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Peruvian residence visa application from abroad
How to apply for your residence visa if you can’t travel to Peru visa-free
Foreign nationals, who want to apply for a residence visa in Peru (for example because they are married to a Peruvian, found work in Peru, want to study at a Peruvian university, etc.) but can’t enter the country visa-free to apply when being in Peru, must apply for their visa from outside the country and once approved enter Peru on the correct residence immigration status.
The process is called “Solicitud de calidad migratoria”, a usually simple, but sometimes lengthy and frustrating endeavor, which was, however, simplied in 2024 and is supposed to be quicker and more transparent now. Below we explain how it’s done.
Please be aware: The process explained below as well applies if you need a “real” tourist visa to enter the country and want to apply for a temporary visa (except tourist and business) such as a temporary student visa or a temporary work visa; only the requirements differ a bit and once in Peru you won’t need to apply for a foreigner ID.
And if you are a foreinger, who can enter Peru visa-free (so, you don’t have to apply for a “real” tourist visa at a Peruvian consulate), you should come to Peru as a tourist and then change your immigration status – make a so called “Cambio de calidad migratoria” – while being in the country. We explain how you can apply for your temporary or residence visa, when you are already in Peru in our Visa Guide.
Where to apply for a residence visa from outside Peru
Contrary to the change of your immigration status, the so-called “Cambio de calidad migratoria”, foreigners apply for when they are already in Peru, foreigners being outside the country must apply for an immigration status, make a so-called Solicitud de calidad migratoria.
While for decades Peruvian consulates abroad handled all sorts of visa applications from giving information and handing out the right forms to fill in, to accepting the application and, if approved, issuing the visa, since August 2021, the Peruvian diplomatic missions abroad only handle tourist and business visa applications and refer foreigners, who want to apply for another temporary or residence visa, to Migraciones in Peru. Not really helpful, if you need a visa to enter the country and are thousands of kilometers / miles away.
But there is no way around, even if you are outside Peru, the initial application of your residence visa can only be submitted to Migraciones in Peru using the Agencia Digital, a platform, which allows Peruvians and foreign nationals to handle lots of red tape online.
The crux: if you are still outside Peru and never have been to the country before, you don’t have access to the Agencia Digital as you must enter the date when you last entered Peru during login. Therefore, you most probably will need a representative (a family member, future Peruvian employer, a friend, immigration lawyer, or similar), who submits your visa application for you.
If you, however, have been to Peru before within the last few years, you can apply yourself on the Agencia Digital even though you are not in Peru at the moment (you need the date of your last entry).
Once your visa application is approved, the visa is issued by a Peruvian consulate of your choice, where you can pick it up and then can enter Peru on this visa. After arriving in Peru on your resident status you will have to apply for your carné de extranjería, your Peruvian foreigner ID.
Important laws and regulations
For foreigners planning to stay longer in Peru and to apply for a temporary or resident visa, the most important laws and regulations are the Decreto Legislativo 1350, the “old” Foreigner Law and the Decreto Legislativo 1582, the modification of the Foreigner Law, which both only stipulate general rules, as well as the Decreto Supremo 002-2021-IN from 2021 and the TUPA, which is updated yearly (last time October 22, 2023) Helpful as well is to check out the Peruvian government website. All these documents are, of course, in Spanish.
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.
While below under “Requirements for a residence visa application from outside Peru” you find the necessary documents described in English, the official list of requirements for a “Solicitud de calidad migratoria” (in Spanish) can be found in the TUPA:
- for a family visa for adults on page 204, which is page 207 of the PDF, or for children on page 209, which is page 212 of the PDF.
- for a resident work visa on page 213, which is page 217 of the PDF (for temporary workers see page 156, which is page 159 of the PDF)
- for a resident student visa on page 144, which is page 147 of the PDF (for temporary students see page 136, which is page 139 of the PDF)
- for a retirement visa on page 201, which is page 204 of the PDF.
- for a religious visa on page 116, which is page 119 of the PDF.
Requirements for a residence visa application from outside Peru
Below requirements by visa type are for the application of the residence visa if the applicant is still outside Peru.
If you are already in Peru, the requirements and process is different. So, please check out our extensive Visa Guide, where we explain requirements and the application in detail by visa type.
Be aware that Migraciones has the right to request other and/or additional documents at any time.
Family visa (adults) - familiar residente para mayores de edad
Family members of Peruvian nationals and foreigners with a resident status in Peru have the right to a family union and can apply for a family visa, the so-called “visa familiar residente”. As, depending on the relation, the family visa has quite a number of sub-visa types, find below the requirements to apply for a family visa for adults, for example: when you are married to a Peruvian or foreigner with resident status.
- Be outside Peru
- Passport
- Clean criminal record check (Antecedentes policiales, penales y judiciales) issued in the country of origin with Apostille und translation in Peru (1) + (2)
- Receipt for paid application fee (code Migraciones 07567; concept Solicitud de calidad migratoria de familiar residente para mayores de edad, S/ 58.80) (3)
- Official document that proves the family tie (please note: same-sex marriages/civil unions are not possible and not recognized in Peru):
- if the applicant is married to a Peruvian or foreigner with resident status: marriage certificate
- If you were married in Peru: recent certified copy of your marriage certificate issued by Reniec
- If you were married abroad to a Peruvian: certified copy of your marriage certificate issued by the Peruvian consulate and then legalized by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (RREE) in Lima or their offices in the provinces.
- If you were married to a foreigner abroad: marriage certificate with Apostille and translation into Spanish in Peru (1) + (4)
- if the applicant is married to a Peruvian or foreigner with resident status: marriage certificate
- Up-to-date DNI of the Peruvian family member with correct family address, correct marital status and no pending election fees or up-to-date carné de extranjería of the foreigner with resident status
- If applicable: Power of attorney for the person representing you in Peru, so for the one that does the application for you
You find the requirements for minors and adult children in the TUPA linked above.The application process is the same, you just have to choose the correct visa type and then submit the for the visa type required documents.
And if you are already in Peru, you find detailed information on how to apply in our Family Visa article
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