A foreigner may drive on their national license no more than 180 days, counting from the date of entry into the country, not from the car rental date. You must carry four documents: the license itself, the International Driving Permit (PID), an identity document and proof of the date of entry. After 180 days of legal stay, to continue driving you must obtain a Brazilian CNH — via medical and psychological assessment, without a driving test if the license is recognized by Brazil.
First 180 days (art. 102)
The right to drive on a foreign license applies if the driver falls under an international convention or agreement ratified by Brazil, or on the principle of reciprocity, and the foreign license itself is still valid.
What you must have with you (§3):
- A foreign driving license within its period of validity
- Permissão Internacional para Dirigir (PID) together with the national license — if the documents were issued by a country party to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968
- An identity document
- A document proving the date of entry into the country
The fourth item is regularly overlooked: without an entry stamp or boarding pass there is nothing to prove that the 180 days have not yet expired.
Brazil brought the Vienna Convention of 1968 into force by Decreto 86.714/1981.
After 180 days (art. 102 §4)
A driver whose license is recognized must, to continue driving, undergo:
- a physical and mental fitness examination
- a psychological evaluation
under art. 147 of the Traffic Code, retaining their category. A driving test is not required in this case.
If the license is not recognized by Brazil (art. 103)
Then the exchange proceeds in full — at the state's Detran, with medical and psychological examinations and a driving test.
A foreigner without any license at all (art. 105) obtains a CNH on the general terms, like a Brazilian. Exactly how — in the section below.
CNH from scratch: how it works after the 2025 reform
Resolution 1.020/2025 rewrote the entire process with the aim of making it "more accessible, flexible and debureaucratized" (art. 1). Driving school ceased to be mandatory — and this is the main change.
The ten-step procedure (art. 12): application → theoretical course → opening the Renach form and submitting biometrics → psychological assessment → medical examination → theoretical exam → practical lessons → driving test → issuance of Permissão para Dirigir → issuance of CNH.
Requirements for the candidate (art. 17): to be of the age of criminal responsibility, able to read and write, to have a legally recognized identity document, and to be registered in CPF. These are verified at the Renach and biometrics stage. The resolution explicitly applies to foreigners as well (art. 2).
Theory. The course can be taken under any of five options at the candidate's free choice (art. 20, §2), including remotely from the federal traffic management body; combining options is allowed. There is no minimum duration for the course (art. 21).
Practice. After passing theory a digital Licença de Aprendizagem — learning license — is issued (art. 35), with which one may drive only with an instructor. Lessons may be with an independent instructor, an instructor from a driving school, a public driving school or a body of the traffic system (art. 36). Minimum — 2 hours, may be split (art. 38). The vehicle is provided by the instructor or by the candidate themselves (art. 39).
After the exam a Permissão para Dirigir valid for one year is issued (arts. 48–49). After one year the CNH is issued automatically, without an application (art. 50). Digital versions of both documents are issued and stored by the federal body; physical copies are printed on request.
Discrepancy between the law and the regulation: the toxicological exam
Resolution 1.020/2025 requires a toxicological exam only for categories C, D and E. But Law 15.153/2025 added to the Traffic Code art. 148-A §10, extending this requirement also to the first CNH for categories A and B. Part of the law containing this paragraph was promulgated on 9 December 2025 — eight days later than the resolution, which does not take it into account.
The practical status of the reform as of Aug 2026 is not established. The requirement for categories A and B exists in the law, but is not reflected in the current CONTRAN regulation, and one should verify with the state's Detran.
Offenses (art. 106)
If an offense leading to loss of the right to drive occurs, the driver’s foreign license is seized until the end of the suspension period or until departure from the country, the issuing authority is notified and a mark of the document's invalidity on Brazilian territory is entered.
What happens after obtaining the license
CNH renewal, the points system, suspension and revocation of the right to drive, contesting a fine and the digital CNH — a separate entry Your licence once you have it — CNH renewal, points, fines, suspension (in Russian). This entry only answers the question "how to obtain the right to drive"; the following one — "how not to lose it".
Priority of international agreements (art. 101)
Bilateral agreements between Brazil and other countries take precedence over this resolution, including their own exchange conditions. Therefore, the procedure may differ for a specific citizenship.
Where to go in Florianópolis: the Detran agency in Coqueiros and three other points, all with addresses and hours — in Where to go in Florianópolis — Detran, Receita, INSS, Defensoria; in-person service by appointment through the Detran Digital app.
Sources
- T1Resolução CONTRAN nº 1.020 of 1 Dec 2025 — foreign driving licencesgov.br · primary source
- T1Senatran — international driving permitgov.br · primary source
- T1Resolução CONTRAN nº 1.020/2025 — procedure for obtaining CNHgov.br · primary source
- T1Lei nº 15.153/2025 — toxicological exam for first CNH categories A and Bplanalto.gov.br · primary source
T1 — primary: law, agency site, price list. T2 — secondary: press, specialist sites. T3 — other.
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