Entering Peru: passport, length of stay and borders

What you need to enter

Your passport. It must be valid for at least six months on arrival, whatever your nationality. The rule is applied without exception: a passport that is too short means being refused entry and sent back at your own expense. If it expires within the year, renew it before buying your tickets.

The visa. You do not need one for a tourist stay with a Swiss, French or Spanish passport:

• Swiss passport: no visa for tourism, up to 90 days; passport valid for at least six months on arrival.
• French passport: no visa for tourism, from 1 to 90 days granted on entry, over a period of 183 days; passport valid for at least six months on arrival, a rule applied without exception.
• Spanish passport: 90 consecutive days at most, 183 days in total over 365 days, with no extension possible.

For another nationality, the rule can be found on the website of the Peruvian consulate in your country. If you come back several times in the year, the days spent in Peru add up: count them before booking a second stay.

The length granted and the entry record

The maximum is not automatic. On entry, the Migraciones officer sets a number of days, within the limit for your nationality. That number may be lower than you ask for: state your exit date and keep your return ticket to hand.

The stamp has become virtual. Since 29 May 2023, the airports of Lima, Arequipa, Cusco, Chiclayo and Trujillo no longer apply a physical stamp: entry is recorded electronically. The FDFA and France Diplomatie state that the length granted can be checked online on the Migraciones register (the virtual Andean migration card). Check it from the very first day: a recording error is easier to correct at the start than at departure.

Do not overstay it. According to Migraciones, the fine is 0.1% of the UIT per day of overstay; with the 2026 UIT (S/ 5,500), that comes to S/ 5.50 per day under this scale. The UIT changes every year: for an overstay running over two years, ask Migraciones how it is calculated rather than working it out yourself. France Diplomatie still quotes S/ 4.40 per day, an amount calculated on an old UIT, and reports lengthy exit formalities. For tourism, the length of stay cannot be extended.

On arrival: customs

Peruvian customs, SUNAT, sets a few rules for travellers (SUNAT):

• Cash: declare any amount over 10,000 dollars, or its equivalent in another currency. Above 30,000 dollars, bringing cash in is forbidden: the money goes through a bank.
• Goods to declare: anything not on the “nothing to declare” list is declared on SUNAT’s “Bienvenido al Perú” app; up to 1,000 dollars, these goods pay a 12 % tax.
• Adventure gear: a non-resident traveller can bring in sports equipment for adventure tourism without paying a deposit.
• Agricultural products, wildlife and plants: bringing them in requires authorisation. Do not pack fruit, seeds or meat.

Minors

What a child needs in order to leave Peru depends on who is accompanying them, their nationality and the length of their stay:

• With both parents: take a document proving the parent–child relationship (family record book, birth certificate).
• With one parent, a Swiss or European child not resident in Peru, a stay of less than 90 days: no exit authorisation, but proof of the relationship is still useful.
• With one parent, a non-Peruvian child resident in Peru or who has stayed more than 90 days: authorisation from the absent parent.
• With one parent, a child of Peruvian nationality, dual nationals included: authorisation from the other parent, drawn up at the Peruvian consulate or before a notary, original to be shown, whatever the length of the stay.
• A minor travelling alone or with a third party: ask the Peruvian consulate well before departure; airlines also have their own rules.

The exit rule, as summarised by France Diplomatie: non-Peruvian minor who has stayed less than 90 days: no exit authorisation; non-Peruvian minor who is resident or has stayed more than 90 days, or Peruvian minor (including dual nationals): authorisation from the absent parent, drawn up before a notary in Peru or at a Peruvian consulate.

Land borders: the stamp is compulsory

At land borders, the physical stamp is still the rule. France Diplomatie and the FDFA insist: have your exit from the neighbouring country stamped, then your entry into Peru (and the reverse when leaving). Some buses do not stop at the border post, or cross at a time when it is unstaffed: that does not exempt you from the stamp. Without it, your situation is irregular, and the FDFA points out that an incorrectly recorded entry can prevent you from leaving the country.

Also check the entry rules of the neighbouring country for your nationality: they do not depend on Peru.

What does not travel

• Coca. Coca-based products are prohibited from import into Switzerland, according to the FDFA, and may also be prohibited in transit countries. Coca tea bags are no exception. See coca leaf.
• Archaeological and colonial objects. Exporting them is prohibited without authorisation; do not buy “antique pieces” and do not pick anything up on a site.
• Animal and plant products. Feathers, skins, shells, seeds and crafts containing protected species may be seized on arrival in Switzerland: check the origin and the materials before buying.
• Liquids and food follow the usual airline and customs rules.

On the way home: what you can bring back

Allowances depend on the country you return to, not on Peru. For Switzerland and France, according to their customs services:

In Switzerland, animal products may only be imported from the European Union, Northern Ireland, Iceland and Norway: meat and other animal products from Peru are prohibited (FOCBS). Above the allowances, declare the goods and pay the duty; the FOCBS QuickZoll app lets you do this before you cross the border.

At the hotel: passport and VAT

A hotel registered with SUNAT can invoice a non-resident foreign tourist’s accommodation without IGV, Peruvian VAT: stay invoiced without IGV, as an export of services, for up to 60 days per entry into the country. To do so, it asks for your passport and proof of entry, the virtual TAM: keep a copy on your phone. The rule does not automatically apply to a private rental. Ask whether the price shown includes IGV. See where to stay in Lima.

Tourism, long stays, work

A tourist stay does not allow you to work for a Peruvian employer. For a stay of more than 90 days, studies, volunteering or a professional activity, another immigration status is needed, to be requested from the Peruvian consulate before departure or from Migraciones, depending on the case. Remote work for a foreign employer falls into an area we have not been able to document with an official source: ask the consulate. See Staying several weeks in Lima.

Your document wallet

• Your passport, valid for at least six months on arrival, and a copy of its identity page, on paper and online.
• The virtual TAM, downloaded on day one from the Migraciones website: it proves your date of entry and the length of stay granted.
• Your ticket out of the country, to show if the officer asks about your departure date.
• Your insurance certificate, with the assistance number.
• Two bank cards, kept separately.
• Your driving licence, if you plan to drive. See driving in Peru.
• Your higher-education student card, for student rates, at Machu Picchu in particular.
• For a child: proof of the parent–child relationship and, depending on the case, the exit authorisation (see minors).
• The yellow fever vaccination certificate, only if a country you visit next requires it. See health.

If you lose your passport

According to France Diplomatie, your country’s embassy can issue an emergency travel document; you then need to have your entry record transferred to this new document with Migraciones, with the declaration of loss or theft made to the police. Keep a copy of your passport’s identity page and of your entry record, on paper and online. See Everyday safety.