禁漫天堂

Thanks for the heads up..

@kolyaS122HSU

Yet another reason to avoid Rio???

12/18/24 @kolyaS122HSU.聽 Sorry to hear that.聽 Every DETRAN finds different ways to cause problems, but several Canadian members have complained about different problems specifically with Canadian licenses at different DETRANs.聽 I'd recommend seeking out a despachante leaving it in his/her hands, and not asking too many questions.

It's not crucial that I get it truth be told. My wife just got hers back yesterday, and we rarely use our car anyways, so, April it is. I don't want to pay a despachante R$500 or whatever they'll want as it is not mission critical that I am licensed now.

@kolyaS122HSU

Remember it is a legal requirement in Brazil that you carry ID - so a driving license is more than a permit to drive...

An "authenticated true copy" in color of both sides of my RNE, stamped and initialed by the cartorio works for that purpose.

I supplied my local office all of the required documents and they were scanned and sent to the main DETRAN office in Belo Horizonte on Sept 3 2024. I have not heard back from them yet. Maybe next year.

12/19/24 I supplied my local office all of the required documents and they were scanned and sent to the main DETRAN office in Belo Horizonte on Sept 3 2024. I have not heard back from them yet. Maybe next year. - @Paul6611

A lot of emails from Brazilian government agencies seem to go astray.聽 If nothing has ever shown up in your spam folder, visiting DETRAN-MG would probably be a good idea.聽 Don't wait until your US license expires:聽 that will unleash a whole host of new problems.

Don't wait until your US license expires: that will unleash a whole host of new problems.
- @abthree

I didn't wait. My "despachante" sat on my process while my license expired. It required returning to the USA and renewing in order to be able to obtain my Brazilian CNH and the PB Detran only allowed my A (car) and not my B (motorcycle). I had to retest for moto.

All in all, 4 years to resolve.

A question, what service does a despachante provide other than oneself having to visit DETRAN and physically go through the process? DETRAN GO shut me down during the process a few months ago as the聽 attendant felt that my verbal Portuguese wasn鈥檛 proficient enough. I have a valid California license with 4+ years left until expiration. My conversational Portuguese is incrementally getting better and I am taking lessons. Anyway would a despachante be useful to me?

@kevinmiller1957

Ten years ago a friend went with me to a small office in downtown Ilh茅us to get my Brazilian driver鈥檚 license. I then somehow passed the psychological test and vision exam with my limited Portuguese without my friend鈥檚 assistance. I went back to pick up my license and the attendant asked me many questions about the US. In English!

@alan279 That is what I would love to have happen!

12/20/24 A question, what service does a despachante provide other than oneself having to visit DETRAN and physically go through the process? DETRAN GO shut me down during the process a few months ago as the attendant felt that my verbal Portuguese wasn鈥檛 proficient enough. I have a valid California license with 4+ years left until expiration. My conversational Portuguese is incrementally getting better and I am taking lessons. Anyway would a despachante be useful to me? - @kevinmiller1957

Hi, Kevin.聽 As I've written elsewhere, every DETRAN operates a little differently, and I hope that someone who has experience with DETRAN-GO will chime in.聽 If your documentation is all in order -- US license still valid, with a Sworn Translation, tests passed, and whatever else they require -- a good despachante may well have the connections to vouch for you strongly enough to allay whatever misgivings the decisionmakers there might have about your Portuguese and issue your license.聽 If you still have to psychophysical and/or vision test, s/he may be able to arrange some support for you.聽 If your situation is beyond the despachante's ability to help, an honest one will tell you that at the first meeting.

If your conversational Portuguese really has improved enough, consider going back on your own one more time.聽 You may get a more cooperative clerk.聽 Bring your wife along to vouch for your ability in a situation where you aren't nervous.聽 If that results in another rejection, it could be聽 time to talk to a despachante.

It's interesting isn't it ?

At the "setor fo estrangeros" in Rio, which had it's own floor and 8 visible employees working in the public area, it was obvious that others there sitting at the initial screening guiche couldn't speak the language very well. Having said that, all DT literature and website info states fluency in written and spoken language is a requirement. Don't know how hard, or if they even enforce it though.

