Foreigners planning to study at a Peruvian educational institution or to do an internship / apprenticeship (without payment!) at a Peruvian company can apply for a student visa to stay legally in Peru during their studies or training.

Depending on the length of your studies in Peru, a temporary or resident student visa is issued:

• a temporary student visa, called Formación temporal, is intended for studies / (pre-)professional internships in Peru lasting less than 12 months; however, usually temporary student visas are only issued for 90 or 180 days and then can be extended for the same number of days.
• a resident student visa, called Formación residente, is issued for studies that take longer than 12 months; it is valid for one year and then can be renewed for another year.

But, be aware that in some cases, “short-term” students and participants of study abroad programs don’t have to apply for a student visa at all but can do their studies on a tourist visa. So, best check with the Peruvian university, the organization of your exchange program or nearest Peruvian consulate if this exception might apply to you.

In the Decreto Supremo 002-2021-IN on page 30, in article 73-C “Procedimiento administrativo de cambio de calidad migratoria formación temporal”. As the TUPA is always the more current official document, which contains slight changes compared to the Decreto Supremo, we recommend to use it when looking for the most current official information about the requirements in Spanish. You find the information for temporary students on page 92.