Formalities for entering and staying in Peru

Visas

There are different types of visas for Peru, generally classified as temporary and resident visas, and including student visas, work visas, etc.

Temporary visas apply to artists, temporary or non-resident workers in Peru (business trips, specified-term contracts), students, religious representatives (distinction made between Catholic and non-Catholic adherents), independent investors, and workers. They also apply to citizens of some countries for short stays as a tourist.

Permanent visas, that is resident visas, apply to resident workers in Peru, independent investors and workers, individuals receiving income, residents' relatives (ascendants, minor descendants, handicapped children, spouses, etc).

Application conditions and requirements are rather specific. In most cases, you can enter Peru as a tourist, and then begin the procedures for obtaining your resident visa. You can find more information on these in the article Visas for Peru.

Proof of onward travel

If you enter Peru as a tourist, you will be granted entry for up to 183 days, at the discretion of the immigration officer. Unless you already have a resident visa in place, you will need to show evidence of when you will be departing from Peru, either in the form of a return airline ticket or a bus ticket.

Entry stamp

Once you enter Peru, you will be given a dated entry stamp in your passport. Previously, an Andean Immigration Card was issued - the Tarjeta Andina de Migración (TAM) but this was abolished in 2017. You may see references to it in guidebooks, but it's no longer required, as long as you have the entry stamp in your passport.

Ensure that your passport has at least two empty pages for new stamps, and is valid for at least 6 months after your departure date. If you obtain a new passport while residing in Peru, you'll need to take the old and new passports to the General Direction of the Immigration and Naturalization Department (DIGEMIN), to have your entry stamp transferred to your new passport, or you may be prevented from leaving the country.

Request for extension

Once your visa has expired, you can still request for an extension at the immigration offices you can find in major cities, namely Lima, Arequipa, Cuzco, Iquitos, Puno, and Puerto Maldonado. Fees apply.

If you entered the country as a tourist and overstayed the amount of time granted on your entrance stamp, you can exit and re-enter the country. The official maximum time you are allowed to stay in Peru as a tourist is 183 days per year. Failure to leave and re-enter will cause a daily overstay fee to accrue, which must be paid in full before you can leave the country.

Vaccinations

At the time of publication, there were no mandatory vaccinations for entering Peru. However, if you travel to certain areas of Peru, such as the jungle, you may be required to show proof of a yellow fever vaccination before being permitted to return to your home country or travel onwards to other countries. Check your country's requirements before travelling to Peru. If you need a yellow fever vaccination, this needs to be administered at least 10 days before visiting at-risk areas.

Important information for Venezuelan nationals in Peru

As from August 2018, a passport is compulsory for Venezuelan nationals looking to stay in Peru. For proper migration control, the national identity card is no longer accepted. Only expecting mothers, children reuniting with their parents and people aged over 70 are exempted from the passport requirement provided they apply for the refugee status on their arrival in Peru.

Useful links:

Migraciones ' Immigration Department in Peru
List of Peruvian diplomatic missions around the world