Number of requests for first license grew exponentially after new rules were implemented
In December 2025, the CNH do Brasil program came into force, changing the rules for obtaining the National Driver’s License. The new rules include the end of the obligation for driving schools, free online theoretical course, reduction in the number of practical classes, permission for learning in a private car, among others.
With this flexibility, the number of people who applied for their first license in January increased by 360% compared to the same period last year. 1.7 million requests were registered, against 369.2 thousand in 2025, according to data from the National Traffic Secretariat (Senatran).
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In just over two months after the launch of the updated rules, more than ten thousand Brazilians completed the process to obtain their first license. From December 9, 2025 to February 24 of this year, 10,289 candidates started the application through the Ministry of Transport application, took the theoretical course, took the medical and psychological exams, collected biometrics, passed the theoretical and practical tests and issued their document.
Two weeks later, this number of new licensed drivers who started the process through the app more than doubled, reaching 24.7 thousand on March 11.
The most recent data show that about 600 thousand people have already issued their license since the CNH do Brasil was implemented. The number includes candidates who started the process before the launch of the platform, but completed the steps already within the new digital model.
Another data reported by Senatran is the expansion of the performance of autonomous traffic instructors. Until February, 52,195 practical driving courses were registered by these professionals for candidates for the first license.
One of the main arguments for the implementation of the program is the high rate of people who drive without a license in the country, which reaches 20 million, according to data from the Ministry of Transport. In this way, by making the process more flexible and reducing its mandatory cost, the number of requests for first license actually grew.
However, the changes in the process of obtaining the CNH, especially in the stages that deal with learning, have raised numerous discussions about a possible loss in the training of new drivers. From the perspective of professionals in the area, the rules have been made too flexible, which may put road safety at risk in the future. For Roberta Torres, a specialist in traffic education with more than 24 years of studies in the area, the measure is not focused on the training process.
According to the scholar, “the discussion is totally focused on price and a false idea of ‘debureaucratization’. The only thing they are trying to exclude is the mandatory learning part.”
The professionals highlight, for example, the reduction of the workload that fell from 20 class hours to only 2 class hours, the possibility of getting a license in automatic cars, the end of the obligation of dual control, the changes in the criteria of the driving test that removed the eliminatory absences and facilitated the process, among others.
