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Buying a car

How a foreigner buys a used car in Pernambuco: from a dealer or a private seller, checks, DETRAN transfer, IPVA, insurance and driving licence.

A foreigner buys a used car the same way a Brazilian does: you need a CPF, a passport or RNM, and proof of address. The difficulties start with paying a large sum, the ownership transfer, and the question of what licence you are actually driving on. Below is the procedure for the state of Pernambuco (DETRAN-PE, Recife). In other states the logic is the same, but fees, websites and small details differ.

Checked on 8 October 2026. Fees and deadlines change: check the official pages at the end.

In short

  1. In advance: a CPF, proof of address, a bank account with a high enough Pix limit.
  2. Choice: a dealer (simpler, usually with a warranty) or a private seller (cheaper, you handle everything yourself).
  3. Before paying: check that the car has no restrictions or debts, especially IPVA (the annual vehicle tax).
  4. Payment: a large sum will not go through on an ordinary debit card. You need Pix with a raised limit, or a bank transfer.
  5. Transfer to your name: ATPV, notary, inspection (vistoria), appointment at DETRAN-PE. The deadline is 30 days from the ATPV signature.
  6. Afterwards: IPVA and licenciamento every year, insurance if you want it, and a driving licence no later than 180 days after you enter the country.

What a foreigner needs in advance

For the transfer DETRAN-PE lists: the ATPV (the transfer consent form), a photo ID and CPF, a current comprovante de residência (proof of address), and the inspection report. A Brazilian licence is not on the list.

Driving licence. With a foreign licence you may drive for up to 180 days from the date you entered. You must carry: a valid foreign licence, an International Driving Permit (if your country signed the 1968 Vienna Convention), an ID document, and a document showing your entry date. After 180 days you have to go to DETRAN. Citizens of Spain, Italy and Mozambique can exchange directly; everyone else goes through a medical and psychological assessment, and a practical driving test is needed only when the country of issue is not covered by international agreements or the principle of reciprocity (DETRAN-SC). Russians in Rio in 2023 and 2025 got by without a driving test: see Exchanging a licence. The procedure is set by CONTRAN Resolution No. 1,020 of 1 December 2025.

Money: paying is not as simple as it looks

From the @brazilwithliza channel author's experience (October 2025): on a Saturday at the dealership the payment for the car by debit card did not go through, and the banks were closed. On Monday the bank explained there were two ways: a transfer with the account details (between different banks, with a fee) or Pix. Pix has daily and monthly limits, and the starting values are too small for such a sum. A bank employee raised the limit right at the branch, at the customer's request (post).

Conclusion: raise your Pix limit in advance, on a weekday, before you visit the dealership. A deposit ("sinal") when reserving a car is normal; ask for a receipt.

Dealer or private seller

Dealer. The channel author bought a car from the Localiza Seminovos network: these are cars withdrawn from rental after 1–3 years of use. Over a week she compared several models and dealerships, and managed to bring the price down by haggling. The dealership took care of the transfer and gave a one-year warranty. All that was needed from the buyer was a power of attorney at a notary (cartório): the procedure took about ten minutes and cost R$ 13 in 2025. The dealership paid for the inspection at the station. Two weeks later a letter about the change of owner arrived, and the documents appeared in the DETRAN app (post 1, post 2).

In her words, buying from a dealership comes with the statutory warranty on a used car, 90 days, which follows from the consumer protection law (post).

Private seller. Cheaper, but every step is yours, and you have to do the checks yourself. Take this route with a friend who knows the market, or with a car mechanic. In every case compare the price with the FIPE table, which both insurers and the IPVA tax are based on.

Checks before paying

  1. The car's document and the seller: the name on the document matches the seller, and the chassis and engine numbers match the car.
  2. Restrictions: the gov.br service "Consultar Informações sobre Restrições e Indicadores de Veículos" and the restrictions certificate at DETRAN-PE. Court-ordered restrictions can only be lifted by the court that imposed them.
  3. Debts: IPVA, fines, licenciamento. Under Pernambuco law the buyer is jointly liable for unpaid IPVA of the current and previous years if they bought the car without it being paid (SEFAZ-PE). Take a car with the tax paid.
  4. A mechanic's inspection and a test drive. The official vistoria verifies the authenticity of the car's identification and documents, the lawfulness of ownership and the mandatory equipment; it does not guarantee the technical condition.
  5. A car from another state: you also need a report from the vehicle theft and robbery police unit (Delegacia de Roubos e Furtos de Veículos).

