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Sofia Rijo

Sofia Rijo

Professional Partner • Oporto

Sofia Rijo is a Professional Partner and has been with Abreu Advogados since 2026, specialising in Customs Law and International Trade.

Her professional practice focuses primarily on the areas of Customs Law and International Trade, with regular involvement in advisory and litigation matters related to the international movement of goods.

Her practice focuses on providing legal support to companies across various sectors engaged in import and export operations, covering the different stages of the logistics and supply chain, including importers, exporters, freight forwarders, customs brokers, transport operators, and other intermediaries.

She also works on matters related to customs planning, special customs regimes, trade defense, export controls, and excise taxes, as well as monitoring customs inspection and control procedures.

She also has relevant experience in customs projects in Portuguese-speaking African countries and in Timor-Leste. She provides training to institutional and business entities and is the author and co-author of specialised publications in the field of Customs Law and International Trade.

Practice Areas
Customs and International Trade
Idiomas
English, Spanish
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Experience

  • Legal consulting for companies with international operations on customs planning matters, including the use of special customs procedures and assistance in obtaining the necessary authorisations.

  • Preparation of technical studies on the origin of goods, including the determination of originating status and the respective certification in the context of exports.

  • Legal advice on export control matters, including dual-use goods and defense-related goods, as well as assistance in obtaining export licenses.

  • Representation of retail chains in the textile sector in administrative and judicial proceedings related to the determination of the customs value of imported goods.

  • Representation of companies from various sectors in proceedings for the refund of customs duties unduly paid, resulting from tariff classification errors.

  • Conducting customs due diligence for companies in the automotive, aeronautical, and pharmaceutical sectors.

  • Advising economic operators on obtaining Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status.

  • Consulting and legal representation for companies in investigations into unfair competitive practices, including anti-dumping and anti-subsidy proceedings initiated by European authorities.

Sofia Rijo

Education

  • Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Católica Portuguesa

    Law Degree (2007)

  • International Faculty of Executives

    Course on Customs Regimes and Practices (2009)

  • Universitat de València

    Postgraduate Degree in European Union Customs Law (2014)

  • Instituto de Direito Económico Financeiro e Fiscal da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Lisboa

    Intensive Course on VAT (2018)

Associations