RENAVAM Generator

What is a RENAVAM generator used for?

Every vehicle in Brazil has a RENAVAM (National Motor Vehicle Registry), which serves as its unique identification number. It carries 11 digits, one of them a check digit calculated by DENATRAN.

Anyone working with fleet management systems, digital CRVs or vehicle query APIs often needs valid RENAVAMs just to run tests.

For testing and development use only.

What the Brazilian RENAVAM is

RENAVAM stands for Registro Nacional de Veículos Automotores — Brazil's National Motor Vehicle Registry. Each vehicle that circulates in the country gets an 11-digit RENAVAM number assigned by SENATRAN (formerly DENATRAN) at the moment of first registration. The number stays with the vehicle for its entire life, surviving sales, transfers, plate changes (Mercosul to grey or vice versa) and even state-of-registration changes.

It is the primary key the federal government uses for everything related to the vehicle: annual licensing (licenciamento), IPVA (state vehicle tax), DPVAT/seguro obrigatório, mandatory inspections, fines (multas), auction sales, ownership transfer, financing liens (alienação fiduciária) and theft/recovery reports. The license plate identifies the vehicle visually; the RENAVAM identifies it in every database.

Structure and DV algorithm

A RENAVAM has 11 digits: 10 sequential identifiers plus 1 check digit (DV). Older documents from before 2001 displayed only 9 digits; SENATRAN left-pads them with zeros to reach the canonical 11-digit form. The DV is computed with modulo 11 and the same weight pattern used by PIS/PASEP:

digits   d1 d2 d3 d4 d5 d6 d7 d8 d9 d10
weights   3  2  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2

sum  = Σ (digit_i × weight_i)
rest = (sum × 1) mod 11
DV   = 11 − rest
       └─ take last digit if result has 2 digits
       └─ if DV ≥ 10, DV = 0

Where to find your RENAVAM

• CRV — Certificado de Registro de Veículo, the green slip that proves ownership. RENAVAM is printed on the top header.
• CRLV — Certificado de Registro e Licenciamento de Veículo, the annual licensing document (paper or CRLV-e digital PDF in the Carteira Digital de Trânsito app).
• Auto insurance policy — every Brazilian insurer prints the RENAVAM alongside the chassis number and license plate.
• Original dealer invoice (nota fiscal) issued when the vehicle was bought new.

RENAVAM vs. license plate vs. chassis

Three numbers identify a vehicle in Brazil and they serve different purposes. The license plate (Mercosul or older grey/red format) is visual and can be changed in case of theft or transfer between states. The chassis or VIN is engraved by the manufacturer and never changes. The RENAVAM is a national administrative ID assigned by SENATRAN that ties the chassis to its current legal status (owner, taxes paid, restrictions).