"Evite o Consumo Excessivo de Álcool" (Law 9.294/1996)
Broadcast advertising
Radio and TV only from 21:00 to 06:00
Reserved name
Cachaça: Brazilian sugar-cane spirit, 38% to 48%

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Which legal category and alcohol range does the drink fall into? Read more
  2. 2Do the establishment and product need MAPA registration? Read more
  3. 3What must the label say, in Portuguese, including the moderation warning? Read more
  4. 4What limits apply to advertising? Read more
  5. 5How does an imported drink clear MAPA? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Legal categories

How Decree 12.709/2025 classifies and defines alcoholic drinks.

  • An alcoholic beverage has from 0.5% to 54% alcohol by volume at 20 °C (Decree 12.709/2025, Article 11).
  • Beer is the product of alcoholic fermentation of malted barley wort or malt extract, boiled and with hops added (Article 40).
  • Wine is obtained by alcoholic fermentation of the must of sound, fresh, ripe grapes (Article 49).
  • Cachaça is the typical and exclusive name for sugar-cane spirit produced in Brazil, at 38% to 48% by volume (Article 54); whisky is 38% to 54% (Article 57).
  • A drink of 15% to 54%, other than a fermented one, may be labelled "bebida alcoólica espirituosa" (Article 111).
  • Wine and grape and wine derivatives follow Law 7.678/1988, other beverages Law 8.918/1994; IN 140/2024 consolidates the identity and quality standards (MAPA beverages legislation page).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the analysis behind each drink's category and strength with the product, so the name on the label can be checked against the definition. Ask about this

Registration, traceability and recall

Putting the establishment and product on record with MAPA, and acting on a faulty lot.

  • Registration, standardisation, classification, inspection and control of beverages are mandatory (Law 8.918/1994, Article 1).
  • Establishments and products are subject to registration, cadastro or accreditation with MAPA where required, by risk, size and market (Decree 12.709/2025, Article 114).
  • A mark identifies the MAPA registration (Article 107).
  • Traceability records are kept for 18 months from the expiry date (Article 123), and the party responsible or importer recalls a non-conforming lot at its own cost (Article 124).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the MAPA registrations and analyses with each product and lot, dated, and shows what is due for renewal. Ask about this

Labelling

What an alcoholic drink's label must show.

  • Labels give correct, clear, precise and prominent information in Portuguese, are legible and hard to remove, and carry no therapeutic claims (Decree 12.709/2025, Article 106).
  • Labels of alcoholic beverages carry the warning "Evite o Consumo Excessivo de Álcool" (avoid excessive consumption of alcohol) (Law 9.294/1996, Article 4 §2); for that law, alcoholic beverages are those above 13 degrees Gay-Lussac (Article 1).
  • Online offers show the mandatory label information (Decree 12.709/2025, Article 110).
  • MAPA's labelling page also lists the Consumer Defence Code, Decree-Law 986/1969, Law 10.674/2003 on gluten and Decree 4.680 of 24 April 2003 on GMO labelling.
  • Under IN 75/2020, alcoholic beverages are among the foods for which front-of-pack nutrition labelling is prohibited (Annex XVI).

How we help: Compliant Always reads your label and listings against the particulars and warning, and shows which line is missing. Ask about this

Advertising

Limits on how alcoholic drinks are advertised.

  • Commercial advertising of alcoholic beverages on radio and television is allowed only between 21:00 and 06:00 (Law 9.294/1996, Article 4).
  • Advertising may not associate the product with Olympic or competitive sport, healthy performance of any activity, driving, or ideas of greater success or sexuality (Article 4 §1).
  • Inside places that sell alcohol, a written warning must be displayed that driving under the influence of alcohol is a crime (Article 4-A).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps your signed-off artwork and the rule each line was read against, so marketing reviews start from the record. Ask about this

Import

How imported beer, wine and spirits are authorised and inspected.

  • Imports meet the Brazilian identity and quality standard (Decree 12.709/2025, Article 162) and enter only with MAPA authorisation (Article 164).
  • Imports with additives or contaminants not allowed in Brazil are banned (Article 163).
  • Mandatory information is in Portuguese, on the original label or a complementary label (Article 109).
  • The importer registers with MAPA through SIPEAGRO; the import licence goes through Siscomex, with certificates of origin and analysis, possible sampling, and an import inspection certificate before sale. Up to 12 litres for non-commercial use are exempt (MAPA import page).
  • Non-conforming imports are destroyed or returned at the importer's cost (Article 167).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the certificates of origin and analysis with each shipment and shows which are missing before it leaves. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ProducerMAPA registration, the identity and quality standard, the label and recall.Registrations, analyses and labels kept with each product and lot.
ImporterMAPA registration, import authorisation, the Portuguese label and recall.Certificates for each shipment read and dated before it leaves.
Brand ownerAdvertising and what the label says, within Law 9.294/1996.Artwork read against the warning and advertising rules.
RetailerDisplaying the drink-driving warning and showing label information online.Questionnaires answered from the record of each product.

States and municipalities

Under the Consumer Defence Code, the federal government, the states and the Federal District make concurrent rules on production, distribution and consumption, and together with the municipalities they oversee and control production, distribution and advertising (Article 55).

Health surveillance is shared: state, Federal District and municipal health authorities license food establishments and receive the communication of start of manufacture for many foods, and INMETRO's delegated state bodies (IPEMs) inspect regulated and pre-packaged products on the market.

Questions businesses ask

Who regulates alcoholic drinks in Brazil?
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA), under Law 8.918/1994 for beverages, Law 7.678/1988 for wine and Decree 12.709/2025.
What counts as an alcoholic beverage in Brazil?
A beverage with 0.5% to 54% alcohol by volume at 20 °C (Decree 12.709/2025, Article 11).
What warning must alcohol labels carry in Brazil?
"Evite o Consumo Excessivo de Álcool" (avoid excessive consumption of alcohol), under Law 9.294/1996, Article 4 §2. That law treats as alcoholic beverages those above 13 degrees Gay-Lussac.
When can alcohol be advertised on Brazilian TV?
Only between 21:00 and 06:00 on radio and television, and without linking the drink to sport, driving, success or sexuality (Law 9.294/1996, Article 4).
Can I call a spirit cachaça if it is not made in Brazil?
No. Cachaça is the typical and exclusive name for sugar-cane spirit produced in Brazil, at 38% to 48% by volume (Decree 12.709/2025, Article 54).
Do imported wines need a Portuguese label?
Yes. Mandatory information is in Portuguese, on the original label or a complementary label (Decree 12.709/2025, Article 109).
What does importing wine into Brazil involve?
MAPA registration as importer through SIPEAGRO, an import licence in Siscomex, certificates of origin and analysis, possible sampling, and an import inspection certificate before sale (MAPA import page).
Does alcohol need a front-of-pack nutrition mark in Brazil?
No. IN 75/2020 lists alcoholic beverages among the foods on which front-of-pack nutrition labelling is prohibited (Annex XVI).
When can a label say "bebida alcoólica espirituosa"?
For a drink of 15% to 54% by volume at 20 °C, other than a fermented one (Decree 12.709/2025, Article 111).
What happens to imported drinks that do not conform?
They are destroyed or returned abroad at the importer's cost (Decree 12.709/2025, Article 167).
How does Compliant Always help with selling in Brazil?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Brazil and what your paperwork needs to show.

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