Now, if you've ever been to Canada, drivers tests, both written, and in car, are conducted in about 7-8 languages by prior arrangement. Personally I do not understand the functionality of this rule in Brasil regarding Portuguese fluency unless thay want you to be able to yell "carallo porra fila de puta" out the window correctly. But hey, it's Brasil.

My wife, a Brasilian, only had to do the medical and psych test to get her expired license renewed. She paid R$200 (cash only)聽 to the local DT office and the DT doctor signed her form in less then 2 minutes and we were gone. I love this country.

Perhaps the need to speak some Portuguese is because many road signs around Brazil are only in the mother tongue, and police and other instructions will only be given in Portuguese? When I got mine, many years ago, I could speak very little, but this was not a hindrance then...

On a side note, a frequent insult in the NE towards bad drivers is "motorista de Paraiba" - driver from Paraiba. This is because in the old days you used to be able to drive to Joao Pessoa, and pay a policeman to give you a license without any tests...!

On a side note, a frequent insult in the NE towards bad drivers is "motorista de Paraiba" - driver from Paraiba. This is because in the old days you used to be able to drive to Joao Pessoa, and pay a policeman to give you a license without any tests...! - @Peter Itamaraca

I live in Para铆ba and can attest to Peter's observation. I know nothing about statistics elsewhere in BR but I do know that there are still many unlicensed drivers on the road here in PB. Blitzes (the few that occur) sweep up the unlicensed and unregistered but that does nothing to resolve the problem.

mberigan

@abthree Thank you for your detailed reply. I鈥檓 still not real confident in my spoken Portuguese, but much much better than I was. I did have all paperwork translated and notarized and current valid California license copied/translated and notarized, and my wife was with me. The clerk that served us (we were directed to her after engaging two other clerks), was a definite 鈥渘o鈥� as I was not fluent conversationally. So, I am interested in the possible help of a despachante. How does one go about finding a despachante. Or, two or three to vet. Thanks again.

Kevin,

Here in Para铆ba a simple google search turns up a number of despachantes for my city. Also, here in Campina Grande they have stands set up across the street from our DETRAN although they might just be vultures and not provide very good services. If you have family members wherever it is that you live they might know somebody who knows somebody..... or try some google searches.

I see that Pernambuco has a list of despachantes on their DETRAN site. Maybe your state also has a list.

mberigan

@mberigan Thank you!

12/26/24 @mberigan Thank you! - @kevinmiller1957

As @mberigan wrote.聽 When I first arrived in Brazil 50 (!) years ago, even Portuguese-speaking foreigners needed despachantes for most dealings with government agencies at every level, and foreign companies and non-profits normally had one or two on retainer.聽 Since then public services have improved to such an extent that despachantes have largely become a niche profession dealing with DETRANs and a few other agencies.聽 So they're pretty competitive, and you should get good service at a reasonable price if you shop around a bit.聽 Best of luck.

I agree with @abthree about the huge improvement in public services. For example, we used to always have to use a despachante to achieve anything with the SPU (to register and pay taxes for property located on the beach or close to tidal water), or the process could take weeks, if not months, resulting in fines.

Now it has all gone on line, and we can do it all electronically, with minimal delay.

I got married in Rio in September 2001, about 2 weeks after the NY attacks. We were supposed to leave for our honeymoon in 4-5 days when I noticed my wife's passport had 3 months of validity remaining. As you know, the standing rule is you cannot usually enter another country unless you have 6 months left, and since security had been tightened, we had a problem on our hands as our travel plans involved 3 other borders.

She called a despachante, he came to our apartment that afternoon. She had filled out a passport application and had pictures taken, as well as made copies of our travel arrangements for him. R$1.000 later in cash {remember this is 2001} he returned the next day with a freshly minted passport, stamped by the Policia Federal office in Nova Iguacu, a north zone suburb of RIo that any self serving Carioca tries to leave, not live within.......heh.

So, they serve their purpose today I think in a similar manner, knowing who to talk to for the right price. But, computers have taken a huge revenue cut out of their once lucrative industry I think.

I appreciate the good advice from everyone. Thank you. I鈥檒l report back with my experience as it transpires.