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abthree wrote:

For one more reference point, here's what was required of me at DETRAN in Amazonas in 2019:

- one page request form, completed and signed;
- CRNM, original and copy (all original documents were immediately returned after inspection)
- CPF
- valid Driver's License from country of origin, original and copy
- Sworn Translation of Driver's License
- receipt for payment of fee.

The form says in bold print, "Foreign Driver must speak/understand Portuguese ".  There's no test, this seems to be left to the discretion of the person receiving the application.

I had to pass a standard vision test, and a "pychotechnical" test, which was a timed, written test of recognizing traffic signs, patterns, and possible hazard indicators.

I then had a choice to either take and pass the written test on traffic laws, or sit through a five day, one hour per day, refresher course on the same material, with attendance required, but no tests or grades.  I did the course, and received my license on the last day.

How recently was that, if you don't mind me asking? I am interested in the part where you mention getting your license on the last day. I am still waiting since mid October 2020 to receive my license after passing the tests and the interview and was adamantly told it would likely take over 90 days at least to hear back.

English Penguin wrote:

How recently was that, if you don't mind me asking? I am interested in the part where you mention getting your license on the last day. I am still waiting since mid October 2020 to receive my license after passing the tests and the interview and was adamantly told it would likely take over 90 days at least to hear back.

July/August 2019.  I had to wait a couple of weeks after my tests for that course.

Unfortunately, you got hit with a double whammy.  Covid has really clobbered Foz, as you know better than I -- I hope that you and yours are doing ok.  And, for all of its being a tourist center, Foz is still an interior.  The capital/interior distinction in services isn't quite as stark as it used to be, but staffing at the local DETRAN office may still be pretty thin.  I doubt that people in Curitiba are having to wait three months or more.  Hang in there!

rikkichandler wrote:

Ok that seems pretty straight forward!

I think I’ll go down the course route too!

I hope that it's available to you in Santa Catarina -- I found it very convenient.  But as I said, things are a little different from state to state.

abthree wrote:

English Penguin wrote:

How recently was that, if you don't mind me asking? I am interested in the part where you mention getting your license on the last day. I am still waiting since mid October 2020 to receive my license after passing the tests and the interview and was adamantly told it would likely take over 90 days at least to hear back.

July/August 2019.  I had to wait a couple of weeks after my tests for that course.

Unfortunately, you got hit with a double whammy.  Covid has really clobbered Foz, as you know better than I -- I hope that you and yours are doing ok.  And, for all of its being a tourist center, Foz is still an interior.  The capital/interior distinction in services isn't quite as stark as it used to be, but staffing at the local DETRAN office may still be pretty thin.  I doubt that people in Curitiba are having to wait three months or more.  Hang in there!

Ah no doubt Foz has been hit hard! It took a couple weeks of trying to even book my initial eye test and pattern recognition thing.

The eye test was carried out before the rest of the exams and the interview on a different day but once I had come back to do the interview and what not, they told me and my wife that it would take 30 days to receive because I am a foreigner. We took that for face value and 30+ days go by with no word about my license. Called DETRAN and they told us over the phone it would take 60 days minimum for a foreigners license to be ready. 60 days came and went and we managed to book an appointment again in the local office, where they tracked the process right in front of us and saw the documents hadn't even left Curitiba yet! This was just before Christmas, so maybe it's moved along by now, but still, crazy amount of time passed and the process had only gone from Foz to Curitiba!

As we know, what you hear from one person varies wildly from the other here, and this final appointment, the lady helping us made it very clear it's because I am a foreigner and the license just takes that long normally. Me and the wife both thought it was crazy but what can we do, especially in these times.

Thanks for the info, very nice to have some other experiences to reference.

mickeys wrote:

The maximum of the fine is 800 reais not 10.000 reais ...

This information is outdated.

Since the current Law of Migration went into effect in November 2017, the fine for overstaying a visa is R$100 per day, to  maximum of R$10,000.  The traveler may be permitted to leave Brazil without paying, but in that case, the fine must be paid on return, plus interest, before the traveler will be allowed to leave the airport.

abthree wrote:

mickeys wrote:

The maximum of the fine is 800 reais not 10.000 reais ...

This information is outdated.

Since the current Law of Migration went into effect in November 2017, the fine for overstaying a visa is R$100 per day, to  maximum of R$10,000.  The traveler may be permitted to leave Brazil without paying, but in that case, the fine must be paid on return, plus interest, before the traveler will be allowed to leave the airport.

While these fines may sound horrible to some, the USA simply denies re-entry into the country. "If you overstay by 180 days or more (but less than one year), after you depart the U.S. you will be barred from reentering for three years. If you overstay by one year or more, after you depart the U.S., you will be barred from reentering the U.S. for ten years." (alllaw.com)  If one overstays by less than 180 days, re-entry is solely at the discretion of the border agents whether at the airport or physical crossing.

Years ago, even as a US Citizen, I was detained at LAX on my return from a vacation in Mexico by the border agents, taken out of line, sent into a room, held there, searched, etc...  At one time, I had a girlfriend who while entering the USA through O'Hare, was detained without cause for hours and hours, missing her flight to see me etc. just for questioning.