A Guide to Peruvian Visas

Peru is a very welcoming country and allows citizens of many countries to visit for touristic and recreational purposes visa-free. But as soon as you are planning to do business in Peru, stay longer, study, work, settle, or retire in the country, Peruvian law stipulates that you have the appropriate visa for it.

Peru offers a sometimes quite confusing amount of different visa types. To make the whole Peruvian visa system more transparent and easy to understand for foreigners, we compiled several articles dedicated to the most important and most used visas.

In general, Peru distinguishes between temporary visas and resident visas.

Peruvian temporary visas

Temporary visas are intended for short-term stays (depending on the visa for up to 3, 6 or 12 months) in Peru. These include, but aren't restricted to:

• the tourist visa
• the business visa
• the temporary work visa
• the temporary student visa
• the volunteer visa

Peruvian resident visas

Resident visas are for long-term stays in Peru. They include, but aren't restricted to:

• the resident work visa
• the family visa
• the retirement visa
• the religious visa
• the resident student visa
• the digital nomad visa

Where to apply for a Peruvian temporary or resident visa

Officially, you can apply for a temporary or resident visa either from outside Peru or while already in the country, for example while staying as a tourist.

However, the practical situation has changed in recent years. For decades, Peruvian consulates abroad handled temporary and resident visa applications from providing information and issuing application forms to receiving the application and, if approved, granting the visa.

Since August 2021, however, Peruvian diplomatic missions abroad generally only handle tourist and business visa applications. Foreigners who wish to apply for another temporary visa or a residence visa are now usually referred to Migraciones in Peru.

This means that foreigners who can enter Peru visa-free (in other words, those who do not need to apply for a tourist visa at a Peruvian consulate) typically travel to Peru as tourists and then apply for a change of immigration status, known as Cambio de calidad migratoria, at Migraciones. This is different from a “Solicitud de calidad migratoria,” which is the procedure used when applying for residency from outside Peru.

Foreign nationals who cannot enter Peru visa-free (meaning they must apply for a tourist visa at a Peruvian consulate before traveling) are officially required to apply for their residence visa while still being outside Peru. In practice, this process can be more complicated, lengthy, and sometimes frustrating.

If you fall into this category, we explain the process in detail in our separate guide on the Peruvian residence visa application from abroad.

Peruvian residence visa application from abroad

Peruvian Visa Types

Foreign nationals who want to apply for a residence visa in Peru, for example because they are married to a Peruvian, have found work in Peru, or p...

Please note: LimaEasy is not a Peruvian government agency, public authority, or law firm. The information provided is based on our best knowledge and is intended as general guidance to help you understand Peruvian immigration regulations and procedures. Regulations, requirements, and administrative practices may change at any time and without prior notice, so we recommend verifying current details with the relevant authorities before acting on this information.