Conselho Federal de Medicina (CFM): Brazil Licensing Guide 2026

Brazil has one of the largest medical workforces in the world, and every doctor in it is registered through a two-level council system. The Conselho Federal de Medicina (CFM) sets national rules on ethics and professional practice, while a Conselho Regional de Medicina (CRM) in each state and in the Federal District registers individual doctors and supervises them locally. If you graduated abroad, the CFM and CRMs are the last step of your route, not the first: before you can register, your diploma must be revalidated in Brazil.

This page explains how the system fits together, what Revalida is, and the order of steps for international graduates.

Key facts

What the CFM does

The CFM is the federal council of the medical profession. Its main roles are:

• Ethics and standards. It issues the code of medical ethics and national resolutions that every doctor in Brazil must follow.
• Coordinating the regional councils. The CRMs apply the CFM's rules in their states, and the CFM acts as a higher instance for their decisions.
• Public information. Through its portal, patients and employers can check whether a doctor is registered.
• Digital services. The CFM runs the CRM Virtual system, electronic prescribing tools and online payment of annual dues.

The CRMs handle the day-to-day work: registering doctors, issuing the professional card, recording specialist titles, collecting dues and investigating complaints in their state.

Why the regional level matters

Your registration is tied to a state. If you plan to work in São Paulo, you deal with the CRM of São Paulo; if you later move to another state for a long period, you need to register there as well. Each CRM publishes its own document list, appointment process and fees, so always read the page of the regional council you intend to join.

Revalida: the exam for foreign graduates

Revalida is the national exam that supports the revalidation of medical diplomas obtained abroad. It is organised by Inep, the federal education assessment institute, not by the CFM. It is open to foreign nationals and to Brazilians who studied medicine outside Brazil.

The exam has two stages, held at different times:

1. Written theory stage. Objective and discursive questions covering the main areas of medicine practised in Brazil's public health system.
2. Clinical skills stage. A practical assessment with stations in which you take histories, examine, communicate and decide, all in Portuguese.

Both stages are eliminatory. You only move to the clinical stage after passing the written stage. Inep normally runs more than one edition per year, each with its own notice, registration window and timetable, and registration is done online through the Sistema Revalida with a gov.br account.

What Revalida tests in practice

The exam is built around Brazilian clinical reality. Expect questions on:

• internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology;
• family and community medicine and the organisation of the public system (SUS);
• public health, epidemiology and preventive care;
• emergencies and common presentations seen in primary care.

Candidates who trained in systems with different protocols often find the public health and SUS content harder than the clinical content. Studying Brazilian guidelines and ministry protocols is essential.

From Revalida to CRM registration

Passing both stages does not give you the right to practise on its own. The route has separate steps:

1. Pass both stages of Revalida.
2. Revalidation by a public university. A Brazilian public university that participates in Revalida formally revalidates your diploma on the basis of your result. Only then does your degree have legal effect in Brazil.
3. Register with a CRM. You apply to the regional council of the state where you will work, with your revalidated diploma, identity and immigration documents, and any other items that CRM lists.
4. Receive your CRM number. You can now practise as a general doctor in that state.

Federal courts have confirmed that a CRM cannot register a doctor with a foreign degree who has not completed revalidation. Temporary programmes that allowed foreign doctors to work without revalidation were exceptions with their own rules, not a general route.

Specialist titles

Revalidation and CRM registration make you a doctor in Brazil, not a specialist. Specialist status is recorded separately once you hold a title recognised under Brazilian rules, usually through a recognised medical residency or a title from the relevant specialty society. Foreign specialist training is not automatically recognised.

Documents to prepare early

Paperwork is the most common reason for delays and rejections. Start months ahead:

• Diploma and transcript from a school recognised by the education authority of its country.
• Apostille or consular legalisation, depending on the issuing country.
• Sworn translation into Portuguese by a Brazilian sworn translator.
• Identity and immigration documents, including a valid visa or residence status for foreign nationals.
• A gov.br account to register in the Sistema Revalida.

Check every name, date and spelling. A mismatch between your passport and your diploma can stop an application.

Language

Brazil does not run a separate language exam for doctors at the CFM level, but Portuguese is unavoidable. Revalida is in Portuguese, the clinical stage tests communication with simulated patients in Portuguese, and you will document and prescribe in Portuguese every day. If Portuguese is not your first language, aim for strong clinical fluency before the clinical skills stage, not just reading ability.

Costs (as of October 2026)

Inep sets a registration fee for each Revalida edition in its notice, and fees can change between editions. CRMs charge registration fees and annual dues that differ by state. Universities may also charge for the revalidation step. Read the current notice and your CRM's fee table before budgeting; this page does not quote figures because they vary by edition and state.

Typical mistakes

• Thinking the CFM registers you. Registration is done by a CRM in the state where you will practise.
• Treating Revalida as the finish line. University revalidation and CRM registration follow.
• Leaving apostille and translation too late. These steps often take longer than the exam timeline allows.
• Studying only from foreign textbooks. Revalida rewards knowledge of Brazilian protocols and the SUS.
• Underestimating the clinical stage. Communication in Portuguese is assessed, not only knowledge.
• Using an old notice. Each edition has its own rules, and Inep sometimes publishes corrections.

Checklist before you start

• Degree from a recognised foreign school, with full transcript.
• Apostille and sworn translations ordered.
• gov.br account created.
• Current Revalida notice read in full.
• Study plan covering clinical medicine and Brazilian public health.
• Target state chosen, and its CRM requirements read.

How to prepare for the written stage

Revalida's written stage is long and broad. A practical approach:

1. Map the blueprint. Use the areas listed in the notice and weight your time accordingly.
2. Practise with timed questions. Multiple-choice stamina matters as much as knowledge.
3. Review explanations, not just answers. Understand why the Brazilian protocol differs from what you learned elsewhere.
4. Revise public health weekly. It is easy to neglect and appears throughout the exam.

Question banks such as the clinical sets in MediFlow Exam Prep can help you build speed and spot weak areas across medicine, surgery, paediatrics and obstetrics, alongside official Brazilian material.

Related routes in Portuguese and Spanish

If you are comparing Lusophone and Iberian options, see the Ordem dos Médicos in Portugal and the CGCOM in Spain. Each country has its own recognition system; a Brazilian CRM registration does not transfer automatically.

Next steps

1. Read the current Revalida notice on Inep's site.
2. Order apostilles and sworn translations.
3. Choose the state where you want to work and read its CRM page.
4. Build a study plan for both stages.

Contact and official links

• Website: portal.cfm.org.br
• Revalida: Inep's Revalida page
• Regional councils: listed on the CFM portal by state

Contact details for the CFM and each CRM are published on their official websites.