Traffic Accident Report Time

Police Accident Report Issuance Time (Brazil)

In Brazil the official traffic-accident expert report (laudo de perícia técnica) comes from the police authority handling the case, and the law gives them up to 30 working days to deliver it: deadline = filing_date + 30 business_days. Which authority depends on where it happened. Federal highways fall to the PRF (Polícia Rodoviária Federal), state highways to the Polícia Militar Rodoviária (PMRv/PMRJ), and city streets to the municipal Polícia Militar together with the local traffic agency (CET, BHTrans, etc.).

Since 2020 the BO Digital (online incident report) has been open around the clock for accidents without injuries, and most state systems hand back the protocol on the spot. A vítima fatal changes everything: the case moves to the Polícia Civil and the IML (Instituto Médico Legal) for autopsy, which usually pushes the report out to 60–90 days. Photos the responding officer takes at the scene are attached to the report, and they tend to carry the most weight in insurance disputes and civil court.

Applications

The report is required paperwork for auto-insurance claims, DPVAT (mandatory traffic insurance), civil suits over material or moral damages, and labour suits when the crash happened on the way to or from work (acidente de trajeto). Brokers and lawyers lean on the calculator to tell clients roughly when to expect it, and to know when to file for judicial expediting (antecipação de tutela) once the deadline has come and gone.

FAQ

What if the 30-day deadline passes without the report? You can take it up with the police ouvidoria or corregedoria, or go to court to force the issue under Law 9.784/1999, which governs administrative process.

Is the BO Digital enough for insurance? For claims with no injuries, yes, since carriers accept the digital protocol. Anything involving bodily harm or a death still needs the in-person expert report.

Who pays for the expert work? The State foots the bill for public traffic experts. You only pay out of pocket if you hire your own private perícia assistente.