Short answer: Miami is the main US gateway to Latin America. The Miami Customs District moved about $137 billion in trade in 2023, Brazil and Colombia are its two biggest partners, and Miami International Airport is the busiest US airport for international freight. Ocean freight from Miami to Colombia’s Caribbean coast takes about 5 to 8 days and air takes a day or two. Any export over $2,500 per Schedule B line needs an EEI filed in AES. The hard part is usually getting paid, not shipping.
This page is for the people who actually work this route: Doral and Medley wholesalers, re-exporters, freight forwarders and consolidators, and Latin American buyers who fly in to buy. It covers the whole chain on one page: who trades the route, what moves, how long freight takes and what it costs, which documents you need on each side, and where the money gets stuck.
Not legal, tax or customs advice. Figures are public data and indicative ranges as of October 2026, with sources linked. Freight rates change weekly. Confirm duties and documents with a licensed customs broker on the week you ship.
The route in numbers
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Customs District total trade | About $137 billion (2023), over two thirds of Florida’s two-way trade | Miami-Dade Beacon Council |
| Top partners of the district | Brazil (about $19.4 billion), Colombia (about $10.0 billion), then Dominican Republic, China and Chile | Global Miami Magazine, 2025 |
| PortMiami trade | $30.4 billion in 2024, about 46% of cargo tied to Latin America and the Caribbean | Global Miami Magazine, 2025 |
| Miami International Airport (MIA) cargo | No. 1 US airport for international freight in 2025: 2.89 million tons international, 3.41 million total | MIA |
Who trades Miami to Latin America
- Doral and Medley wholesalers and re-exporters. They buy from US brands, distributors and Asian factories, hold stock in Miami, and sell by the box or pallet to buyers in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Central America, Peru, Chile and Brazil.
- Phone and electronics wholesalers. New, open-box and refurbished phones, tablets, laptops and accessories. Fast-moving, high value per kilo, and a big chunk of what goes south by air.
- Auto parts exporters. Aftermarket and used parts for the large US-make fleets across the region.
- Freight forwarders and consolidators. They group small buyers’ cargo into LCL, air consolidations and courier bags, and often collect money on the buyer’s behalf too.
- Latin American buyers and founders. Store owners who fly into Miami to buy, and founders who set up a US LLC so they can buy and get paid in dollars.
Top goods on the route
By value, the biggest export category out of the district is aircraft parts (about $11 billion, per the Beacon Council). For small and mid-size traders, the goods that move every week are different:
| Category | Typical mode | Why it moves through Miami |
|---|---|---|
| Phones, tablets, laptops, accessories | Air, courier, air consolidation | High value per kilo, fast price changes, US stock arrives first |
| Computer and networking gear | Air or LCL | US distributors and authorized channels sit in Doral |
| Auto parts | LCL and FCL ocean | Heavy, lower value per kilo, so ocean wins |
| Perfume, cosmetics and beauty | Air and LCL | US brand distribution; often needs health registrations at destination |
| Apparel, footwear and general merchandise | LCL and FCL ocean | Mixed loads consolidated for small retailers |
| Medical and industrial supplies | Air and ocean | US-made goods and spare parts with service networks in Miami |
Freight times and costs
| Mode | Transit (port to port) | Cost signal |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean, Miami to Cartagena (Colombia) | About 5 days on a direct weekly service; 5 to 8 days is the common range | Quote-based. No public Miami-origin rate index we trust, so get 2 quotes (see below) |
| Ocean, Miami to the Caribbean and Central America | Usually under a week on direct services; longer with transshipment | Quote-based; LCL is priced per cubic meter with a minimum |
| Ocean, Miami to Brazil and the west coast of South America | Longer, often 2 to 3+ weeks depending on routing | Quote-based |
| Air freight from MIA | About 1 to 2 days to most capitals, plus handling and customs | Priced per chargeable kilo; best for phones and electronics |
Sources for transit: Seaboard Marine Miami to Cartagena service (about 5 days, Friday sailing to Wednesday arrival) and Suaid Global’s Colombia guide (5 to 8 days). Schedules change, so check the carrier’s current sailing list.
How to price a shipment honestly: ocean freight is only one line. Your real cost to the buyer’s door is US trucking to the port, the forwarder’s export handling, the EEI filing fee if the forwarder files it, ocean or air freight, insurance, destination port charges, the destination broker, duties and taxes, and the last mile. Ask two forwarders for the same quote on the same Incoterm (for example CIF Cartagena or DAP Bogotá) so the numbers are comparable.
