Brazil’s License Reform Hits Drug-Test Snag, Leaving 560,000 New CNHs Legally Exposed

Overview

• More than 560,000 driver’s licenses issued since the December 2025 overhaul may face legal challenges because the law now requires a toxicology test for first‑time motorcycle and car licenses that most states are not enforcing, O Globo reported.
• Senatran told state traffic departments to hold the new test until complementary regulations are set, and a letter from the national traffic chief cited the need for procedures, oversight criteria, and system integration; Ceará is the lone state charging the exam.
• Implementation remains uneven in major states as Senatran’s Santoro said São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Paraná still block test scheduling for students trained by independent instructors and he is pushing for federal auditing by the CGU.
• Detran‑SP says it plans to open practical test booking by early May with up to 180 days for tech and operational changes, while Detran‑RJ is phasing in system updates and has not yet cleared autonomous instructors to teach.
• The toxicology screen is a lab test of hair or body hair that can flag drug use over roughly 90 days, and road‑safety experts advise new drivers to take it now at an accredited lab and keep a negative result to protect their license.