Before you start

A valid foreign licence held before arrival
CPF and CRNM
Sworn Portuguese translation of the licence
Proof of a Manaus address
A gov.br account and DETRAN-AM registration

Step-by-step

1
Count 180 days from entry, not from residence approval
CONTRAN Resolução 933/2022 allows a driver licensed abroad a maximum of 180 days driving in Brazil. The window opens when you enter, so it is often well advanced before the CRNM arrives. Driving past it is an infraction and can complicate an insurance claim.
OnlineWho: You
2
Get a sworn translation
It must come from a tradutor público juramentado registered with a Junta Comercial. Sworn translators are fewer here than in São Paulo or Rio, so allow more time, and check the Junta Comercial do Amazonas register rather than trusting a search result.
In personWho: You
3
Open the process with DETRAN-AM
Start on the DETRAN-AM portal with your CPF, CRNM, translated licence and proof of address. The department then assigns you to accredited clinics rather than letting you shop freely.
OnlineWho: You
4
Sit the medical and psychological examinations
Both are compulsory for every Brazilian licence, conversions included. The psychological assessment is an hour or two of attention, reaction and personality testing at a separate accredited clinic with its own fee and its own waiting list.
In personWho: You1–3 weeks depending on the clinic
5
Understand where the roads actually go
The BR-174 runs north to Boa Vista and on to Venezuela, is paved, and is the route to Presidente Figueiredo — but it crosses Waimiri-Atroari indigenous land where a stretch is closed to traffic overnight, which is a hard operational constraint on a day trip. The BR-319 south towards Porto Velho has an unpaved middle stretch, roughly km 250 to km 656, that has been in that condition for decades; DNIT received an IBAMA installation licence in 2026 for three concrete bridges on it, with works estimated at around R$678 million. Treat it as a project, not a route.
In personWho: You
6
Plan a vehicle purchase around the river, not the showroom
Vehicles, parts and specialist servicing arrive by barge or by air. That affects delivery times, the availability of a particular model and how long a repair takes when a part has to come from the south-east. Ask a local mechanic which makes are actually well supported in Manaus before you buy — the answer is narrower than the national market.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence, original
Sworn Portuguese translation
CPF
CRNM or registration protocol
Proof of Manaus address
Medical and psychological examination results

Things most newcomers don’t know

The BR-319 is not a way out of Manaus, whatever a map shows.

The highway exists on paper from Manaus to Porto Velho, but its middle stretch has been unpaved and seasonally impassable for decades and its future is genuinely contested between infrastructure and environmental policy. In 2026 IBAMA issued an installation licence for three concrete bridges over igarapés on that stretch, with the works estimated at around R$678 million — real progress, and nowhere near a reliable road. Anyone planning to drive a household here from the south-east should stop and price a barge instead.

Source: IBAMA installation licence 1558/2026 and DNIT BR-319 works programme

The psychological assessment is compulsory, separate, and the reason conversions take a month.

No European or North American licensing regime has an equivalent, so nobody budgets for it. In Brazil it applies to every licence including a straight conversion of a spotless thirty-year record. It is a distinct appointment at a distinct accredited clinic with its own queue. Booking it the same week you open the process is what compresses the timeline.

Source: CONTRAN Resoluções 927/2022 and 933/2022

The overnight closure on the BR-174 through indigenous land is a real constraint, not a formality.

A section of the highway north of Manaus crosses Waimiri-Atroari territory and is closed to through traffic overnight under a long-standing arrangement with the community. It catches out people driving back late from Presidente Figueiredo or heading for Boa Vista on an evening start. Plan the day around the opening hours and confirm them before you set off, because a missed window means waiting until morning.

Source: community-reported and long-standing DNIT/FUNAI arrangements; confirm current hours before travelling

Car ownership here carries a parts-supply premium that has nothing to do with the sticker price.

Everything that is not assembled at the industrial pole arrives by barge or air. That shows up as longer waits for a specific part, a narrower range of well-supported makes and higher servicing costs than the same car would carry in the south-east. Asking two local mechanics which brands they can actually get parts for quickly is worth more than any online review.

Source: community-reported, consistent across Manaus residents

Common mistakes to avoid

Planning a drive to or from Manaus on the BR-319 because a map shows a highway.
Counting the 180 days from CRNM issue rather than from entry.
Not booking the psychological assessment early and adding a month.
Setting off for Boa Vista or Presidente Figueiredo without checking the BR-174 overnight closure.
Buying a car whose parts have to come 3,000 km by barge.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.