Customs and documents
US export side (Miami)
- EEI in AES. Required when any single Schedule B number in the shipment is worth more than $2,500, or when an export license is needed, whatever the value (trade.gov EEI guide, 15 CFR 30.2). Your forwarder can file it for you, but you, as the US seller, are still responsible for the data.
- Schedule B or HTS codes for every line. Wrong codes are the most common reason a filing gets queried.
- Commercial invoice and packing list. The same values, quantities and buyer name on both, matching the EEI.
- Bill of lading or air waybill issued by the carrier or the forwarder.
- Certificate of origin when the buyer wants a free trade agreement rate (US-Colombia TPA, CAFTA-DR for the Dominican Republic and Central America, US-Peru, US-Chile and US-Panama agreements). Only US-origin goods that meet the rules of origin qualify. Goods you bought from Asia and re-export usually do not.
- Export controls. Most consumer electronics ship without a license to the region, but check the Commerce Control List for anything with encryption, drones or industrial use.
Destination side (the buyer’s country)
The buyer’s customs broker files the import declaration (DIAN in Colombia, the DGA in the Dominican Republic, Siscomex in Brazil). What they need from you: a clean commercial invoice, the packing list, the bill of lading or air waybill, a certificate of origin if a trade agreement applies, and any product registration (health registrations for cosmetics and supplements, type approval for some radio devices such as phones). Ask the buyer which documents their broker wants before you ship, not after the cargo lands.
Payment pain points on this route
- Third-party payments. The buyer is a store in Medellín, but the money comes from a cousin’s account, a different company or a money changer. US banks treat third-party payments as a trade-based money laundering red flag (FinCEN advisory FIN-2010-A001), and that is how wholesalers lose bank accounts.
- Slow, short-paid wires. International wires take days and intermediary banks take a cut, so a $20,000 invoice arrives short and you chase the gap.
- Buyers who want to pay in USDT. Many Latin American buyers hold dollars as stablecoins. Taking them without a compliant process puts your bank account at risk.
- Cash and split payments. Large cash deposits and invoices paid in pieces trigger reviews and account closures.
- The forwarder in the middle. Forwarders who collect money for buyers end up acting like a payment business without meaning to.
How Shield helps on Miami to Latin America
- A US business account built for trade. Free to open, for wholesalers and for Latin American founders with a US LLC. See US business accounts.
- Take USDT from buyers, settle in dollars. Your buyer pays in USDT, every payment is screened, and you settle the same day. See Shield USDT payments.
- Compliance that keeps your bank relationship. We document who paid you and why, so payments hold up when a bank asks. Shield is a FinCEN-registered MSB. See how Shield handles compliance.
- People who know the route. Our customers are Doral wholesalers, forwarders and Latin American buyers. Read more in LatAm cross-border payments and getting paid by international clients.
FAQ
How long does shipping from Miami to Colombia take?
About 5 to 8 days by ocean from Miami to Cartagena on a direct service, plus customs and inland trucking. Air freight from MIA reaches Bogotá in a day or two, plus handling and clearance.
Do I need to file an EEI for exports to Latin America?
Yes, if any single Schedule B line is worth more than $2,500, or if the goods need an export license. It is filed in AES, usually by your forwarder, before the goods are loaded.
Can re-exported Asian goods get a free trade agreement rate in Colombia or the Dominican Republic?
Usually not. FTA rates apply to goods that meet the agreement’s rules of origin. Goods made in Asia that you only store in Miami do not become US-origin. The buyer pays the normal duty rate.
Is it safe to accept payment from someone other than my buyer?
It is a red flag for banks. If it happens, get a written reason, the payer’s identity and their link to the buyer, and keep it with the invoice. The cleanest setup is the buyer paying from their own business account or wallet.
Can my Latin American buyer pay me in USDT?
Yes, if you receive it through a compliant provider that screens the wallet and records the payer. With Shield the USDT settles to your US business account the same day.
Air or ocean for phones and electronics?
Mostly air. Phones are high value per kilo and prices move fast, so a day of transit beats saving on freight. Ocean makes sense for accessories and bulky, low-value items.
Trade this route with less friction
If you sell from Miami to Latin America and getting paid is the slow part, message us on WhatsApp with the code ROUTEMIA and tell us your top buyer countries. A real person who knows the route answers, and we will show you how payments from those countries would land with Shield.
Last checked October 16, 2026. Not legal, tax or customs advice. Shield is a financial technology company, not a bank. Know someone who trades this route? Our referral program pays you for intros.
