Overview
- The Transport Ministry’s draft would remove compulsory enrollment in driving schools and let candidates take theory courses via a ministry platform, public programs, accredited institutions, or traditional schools, ending the 45-hour classroom requirement.
- Practical lessons would become optional with no 20‑hour minimum, candidates could train with an accredited instructor using their own vehicle, and the ministry projects up to an 80% cost reduction as it cites about 20 million unlicensed drivers and 900,000 infractions in 2024.
- Core safeguards are retained, including biometric capture at state Detrans, medical and psychological evaluations, a theory exam requiring 70% correct, and a road test scored to a minimum of 90 points, with progress tracked in Renach.
- The draft allows the road test to be taken in an automatic‑transmission car with later authorization to drive manuals, and the exam vehicle may be the candidate’s, the instructor’s, or the Detran’s if it meets safety and identification requirements.
- The proposal is in public consultation on Participa + Brasil through November 2, with reporting of internal disagreement in government, and a separate bill in Congress would create an automatic‑only license category with penalties for driving manuals without proper authorization.