Driving and Licence Exchange
Answer
The general rule applies to you
No exception is recorded for citizens of Paraguay on this topic. That is the answer, not a gap - everything below is the rule you get, unchanged.
81 exceptions recorded across 33 countries · none match Paraguay to Brazil · Driving and licence exchange
A foreign licence is good for 180 days from the date you entered the country, counted from entry rather than from the licence's issue, and covering only licences backed by a convention or by reciprocity. After that you need a Brazilian licence. How hard that is depends on a distinction the resolution draws and never explains: a licence covered by a convention or reciprocity converts on medical and psychological examinations alone, while a licence the Brazilian government does not recognise requires a driving test as well. Which countries fall on which side is not in the resolution - it is left to a communication from the national traffic authority to the state licensing bodies. The traffic code delegates the whole question to CONTRAN, so there is nothing in the statute to fall back on.
At a glance
- Foreign licence valid for
- 180 days
Article 2, § 4º of Resolução CONTRAN nº 933, de 2022, which counts the period as one of regular stay in Brazil and makes the medical and psychological examinations the condition of driving beyond it.
- Counted from
- The date of entry into Brazilian territory
- After 180 days, recognised licence
- Medical and psychological examinations
- After 180 days, unrecognised licence
- Medical and psychological examinations plus a driving test
- List of recognised countries
- Not published in the resolution
The resolution says the national traffic authority informs the state bodies which countries it applies to; that communication is not part of the text
- Documents to carry while driving
- Foreign licence, identity document, and proof of the date of entry
Requirements
- During the first 180 days: the foreign licence within its validity, an identity document, and proof of the date of entry into Brazil
- For a licence issued by a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention: an International Driving Permit alongside the foreign licence
- After 180 days of regular stay: medical and psychological examinations under article 147 of the traffic code, at a state licensing body
- Where the licence is not recognised by the Brazilian government: a driving test in addition
In detail
The rule that is still online after being repealed
Resolução CONTRAN nº 933/2022 revoked Resolução 360/2010 and Resolução 671/2017 on 1 April 2022. The transport ministry's own resolutions directory still publishes the 2010 text, and state traffic departments still quote it. The two agree on the 180 days, so the error is usually harmless - but 933/2022 added a requirement the old text did not have, which is that a driver from a Vienna Convention country must carry an International Driving Permit alongside the foreign licence.
What applies to you
Nothing changes for a citizen of Paraguay
We have no rule recorded that treats your citizenship differently here, so the general rule above is the one that applies to you. That is an answer, not a gap.
What the law says
«O reconhecimento de habilitação obtida em outro país está subordinado às condições estabelecidas em convenções e acordos internacionais e às normas do CONTRAN.»Our translation - not official
The recognition of a licence obtained in another country is subject to the conditions established in international conventions and agreements and to the rules of CONTRAN.
The statute answers nothing itself. Every operative rule on this page sits in a CONTRAN resolution, which can be replaced without Congress.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Publishes the compiled text of laws and decrees with amendments woven in and superseded wording struck through on the same page.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for what is in force without reading the strike-throughs: the page stacks every historical wording of an article above the current one, so quoting the wrong layer produces a repealed rule that still passes a verbatim check. It is also not the point of legal effect; that is the gazette.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
«O condutor de veículo automotor, oriundo de país estrangeiro e nele habilitado, desde que penalmente imputável no Brasil, poderá dirigir no território nacional quando amparado por convenções ou acordos internacionais, ratificados e aprovados pela República Federativa do Brasil e, igualmente, pela adoção do Princípio da Reciprocidade, no prazo máximo de 180 (cento e oitenta) dias, respeitada a validade da habilitação de origem.»Our translation - not official
A driver of a motor vehicle, coming from a foreign country and licensed there, provided they are criminally liable in Brazil, may drive in the national territory when covered by international conventions or agreements ratified and approved by the Federative Republic of Brazil and, likewise, by the adoption of the Principle of Reciprocity, for a maximum period of 180 (one hundred and eighty) days, subject to the validity of the licence of origin.
Two limits, and the tighter one wins: 180 days, or the expiry of the foreign licence, whichever comes first.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Sets everything about foreign drivers; the traffic code delegates the whole question to it.
Standing: Issues the instrument
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for currency: the directory still serves a resolution revoked in 2022 alongside the resolution that revoked it, with nothing on the file to say so. Cannot be cited for which countries qualify for exchange without a test either - that list lives in an unpublished communication to the state authorities.
We re-read it every 120 days. More about this source
«O órgão máximo executivo de trânsito da União informará aos demais órgãos ou entidades do Sistema Nacional de Trânsito (SNT) a que países se aplica o disposto neste artigo.»Our translation - not official
The federal traffic executive body shall inform the other bodies or entities of the National Traffic System (SNT) which countries the provisions of this article apply to.
