Brazil · Health
Published Saturday, 7 November, 5:20 a.m. ET · Source: Presidency of Brazil, National Congress (Provisional Measure 1,370 of 2026)
Brazil’s future doctors will have to pass a national exam before they can practise, under a law signed on 6 November.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a law on Friday, 6 November 2026, that makes the National Exam for Assessing Medical Training, known as Enamed, a condition for a medical licence in Brazil. Doctors will need a passing result to register with their regional medical council, called a CRM.
Under the approved text, Enamed also replaces the theory phase of Revalida, the test that foreign-trained doctors take to have their diplomas recognised. For foreigners studying or practising medicine in Brazil, the rule changes the route to a licence.
Key Facts
- Law. Lula signed on 6 November 2026 a law making the Enamed exam a licensing requirement for doctors.
- Exam. Students sit it three times, at the end of the second, fourth and sixth year of study.
- Who. It applies to students who started medical school on or after 19 June 2026.
- Schools. Medical schools’ results are to be published every year.
- Next. A new national commission will set the minimum passing score.
- Power Index. Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 74.2 points (November 2026 edition).
How the Exam Will Work
Enamed stands for Exame Nacional de Avaliação da Formação Médica, the National Exam for Assessing Medical Training. Students take it in three stages, at the end of the second, fourth and sixth year, and the final score is a running average that gives the most weight to the last test.
Anyone who falls short can retake the third stage in later editions. Graduates who never reach the required level can still register for technical and scientific work, but without permission to treat patients or perform acts reserved for doctors.
In Plain English
A CRM is a regional medical council, and registration with one is the legal licence to practise medicine in Brazil. The Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) is the national body that oversees them.
Revalida is the test foreign-trained doctors take to have their diplomas recognised in Brazil. Under the new law, Enamed replaces its theory phase.
Who Is Covered and Who Is Not
The requirement applies to students who began medical school on or after 19 June 2026, the date the government first issued the rule as a provisional measure, a decree with immediate force. Students already enrolled before that date, and doctors whose diplomas are already recognised, keep the old rules.
The law came from Provisional Measure 1,370 of 19 June 2026, which Congress amended; both houses approved the text on 15 October and sent it for sanction on 16 October. Lawmakers expanded the exam from two stages to three and added the annual publication of each school’s results.
Who Sets the Pass Mark
The law creates a National Commission for the Assessment of Medical Training with eight seats, four named by the CFM, two by the Education Ministry and two by the Health Ministry. It will decide the general criteria, including the minimum score.
Until it does, the pass mark is unknown. Medical schools must publish their results every year, and courses that perform poorly can face supervision under existing education law.
What the Government and Doctors Say
Lula told the signing ceremony at the Planalto Palace that better-qualified doctors mean longer lives for Brazilians. He also criticised what he called the commercialisation of medicine.
José Hiran Gallo, president of the Federal Council of Medicine, called the decision a historic milestone. Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, himself a physician, said the exam will benefit students, schools and society.
What It Means for You
Foreign students who started at a Brazilian medical school after 19 June 2026 should expect to sit Enamed too. Doctors trained abroad who go through Revalida will find that Enamed replaces the theory phase.
Patients are not affected in the short term, because the first covered students, who started in 2026, graduate around 2032. The practical effect for now falls on students, universities and the firms that run private medical schools.
What Is Not Known
The minimum passing score has not been set, and we have not seen the commission’s members named. The number of the new law and the full text, including any presidential vetoes, were not available to us at the time of writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Enamed?
Enamed is Brazil’s National Exam for Assessing Medical Training. Under the law Lula signed on 6 November 2026, passing it becomes a condition for a medical licence.
Who must pass the Enamed exam?
Students who started medical school on or after 19 June 2026. Those already enrolled before that date keep the old rules.
When do students sit the exam?
In three stages, at the end of the second, fourth and sixth year of medical school. The last stage weighs most in the final average.
Sources: Government of Brazil, Provisional Measure No. 1,370 of 19 June 2026, planalto.gov.br; National Congress, Conversion Bill (PLV) No. 14 of 2026; National Congress vote of 15 October 2026; signing ceremony at the Planalto Palace, 6 November 2026. Congress tracking page for the measure: congressonacional.leg.br. More: Brazil news.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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