Overview
Revalida is Brazil's national exam for doctors who graduated in medicine abroad and want to practise in Brazil. It is run by Inep, the federal education research and assessment institute. Both foreigners and Brazilians with a foreign medical degree can take it. The sources are in Portuguese and were read directly.
Revalida does not revalidate a diploma by itself. Passing both stages is accepted as proof of theoretical and practical competence by the public universities that have joined the exam as partner revalidating universities. The university you choose after passing then carries out the formal revalidation. Brazilian rules also allow a second route, the ordinary process, which is handled inside universities by document analysis and does not use this exam.
Who can apply
Inep lists these requirements for registration:
Be Brazilian, or a foreigner legally resident in Brazil.
Have a CPF (the Brazilian taxpayer number issued by the federal revenue service).
Hold a medical degree from a foreign higher education institution that is recognised in its home country by the education ministry or an equivalent body. The degree must be authenticated by a Brazilian consulate or carry a Hague Apostille.
Upload images of the front and back of the degree when registering.
If you do not yet hold the diploma itself, Inep accepts a certificate or declaration of course completion from the foreign institution, with the same authentication. It must state that you finished every compulsory part of the medical course, including internships, required placements and final exams, and that the diploma is being issued.
You do not need a Portuguese proficiency certificate such as Celpe-Bras, but both stages are held in Portuguese. Taking part is voluntary, and you can sit the exam again in later editions until you pass. If you already have an open revalidation case at a university using the ordinary process, you can still register for Revalida.
Exam pattern
Revalida has two eliminatory stages, held at different times. Only those who pass stage 1 can register for stage 2.
| Stage | Format | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1, objective paper (P1) | Multiple choice | 100 items, taken in the morning |
| Stage 1, discursive paper (P2) | Written answers | 5 discursive questions, taken in the afternoon of the same day |
| Stage 2, clinical skills test | Practical stations | 10 stations: 5 on the first day and 5 on the second day |
Both stages are built on five areas, taken from Brazil's national medical curriculum guidelines and the exam's reference matrix:
Internal medicine (clinica medica)
General surgery
Paediatrics
Gynaecology and obstetrics
Family and community medicine, public health
Questions use problem situations and case presentations. The exam tests the knowledge, skills and competences needed to practise within Brazil's public health system (SUS) at the level expected of Brazilian medical graduates.
Marking and results
To pass stage 1 you must reach the minimum performance (cut-off score) in both the objective paper (P1) and the discursive paper (P2). Each edition's notice sets the cut-offs, and scores are not rounded up. Passing both stages means you have passed the exam. The preliminary and final answer keys and results are published in stages, with an appeal window after each.
Important dates
Inep publishes a separate notice (edital) and schedule for each edition. The editions listed on its orientation page at the time of review were 2025/2, 2026/1 and 2026/2. The dates below are from the 2025/1 edition, which shows how an edition runs. They are not the dates of a current edition.
Stage 1 registration: 27 to 31 January 2025, with fee payment until 5 February 2025.
Stage 1 exam: 23 March 2025.
Final stage 1 result: 3 June 2025.
Stage 2 registration: 9 to 13 June 2025.
Stage 2 clinical skills exam: 19 and 20 July 2025.
Final result: 31 October 2025.
Choice of partner revalidating university: from 1 November 2025.
Check the current edition's notice on the Inep Revalida page before you plan.
Fees
Inep does not fix one fee on its general pages. The registration fee for each stage is set in that edition's notice, and stage 2 has its own fee. You pay by a federal payment slip (GRU) generated in the participant area.
How to apply
Create a login on the Revalida system through Brazil's gov.br single sign-on.
Register for stage 1 during the window in the edition's notice, choose your exam city (places in each city are limited), and upload your degree or completion certificate as a PDF, PNG or JPG file of up to 2 MB. Documents sent outside the system or outside the window are not accepted.
Pay the fee slip before the deadline.
Request specialised support or use of a social name during registration if you need either.
Your personal details come from the federal revenue service database. If any detail is wrong, correct it there before you register.
After the exam
If you pass both stages, you name the partner university where you want your diploma revalidated. After the final results, that public university carries out the revalidation within the legal deadline for the simplified process. The university will ask you to send your original foreign documents, including the diploma, for a final check. Passing the exam does not guarantee revalidation.
If you pass stage 1 but fail stage 2, you may register for stage 2 again in a later edition, as that edition's notice allows.
FAQs
Is Revalida the only way to revalidate a foreign medical diploma in Brazil?
No. The other route is the ordinary process run by universities, based mainly on document analysis. Revalida is an alternative that gives partner universities a unified exam result to rely on.
Do I need to send documents before the exam?
No. To confirm your registration you only upload the scanned degree, or the completion certificate if you do not yet have the diploma. The fuller document check comes after you pass.
Can I choose any university for revalidation?
You choose from the public universities that joined the exam as partners. You indicate your choice after passing, in the period set by the stage 2 notice.