The country list is the pivot of the whole page and it is delegated to an administrative communication. We did not find it published.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Sets everything about foreign drivers; the traffic code delegates the whole question to it.
Standing: Issues the instrument
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for currency: the directory still serves a resolution revoked in 2022 alongside the resolution that revoked it, with nothing on the file to say so. Cannot be cited for which countries qualify for exchange without a test either - that list lives in an unpublished communication to the state authorities.
We re-read it every 120 days. More about this source
«O condutor estrangeiro, após o prazo de 180 (cento e oitenta) dias de estada regular no Brasil, pretendendo continuar a dirigir veículo automotor no âmbito territorial brasileiro, deverá submeter-»Our translation - not official
The foreign driver, after the period of 180 (one hundred and eighty) days of regular stay in Brazil, intending to continue driving a motor vehicle within Brazilian territory, must submit-
The quotation ends mid-word because the sentence breaks across a line in the gazette's published PDF; the next line begins "se aos Exames de Aptidão Física e Mental e Avaliação Psicológica".
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Sets everything about foreign drivers; the traffic code delegates the whole question to it.
Standing: Issues the instrument
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for currency: the directory still serves a resolution revoked in 2022 alongside the resolution that revoked it, with nothing on the file to say so. Cannot be cited for which countries qualify for exchange without a test either - that list lives in an unpublished communication to the state authorities.
We re-read it every 120 days. More about this source
«detentor de habilitação não reconhecida pelo Governo brasileiro, poderá dirigir no território nacional mediante a troca da sua habilitação de origem pela equivalente nacional junto ao órgão ou entidade executiva de trânsito dos Estados ou do Distrito Federal e ser aprovado nos Exames de Aptidão Física e Mental, Avaliação Psicológica e de Direção Veicular, respeitada a sua categoria, com vistas à obtenção da CNH.»Our translation - not official
the holder of a licence not recognised by the Brazilian government may drive in the national territory by exchanging their licence of origin for the national equivalent at the traffic executive body or entity of the States or of the Federal District and passing the Physical and Mental Fitness Examinations, Psychological Assessment and Driving Test, subject to their category, with a view to obtaining the CNH.
The driving test is the whole difference between this article and the one before it, and whether it applies depends on the unpublished country list.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Sets everything about foreign drivers; the traffic code delegates the whole question to it.
Standing: Issues the instrument
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for currency: the directory still serves a resolution revoked in 2022 alongside the resolution that revoked it, with nothing on the file to say so. Cannot be cited for which countries qualify for exchange without a test either - that list lives in an unpublished communication to the state authorities.
We re-read it every 120 days. More about this source
«nº 360, de 29 de setembro de 2010; e»Our translation - not official
No. 360, of 29 September 2010; and
Resolução 360/2010 is revoked, together with Resolução 671/2017. The transport ministry still serves the 2010 text from the same resolutions directory, and state licensing bodies still cite it.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Sets everything about foreign drivers; the traffic code delegates the whole question to it.
Standing: Issues the instrument
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for currency: the directory still serves a resolution revoked in 2022 alongside the resolution that revoked it, with nothing on the file to say so. Cannot be cited for which countries qualify for exchange without a test either - that list lives in an unpublished communication to the state authorities.
We re-read it every 120 days. More about this source
Practical notes
Diplomats and career consular officers are outside the 180-day rule and the examinations.
A Brazilian who obtained a licence abroad is treated under the same two articles, and additionally has to prove they had normal residence in that country for at least six months when the licence was issued, evidenced by a certificate from the Brazilian consulate.
The resolution is silent on which countries have licence-exchange agreements with Brazil. We did not find the national traffic authority's communication naming them, so this page does not list any.
- consolidatesLei nº 9.503, de 23 de setembro de 1997 - Código de Trânsito Brasileiro
Presidência da República - Portal da Legislação (Planalto)
About this source
Publishes the compiled text of laws and decrees with amendments woven in and superseded wording struck through on the same page.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for what is in force without reading the strike-throughs: the page stacks every historical wording of an article above the current one, so quoting the wrong layer produces a repealed rule that still passes a verbatim check. It is also not the point of legal effect; that is the gazette.
We re-read it every 45 days. More about this source
- issuesResolução CONTRAN nº 933, de 28 de março de 2022
Conselho Nacional de Trânsito (CONTRAN)
About this source
Sets everything about foreign drivers; the traffic code delegates the whole question to it.
Standing: Issues the instrument
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for currency: the directory still serves a resolution revoked in 2022 alongside the resolution that revoked it, with nothing on the file to say so. Cannot be cited for which countries qualify for exchange without a test either - that list lives in an unpublished communication to the state authorities.
We re-read it every 120 days. More about this source