Paying administration charges and processing fees in Peru

All administration charges, processing fees and fines government agencies, public authorities and entities levy in Peru have to be paid at the Banco de la Nacion. While for years this meant standing in long lines at one of the numerous Banco de la Nacion branches, since 2018 you can as well pay online using the website/app pagalo.pe.

Content overview:

• General information about paying charges, fees, and fines in Peru
• How to pay at a Banco de la Nacion branch
• How to pay using pagalo.pe
  • How to register and create an account
  • How to pay using pagalo.pe or create a voucher to pay at a Banco de la Nacion branch / ATM
• A final note

General information about paying charges, fees, and fines in Peru

Today, Peruvians and foreigners can still pay at any branch of the Banco de la Nacion. Additionally, payments can be made at some Banco de la Nacion ATMs and online with any Visa, Master or American Express debit or credit card as well as with the Yape app on the pagalo.pe website from a computer or with the pagalo.pe app from a smartphone or tablet.

No matter which way you choose to make your payment, you have to know:

• which authority, for example, Migraciones, Reniec, PNP, Labor Ministry, …, charges the fee
• which code the procedure you want to pay has, for example, 07568  for the Migraciones administrative procedure “Changing of immigration status”; 06637 for a copy of a Peruvian birth or marriage certificate from Reniec; 08141 for the Interpol clearance from the PNP, 05533 for employment contracts of foreigners, …
• Be aware that with some payment codes you can pay different administrative procedures ("concepto"): with the Migraciones code 07562, for example, you can pay for applying for the permit to sign contracts or for the special travel permit; with the code 05533 from the Labor Ministry you can pay either the approval of your work contract or the approval of the extension or modification of your work contract. So, make sure you pay the right thing and amount.

How to pay charges, fees and fines at a Banco de la Nacion branch

Since the introduction of the Banco de la Nacion online payment system pagalo.pe (see below how it works) the lines at the Banco de la Nacion branches aren’t as bad anymore and payments are usually done quite quickly (at least by Peruvian standards).

Once it's your turn, just give the teller the authority, the code and, if applicable, the "concepto" of the administrative procedure you want to pay. If you don't know the code, the staff is usually able to help.

Be aware that some branches only accept payments when you first have created a voucher for your payment on pagalo.pe (see below). Payments at ATMs are only possible with a voucher.

Additionally, you will need your passport (foreigners with residency need their carné, Peruvians their DNI) as the payments are registered under your name and passport (CE or DNI) number. Payments made under other names aren’t accepted. So, make sure your name is written as in your passport (or on your CE or DNI) and your passport (CE or DNI) number is correct. If there is only the slightest inconsistency or a little spelling mistake, the payment isn’t accepted later.

Keep the receipt you get safe! Depending on the administrative procedure, you will later need it either to just prove your payment or to enter certain information and numbers on the receipt in online application forms.

How to pay charges, fees and fines using pagalo.pe

At the beginning of 2018, the Banco de la Nacion introduced their new online payment system called pagalo.pe. On the website or with the app, you can pay the most common fees of some Peruvian government agencies and public authorities easily and quickly online with any Visa, Master or American Express debit or credit card as well as with the Yape app.

Since the introduction, an impressive number of charges can now be paid online and others are constantly added; so before heading to the bank, check on pagalo.pe.

How to register on pagalo.pe and create an account

To use the online payment system, you first have to register on the pagalo.pe website or download the app and register there. Don’t use other user accounts to pay your fees as most fees are personal and payments made under other users won’t be accepted later.

Creating an account is super simple. On the website just click on Ingresar (1) and a pop-up window appears on your screen (2). Then click on Registrate on the bottom right corner and the Registro de usuario page opens.

Now just enter the information required:

• Correo electronico: Enter a valid e-mail address you have unrestricted access to as an activation code is sent to this e-mail.
• Documento/ Num. documento: Choose pasaporte (or, if applicable, CE or DNI) and enter in the next field your passport number (or, if applicable, CE or DNI number).
• Nombre completo: Enter your complete (!) name exactly as in your passport (or, if applicable, your CE or DNI).
• Numero de celular/Operador: Enter a cell phone number and select the Peruvian operator. Best is, of course, to have a Peruvian cell phone number and just enter the information required. But if you don't have a Peruvian cell phone and leave the fields blank you can't register. So, to get around this little hurdle, just select one of the cell phone carriers and then just enter either your number from home (max 9 digits) or any other 9-digit number. As notifications from pagalo.pe are sent to your e-mail address anyway, you won't have any problems with doing so.
• Crea una contraseña/Vuelve a escribir la contraseña: Enter a password of your choice and repeat it.
• Ingresar texto de imagen: Enter the displayed Captcha.
• Then accept the terms & conditions!

After clicking on Registrar a new window opens and you are asked to activate your pagalo account by entering an activation code.

So, check your e-mail. You should have received a message from pagalo.pe with the activation code.

Just enter the activation code and the Captcha and click on Activar usuario.

You made it and are now ready to make payments using pagalo.pe.

How to pay using pagalo.pe or create a voucher to pay at a Banco de la Nacion branch / ATM

To make online payments or to create a voucher to pay in cash, you now only have to log into your account.

So, enter pagalo.pe and click on Ingresar (1). Then enter your e-mail address and password (2). After clicking on Ingresar you get to the main page and are logged in (3).

If you haven't registered yet and don't have an account, check out How to register on pagalo.pe and create an account above.

Now just click on the search area "Buscar tramite o entidad" and this drop-down list is displayed.

Now just choose the authority, for example, Migraciones, and you get a list with all administrative procedures, including the codes, that you can pay online.

Just click on the one you want to pay and you get to the Registro de Tasa page.

Now just enter the information required:

• Concepto: Most codes include different administrative procedures, so first choose a “Concepto” (in this example case, Cambio de calidad migratoria rentista residente) .
• Costo: After you selected a Concepto, the payment amount for this procedure is automatically filled in.
• Tipo de documento/Numero de documento: Select pasaporte (or, if applicable, CE or DNI) and enter your passport (CE or DNI) number.

Then click on Agregar a carrito and you get to your "shopping cart".

Here you see the authority and administrative procedure you have chosen to pay (in this example case, Migraciones 07568 Cambio de calidad migratoria), including the payment amount and the document under which the payment is registered. Make sure that everything is 100% correct. If not,  edit or better delete under Opciones and start from scratch.

In case you want to pay more than one procedure, you can add others under "Agregar otro pago".

When you are ready, accept the terms and conditions. Click Pagar and you get to the Metodo de pago page.

Now you can choose to pay with any Visa, Master or American Express debit or credit card or with the Yape app by clicking the corresponding icon. Once the payment is cleared, a receipt is sent to your e-mail address.

Or by clicking on the red Banco de la Nacion icon, you can choose to pay in cash at any branch or some ATMs of the Banco de la Nacion with the voucher, which is sent to your registered e-mail.

You made it!

A final note

No matter if you make the actual payment using pagalo.pe or at a Banco de la Nacion branch/ATM, keep the receipt you are sent or get safe! You will need it later either just to prove your payment or to enter certain information and numbers on the receipt in online application forms (for example, if you apply for a residence visa).

Be aware that sometimes it might take a few minutes up to an hour or so until the payment is processed. So, give it a bit of time before you fill in, for example, the application for your residence visa and enter the details of the receipt on the Agencia Digital. If you use pagalo.pe on Sundays or public holidays the processing of the payment might even take until the next business day.