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Country driving guide · 2026

Driving in Brazil

Everything UK and EU drivers need before crossing the border into Brazil: 8 legal requirements + 7 other things worth knowing.

8

Required

1

Recommended

6

Good to know

Tick before you go

Pre-departure checklist for Brazil

8 legal must-haves. Print it, tick them off, throw it in the glovebox.

  • 1949 IDP required alongside UK/EU licence

    Brazil recognises the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP; carry it with your home licence and passport at all times. Visitors may drive on a foreign licence for up to 180 days.

  • Vehicle registration and ownership proof

    Carry the CRLV (Brazilian registration) for rentals or your V5C plus a notarised authorisation letter if driving your own vehicle across a land border.

  • Mandatory DPVAT insurance plus third-party cover

    DPVAT compulsory insurance is included in the vehicle tax; arrange separate third-party liability cover as DPVAT only covers personal injury, not damage.

  • Speed limits 110 / 80 / 60 km/h

    Federal highways up to 110 km/h, rural roads 80 km/h, urban areas 60 km/h (often 40-50 km/h on residential streets). Limits are strictly enforced by fixed radars.

  • Zero-tolerance BAC of 0.0 g/L

    Lei Seca enforces a 0.00 g/L blood-alcohol limit; refusing a breathalyser leads to immediate licence suspension and a fine of around R$2,934.

  • Daytime running lights on highways

    Dipped headlights are mandatory at all times on federal highways (single-carriageway rural roads) and in tunnels, even during daylight.

  • Warning triangle and spare tyre

    Cars must carry a reflective warning triangle, a working spare tyre, jack and wheel wrench; missing items incur a medium-severity fine of R$130.16.

  • Pedagio toll system on major highways

    Most paved interstate highways (especially in SP, PR, RJ) use staffed toll plazas; budget roughly R$15-25 (EUR 2.50-4.50) per 100 km. Cash in reais or a Sem Parar/ConectCar tag are accepted.

Documents

1949 IDP required alongside UK/EU licence

Required

Brazil recognises the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP; carry it with your home licence and passport at all times. Visitors may drive on a foreign licence for up to 180 days.

Vehicle registration and ownership proof

Required

Carry the CRLV (Brazilian registration) for rentals or your V5C plus a notarised authorisation letter if driving your own vehicle across a land border.

Mandatory DPVAT insurance plus third-party cover

Required

DPVAT compulsory insurance is included in the vehicle tax; arrange separate third-party liability cover as DPVAT only covers personal injury, not damage.

Driving rules

Drive on the right

Good to know

Traffic drives on the right; overtake on the left. UK drivers must mentally adjust at every junction and roundabout.

Speed limits 110 / 80 / 60 km/h

Required

Federal highways up to 110 km/h, rural roads 80 km/h, urban areas 60 km/h (often 40-50 km/h on residential streets). Limits are strictly enforced by fixed radars.

Zero-tolerance BAC of 0.0 g/L

Required

Lei Seca enforces a 0.00 g/L blood-alcohol limit; refusing a breathalyser leads to immediate licence suspension and a fine of around R$2,934.

Daytime running lights on highways

Required

Dipped headlights are mandatory at all times on federal highways (single-carriageway rural roads) and in tunnels, even during daylight.

Emergency number 191 for highway police

Good to know

Dial 190 for police, 192 for ambulance, 193 for fire and 191 for the federal highway police (PRF). No right-turn-on-red is permitted.

Required equipment

Warning triangle and spare tyre

Required

Cars must carry a reflective warning triangle, a working spare tyre, jack and wheel wrench; missing items incur a medium-severity fine of R$130.16.

Tolls

Pedagio toll system on major highways

Required

Most paved interstate highways (especially in SP, PR, RJ) use staffed toll plazas; budget roughly R$15-25 (EUR 2.50-4.50) per 100 km. Cash in reais or a Sem Parar/ConectCar tag are accepted.

Vignette

No national vignette

Good to know

Brazil does not use a motorway sticker or e-vignette; you pay per-plaza tolls instead. Rental cars typically come with an electronic tag billed to the rental.

Emissions / low-emission zones

No low-emission zones for foreign cars

Good to know

Brazil has no LEZ stickers, but Sao Paulo enforces rodizio (plate-based weekday driving bans) in the central expanded zone 07:00-10:00 and 17:00-20:00 based on the last digit of the plate.

Environment

Rainy-season flooding and unpaved roads

Recommended

Many interior and Amazonian roads become impassable in the wet season (Nov-Mar in the south, Dec-May in the north); a 4x4 is advisable off the main BR-highways.

Money

Currency Brazilian real, fuel about EUR 1.00/L

Good to know

Petrol (gasolina comum) runs around R$6.00/L (~EUR 1.00); ethanol is cheaper but only suits flex-fuel cars. Cards work at most stations but keep reais for rural pumps and tolls.

Cash declaration over R$10,000

Good to know

Amounts above R$10,000 (or equivalent) must be declared to the Receita Federal on entry or exit. Tipping fuel attendants R$2-5 is customary.

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Popular destinations in Brazil

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Don't get caught out

Watch out for these

Speed limits 110 / 80 / 60 km/h

Required

Federal highways up to 110 km/h, rural roads 80 km/h, urban areas 60 km/h (often 40-50 km/h on residential streets). Limits are strictly enforced by fixed radars.

Zero-tolerance BAC of 0.0 g/L

Required

Lei Seca enforces a 0.00 g/L blood-alcohol limit; refusing a breathalyser leads to immediate licence suspension and a fine of around R$2,934.

Daytime running lights on highways

Required

Dipped headlights are mandatory at all times on federal highways (single-carriageway rural roads) and in tunnels, even during daylight.