Know where you plan to travel
1. Have a good friend in Brazil where you want to purchase the vehicle (Tip: this is the most important part of this process because you will need proof of an address in Brazil)
2. Are you planning on just traveling in Brazil? Or out of Brazil?
A. If you plan to just travel in Brazil, you can buy and register the vehicle using the personal details (CPF and address) of your Brazilian friend
B. If you’re planning on leaving Brazil with the vehicle you need to get your own CPF


Getting a CPF
1. Apply online for the CPF (using the website of the Receita Federal). Fill in the online form and make sure to use the address of your Brazilian friend as your address (make a screenshot of the form once it’s filled in)
2. On the Receita Federal website or by visiting the closest one to you in Brazil, you will find an email address where you will send the following documents:
1. a screenshot of the filled-in online form
2. a picture of your passport
3. a picture of you holding your passport next to your face and open to
the photo page
4. a scan of a utility bill from your Brazilian friend (with the same
address you used on the online form)
This process takes about 5 days (in our case it took 2)


Proof of residence
1. In Brazil, with your friend, you need to go to a notary to sign a declaration of residence and pay a small fee (Tip: you can find examples of this form online)


Purchase the vehicle
1. Go to the seller of the vehicle. He will need: copy of passport, copy of CPF document, copy of utility bill, declaration of residence signed by notary, and your drivers license with a picture of you
2. With the above documents, you can purchase the vehicle (Tip: tax for using a credit card is very high. Debit card is less expensive)
3. Once the vehicle is purchased, you will receive a register card of the previous owner. With this card, you need to go back to the notary to get it signed and processed (you will also pay a small fee)
4. Return to the seller with the notarized register card. Now your vehicle papers are in transfer and you must wait for them to be processed (in 2021, our estimated wait was 15 days)
5. You will be given a temporary paper which you can use to drive for up to 30 days while you wait for your official papers

I received my registration in 6 days (As of 2021, the registration papers for vehicles in Brazil are entirely online. I received a PDF of mine with a scannable QR code)


Additional notes:
1. Altogether, without knowing the process beforehand and with waiting to obtain my CPF until I was in Brazil, the entire process took me about 10 days.
2. As I obtained my CPF via email, it seems to me that this process could be done from your home country. I would suggest starting this process as soon as you can.
3. Once you so have a CPF in Brazil, you accept the conditions and responsibilities of being a resident in the country and must take on such duties as filing income taxes. If you don’t, your CPF will expire and it will be very difficult to obtain another one.
4. The seller for my vehicle was not aware that you can purchase a vehicle as a foreigner without an RNE/RNM. Initially, he refused to sell us the bike without an RNE/RNM. However, we remained persistent and after confirming with a colleague, he agreed to sell us the bike. Sometimes, you need to be a bit firm with your seller and you always need to be patient.
5. Remember as well that this this is Brazil and things happen on their own time. Be patient and good luck!

Sorry I forgot MSN log in, but you can find me on instagram @toni_echnaton

Many thanks for that detailed writeup and guideline!

Guess it is too possible to buy and register a car with the same steps?

Surfy

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About Overlanding, Travelogues, Equipment
Trans-Africa over the west coast

It is so good to get infromation from someone that has done it for real.
Even if things can change, it was the reality at that point.

Thanks for sharing hard core infromation.
Very valuable


Comparing when someone heard rumours about how things works.

Glad you found it helpful. I just purchased and registered a motorbike. However, I would assume that the process is very similar if not the same.

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sorry I forgot my msn login, hit me on insta: @toni_echnaton