Driving in Brazil on a foreign license

You can drive in Brazil on a valid foreign license for up to 180 days, counted from the day you enter the country. The rule is Contran Resolution 933 of March 28, 2022, in force since April 1, 2022. After 180 days you need a Brazilian license (CNH), which means passing medical and psychological exams at a state Detran.

This page covers US, UK, Canadian and Australian license holders, visiting or living in Brazil. It explains what to carry, how the 180 days work, how to switch to a CNH, and what driving in Brazil is like day to day.

The rule in short

Contran, Brazil’s National Traffic Council, sets the rules for foreign drivers in Resolution 933/2022. It replaced two older resolutions, 360/2010 and 671/2017, and kept most of what they said.

Article 2 sets four conditions:

• You must be criminally liable under Brazilian law (in practice, an adult).
• Your license must be covered by an international convention or agreement Brazil has ratified, applied with reciprocity.
• You may drive for at most 180 days.
• Your home license must stay valid for the whole time.

The federal traffic authority, Senatran, tells state agencies which countries qualify and keeps the reciprocity and Vienna Convention country lists. Check before you go: confirm that your country is on the current list with Senatran or the Detran of the state where you will drive. Rental desks and police use the same lists.

What to carry

Article 2, paragraph 3 lists the documents to have with you when you drive:

The resolution does not ask for a translation of the license. A permit or translation still helps in practice, because most traffic police and many rental agents read only Portuguese.

Keep paper copies of your passport photo page and entry stamp in the car, and the originals on you. Police checkpoints (blitz) are common on city exits and highways, and officers expect to see documents quickly.

The International Driving Permit, country by country

Brazil ratified the 1968 Vienna Convention on October 29, 1980. The four countries this page covers fall on different sides of that treaty, so the safe document set differs.

For UK drivers, carrying the 1968 IDP with the photocard licence covers every requirement and costs little. Do not leave home without it.

For US drivers, the Inter-American permit does not extend the 180 days. Resolution 933/2022 says that after 180 days you need a Brazilian CNH (article 2, paragraph 4), and article 7 says no permit can replace the CNH. Plan to drive on your US license for 180 days at most, then switch.

Rental companies apply the same limit. Localiza, one of the largest rental chains, accepts foreign licenses for up to 180 days of driving in Brazil.

When the 180 days start

The count starts on the date you enter Brazil (article 2, paragraph 1). That is why you carry proof of entry.

Check before you go: if you plan to leave Brazil and come back to reset the count, ask the Detran of your state first. The safe plan for anyone staying more than six months is to start the CNH process well before day 180.

After 180 days: getting a Brazilian CNH

If you stay and want to keep driving, you need a CNH. For licenses Brazil recognizes, article 2, paragraph 4 requires the medical and physical fitness exam and the psychological evaluation for your license category. These are the exams in article 147 of the traffic code.

If Brazil does not recognize your license, article 3 applies. You exchange it for the Brazilian equivalent at the state Detran, and you also take the driving test.

Each state Detran runs the process. Detran-GO, in Goiás, asks for these documents to recognize a foreign license, and other states ask for similar sets:

• Your foreign-resident ID card (Detran-GO uses the older name, RNE), or the CONARE provisional ID for refugees
• Your CPF, the Brazilian taxpayer number
• Your passport, with the visa and entry and exit records (Mercosur citizens excepted)
• Your foreign license, within its validity
• A sworn translation by an official translator, unless the license is in Portuguese
• Proof of address in the state
• A toxicology exam if your license covers truck or bus categories (C, D or E)

Detran-GO does not recognize a provisional foreign license or an International Driving Permit on its own. If your license was issued less than 12 months ago, you receive a probationary permit (permissão para dirigir) in place of a full CNH.

Fees vary by state, by license category and by country of origin. Look up the current amount on your state Detran’s fee page, or ask at the counter, before you book the exams.

You need a CPF and a residence registration first. See how to register with the Polícia Federal.

Brazilians licensed abroad

Article 4 lets a Brazilian citizen use a foreign license under the same rules, if they lived abroad for at least six months when it was issued. Proof comes from the Brazilian consulate in that country. A Brazilian with a pending suspension or cancellation of a CNH, or a court ban, cannot use a foreign license.

If you break the rules

When a driver with a foreign license commits an offense that carries a suspension, article 6 tells the authority to hold the license until the suspension ends or you leave Brazil. It also informs the authority that issued it. On a license with international validity, it marks the document as not valid in Brazil.

Brazil has zero tolerance for alcohol at the wheel. Under the Lei Seca, any concentration of alcohol in blood or breath brings a fine of ten times the base amount and a 12-month suspension (Lei 12.760/2012). Random breath tests at urban checkpoints are common, and violators can have their car impounded. Serious cases can lead to prison terms of up to 3 years.

What driving in Brazil is like

Road quality varies more than in the US or UK. Toll highways around São Paulo, Rio and the South are generally in good shape. Federal and state roads in the North and Northeast can have potholes, missing markings and long single-lane stretches shared with trucks.

A few habits will keep you out of trouble:

• Speed bumps and cameras. Towns use speed bumps (lombadas) and fixed speed cameras, often with little warning. Slow down when you enter any town.
• Tolls. Many highways charge tolls at booths, and some use electronic tags. Keep cash in reais in the car.
• Fuel. Attendants fill the tank for you. Most cars are flex-fuel and run on ethanol (etanol) or gasoline; check what your rental takes.
• Night driving. Avoid long rural drives after dark. Poor lighting, animals on the road and slow trucks raise the risk.
• Red lights at night. In some cities, drivers slow but do not stop at red lights late at night for security. Follow local traffic carefully and do not stop in isolated places.
• Parking. Informal parking attendants (flanelinhas) may ask for a tip on the street. Paid lots (estacionamentos) are safer for overnight parking.
• Navigation. Waze and Google Maps work well, but they can route you through areas locals avoid. Ask your host about the safest route.

For speed limits, tolls and other road rules, read renting a car in Brazil.

Who should skip driving

Driving makes sense for road trips in the South, Minas Gerais and the Northeast coast, where buses are slow or sparse. It makes less sense in big cities. Traffic in São Paulo and Rio is heavy, parking is costly, and ride-hailing and metro lines cover most trips.

Skip the car if you are staying only in one large city, if you are not comfortable with aggressive traffic, or if you plan to drink. Long-distance buses connect most of the country and are a reasonable alternative.

Step-by-step checklist

1. Check that your home license is valid for your whole stay.
2. UK license: get the 1968 International Driving Permit before you leave the UK.
3. US, Canadian or Australian license: get the permit or translation listed in the table above.
4. Keep your passport and proof of your entry date with your license.
5. Note the date you entered Brazil and count 180 days.
6. Staying longer: get your CPF and Polícia Federal registration.
7. Book the medical and psychological exams at your state Detran before day 180.
8. Drink nothing before you drive.

Related routes

For a road trip, start with renting a car in Brazil. If you plan to stay past six months, compare your options on Brazil visas and residency: every route, then register with the Polícia Federal.