Transfer in Pernambuco

Two services are needed: comunicação de venda (notice of sale, done by the seller) and transferência de propriedade (change of owner, done by the buyer).

Paper route

  1. The seller gets a printed ATPV form (an appointment for the "CRV e ATPV" service at DETRAN-PE) or uses the ATPV on the back of the old paper CRV.
  2. Both parties sign the form at a notary, and the signatures are certified with recognition by authenticity ("reconhecimento de firma por autenticidade").
  3. The buyer pays for and undergoes the vistoria (inspection): either by appointment at DETRAN-PE (the fee is prepaid), or without an appointment at any accredited station (ECV). Any driver with a valid licence can take the car to the inspection.
  4. The buyer books a post-inspection appointment (atendimento pós-vistoria) at the DETRAN-PE headquarters or one of the designated CIRETRAN offices (regional DETRAN branches) and brings the documents (originals and copies).
  5. If the deal exceeds R$ 80,375.64, the list of documents requires a CND clearance certificate (obtained on the Receita Federal website). When you buy from a dealer, ask DETRAN-PE before the deal who arranges it.

Digital route

The ATPV is signed in the app by both parties; the seller additionally confirms their identity with biometrics. The notice of sale is then filed automatically. After that it is still in person: the vistoria and the appointment after it.

Deadlines and prices

  • 30 days for the buyer, from the day the ATPV is signed; after that, the DETRAN-PE system issues a fine. If the buyer misses it, the seller has another 60 days to file the notice of sale.
  • Reference figures from the DETRAN-PE price list on the check date: inspection R$ 71.95, change of owner R$ 141.75, ATPV and other permits R$ 49.30, CRV duplicate R$ 118.69. For current values see the service page.
  • You can act through a power of attorney: the template and rules are on the DETRAN-PE website.

After the purchase

The yearly cost of ownership, IPVA rates in Rio, fines and toll roads are on the Running a car page.

IPVA and licenciamento

IPVA is the annual ownership tax. For passenger cars in Pernambuco the 2026 rate is 2.4% of the FIPE value. You can pay in one go (a 7% discount until the first due date) or in up to ten monthly instalments, with a minimum instalment of R$ 54.78. The due date depends on the last digit of the plate: February dates, the 5th, 10th, 19th, 20th and 25th. Cars older than 20 years are exempt from IPVA, no application needed.

Licenciamento is the annual permit to use the car: it includes IPVA, fees (fire service, licenciamento) and overdue fines. After payment, if there are no restrictions, a digital CRLV is issued.

In the channel author's experience, the first tax bill arrived in January, and the amount was an order of magnitude larger than Russia's vehicle tax. She advises checking whether the tax for the current year is paid before you buy (post).

Insurance

There is no compulsory third-party liability insurance (no equivalent of Russia's OSAGO). The former compulsory DPVAT insurance, according to DETRAN-PE, was not charged in 2025; check its status for the current year. Comprehensive cover starts, according to the channel author in February 2026, from R$ 4,000 a year with an excess of about R$ 10,000. She chose theft-only cover (Roubo e Furto) through an aggregator: for R$ 1,800 a year she got 100% of the FIPE value after 30 days of searching, third-party liability up to R$ 75,000, a tow truck and a replacement car. The insurer sends someone to inspect the car (post). These prices are for comparison only: yours will differ.

Driving licence

If you arrive with a Russian licence or another one without a direct exchange, the key date is 180 days after entry. The channel author's experience: she raised her gov.br account level through bank verification, booked a DETRAN appointment, had her licence translated by a sworn translator (R$ 150 in 2025, there are very few translators from Russian), passed the medical and psychological checks, and then collected the card at a special office with no queue. It took about five weeks from application to card (post 1, post 2). Whether a driving test is required depends on the country of issue: ask DETRAN-PE. How it is done in Rio de Janeiro and what it costs is on the Exchanging a licence page.

Checklist

  • Pix limit raised, account opened (RNM and CPF ready).
  • Restrictions and debts checked, IPVA for the year paid.
  • ATPV signed, signatures certified.
  • Inspection passed, post-inspection appointment booked — within 30 days.
  • Insurance arranged, the 180-day date for a foreign licence in your calendar.

Sources

Official:

Personal experience (channel @brazilwithliza, in Russian):