On July 15, 2026, President Trump issued a Memorandum along with a Federal Register notice from the US Trade Representative setting an additional 25% import tariffs on most goods from Brazil, with some exceptions. This is the culmination of a year long Section 301 investigation into Brazil’s Acts, Policies and Practices that kicked off on July 15, 2025. The investigation focused on acts, policies and practices related to digital trade and electronic payment services, unfair, preferential tariffs, anti-corruption enforcement, intellectual property protection, ethanol market access, and illegal deforestation.

On June 1, 2026, the United States Trade Representative issued their findings of the investigation and determined that Brazil’s acts, policies and practices were “unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict US Commerce” and warrant action.

Effective July 22, 2026, 25% duties will be added to most goods imported from Brazil. Nine new Chapter 99 HTS codes have also been established for importers to properly report this new tariff

The Memorandum also establishes a list of HTS codes that are exempt from the additional 25% tariffs. These HTS codes are enumerated in Annex II of the USTR Federal Register notice. Items exempt from the Section 301 action have been identified as;

• raw materials that if subject to these tariffs could lead to the unavailability of domestic supply;
• products that could cause economy-wide disruptions if subject to these tariffs;
• products that cannot be grown or produced in sufficient quantities or at reasonable prices in the United States or obtained from other sources; or
• articles for which these tariffs may not contribute substantially to the elimination of the acts, policies, and practices of Brazil

As with other Section 301 investigations, there is a statutory 4-year review of the effectiveness of the imposed tariffs. Before that date, the USTR has the authority to raise, lower or otherwise change the Section 301 tariff rates under the Trade Act of 1974.