How to verify a Brazilian surgeon, dentist or clinic yourself

These are the public lookups BrazilMedTour runs before any clinic is listed. They take about ten minutes and cost nothing. Do them even if you are not using us.

1. Physicians: the CRM number

Every physician practicing in Brazil must be registered with the regional medical council (CRM) of their state, and the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) keeps a national public search.

1. Ask the clinic for the doctor's full name and CRM number with state, for example CRM-SP 123456. A legitimate clinic gives this without hesitation; it is printed on prescriptions and clinic signage by law.
2. Open the CFM search at portal.cfm.org.br/busca-medicos. Enter the number and state, or the name.
3. Check that the record shows situação: ativo (active) and that the name matches exactly.
4. Look at the especialidades field. A registered specialty appears with an RQE number (Registro de Qualificação de Especialista). For plastic surgery you want Cirurgia Plástica with an RQE. A doctor without an RQE in that specialty is legally a general physician performing the procedure.

2. Plastic surgeons: SBCP membership

The Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery (SBCP) is the specialty board. Full membership requires an accredited residency and its exam. Search the surgeon by name at cirurgiaplastica.org.br (the site has a "find a surgeon" directory). Note the membership category: titular and associado are full members; aspirante is still in training.

3. Dentists: the CRO number

Dentists are not in the CFM registry. They register with the regional dental council (CRO) of their state, and the Federal Council of Dentistry (CFO) runs the national public search.

1. Ask for the dentist's name and CRO number with state, for example CRO-SP 98765.
2. Open busca-profissionais.cfo.org.br and search by number or name.
3. Confirm the registration is active and the name matches.
4. For implants, look for the registered specialty Implantodontia. For crowns and veneers, Prótese Dentária. A general dentist may legally place implants, but a registered specialist has completed a recognized program in it.

4. The clinic itself: CNPJ

Every Brazilian business has a CNPJ, a 14-digit tax registration. Ask for it, then look it up free at Receita Federal: solucoes.receita.fazenda.gov.br/Servicos/cnpjreva. Check that the company is ativa, that its registered activity (CNAE) is medical or dental, and that the address matches where you will be treated.

5. The facility: licensing and accreditation

• Any place where surgery happens needs a health-surveillance license (alvará sanitário) from the state or municipal Vigilância Sanitária. Ask to see it; it is normally displayed at reception.
• Hospital accreditation is optional and worth something only if you can confirm it. ONA is the Brazilian accreditation body (ona.org.br lists accredited organizations). Joint Commission International publishes its accredited organizations at jointcommissioninternational.org. If a clinic claims either, find it on the list. Clinics listed on BrazilMedTour show accreditation only when we have confirmed it on these lists.

6. What a trustworthy quote looks like

Before you pay anything, you should hold a written quote that names the professional with registration number, itemizes professional fees, anesthesia, facility, implants or materials, and post-treatment visits, states the number of trips if treatment has stages (most dental implants do), and spells out the revision and complication policy. If any of that is missing, ask. If asking is met with pressure, walk away.

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