The incidence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis is estimated to occur annually in 2-4 cases per million population. HSV encephalitis is exceptional in renal transplant patients, we have found two previous reports after an extensive bibliography search. We report a case of a 47 years old women renal transplant recipient who presented 3 months after transplantation fever, stupor and aphasia. The diagnosis HSV encephalitis was achieved by PCR in cerebrospinal fluid and magnetic resonance imaging. She was treated with aciclovir for 4 weeks and recovered completely without neurologic sequelae.