Car rental outside airport for regular trips

@Kat2202 - There is no issue renting a car from any agency in Brazil. I have done it multiple times in Rio de Janeiro without problem. The agencies will normally ask for your passport, your driver’s licence and of course a credit card.

Technically, if you are a resident in Brazil you should obtain a Brazilian driver’s licence. In the meantime, you can have your foreign licence officially translated, but bear in mind this translation is valid only for six months and can be renewed just once.

For this reason, it is usually simpler not to mention your CPF if you have one and instead rent using your passport number.

10/01/25 I have a question and it may have been covered on another thread but i can't find info.
Can I rent a car from local car rental agencies using only my valid US driver's license? I plan to rent a car occasionally for weekends or short trips. Since I have only rented at airports upon arrival and having to provide flight information, I am unsure of the procedure for non-airport locations. Specifically, what documents are required in place of flight information and is a Brazilian driver's license or international DL mandatory for these local rentals? - @Kat2202

If you plan on driving in Brazil on your US license while a non-resident, you should get an IDP -- International Driving Permit --  to use in conjunction with (and not instead of) your US license.  You can get it easily at the nearest AAA branch; the information is here:  https://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

With the IDP you shouldn't need a translation of your license.

There's still information circulating on the Internet that Brazil only accepts the IADP (Interamerican Driving Permit) and  not the IDP, but this is no longer the case.

As @Fentium said, once you're a resident (i.e., once you have a CRNM), you should request a Brazilian license on the basis of your US license at the DETRAN nearest to your home.

Thanks for the replies, and sorry for taking a while to get back to you both! I've applied for the IDP, which gives me a little breathing room to tackle the Brazilian license—the bureaucracy is crazy and seems stupid !

I'm hustling to get everything sorted before I leave on November 20th. It's all a bit much and honestly, pretty overwhelming right now  Aside from bringing all my chili condiments, is there anything else I need to remember? Lol

Chili condoments? Are you carrying coals to Newcastle? 😀

10/27/25  Aside from bringing all my chili condiments, is there anything else I need to remember? Lol - @Kat2202

Just the things that I mentioned in Post #6 of this thread:

https://www.expat.com/en/forum/south-am … ml#6080354

At this time, checklists are your best friends:  use them, feel free to add to them as you think of things, they'll help you stay sane.  As challenging as it seems now, we've all been through it and are here safe and sound to tell the tale, and you will be, too.

@alan279

Lol. Funny!

I'll be making chili with beans and tortillas for a couple of friends who love it! If you're in the Niterói area, stop by for a taste when i cook it.

@Kat2202

I'll stop by for chili the next time I'm nearby.

Thanks!

@Kat2202 This is from an experience I had in the USA (Logan Airport), so it may not happen in Brazil. I rented a car at an airport car rental location. Unfortunately, it was a busy weekend, and I was extremely close to them not having anything since they were down to ONLY Electric Cars to rent. FYI

Roddie in Retirement😎

@roddiesho

Which electric car did you rent? Did you like it?