Updated 5 October 2017***Be sure you ask at immigrations about your visa as rules and fees seem to change often. You now need an appointment in order to go to immigration. Make the "derecho de tramite" payment in order to schedule your appointment right away. ***
Tourist Visas
Visa changes happened in July 2008. Now you can get up to 183 days on a tourist visa. But be sure to ask for all 183 days or else they might just give you 90. More tourist visa changes happened in September 2016 and increased the expired visa fee.
Overstaying Your Visa / Expired Visa
So you overstayed your visa because Peru has so many cool things that you just had to see? No worries! You'll have to pay $1.25 (yes, they use US dollars since the sol historically isn't stable) a day if you overstay your visa. The fee is payable at the airport or border crossing. Some people have bargained. You can find more info here.
Extending Tourist Visas
You can't extend a tourist visa anymore. You have to go visit another country for a bit and come back.
Onward Ticket
You will not be asked to show an onward ticket or sufficient funds in order to get into Peru. However, depending on the country you leave from or the airlines you fly on, you might be asked to buy an onward ticket if you don't have one.
As more and more airports are using self check-in kiosks, you will not be allowed to check-in if you have a one way ticket. You will be sent to talk directly someone. If you don't have residency in Peru, a Peruvian passport, or an onward ticket, chances are you will be made to buy one. The reason for this is that, if on the off chance Peru won't let you in because you don't have a way out of the country, then the airline is responsibly for getting you out of Peru, meaning that they have to fly you back for free.
It's always better to have a plane or bus ticket that you can show at the check-in counter just in case this happens. If you want to play it safe, then buy a refundable ticket out of Peru. Flying to Chile or Ecuador is pretty cheap, then just refund it when you arrive. If you are forced to buy a return ticket by the airlines, then simply refund it when you arrive in Peru.
Getting a Tourist Visa Before Arriving
To see if you need to apply for a tourist visa beforehand, check with the Peruvian embassy or consulate in your country. Here are some recent discussions about the new visa changes as well as border hopping. Border Hopping, 6 month visa, proof of border hopping for a couple of years.
If you need a visa in order to enter Peru, you may be asked to show an onward ticket. Any ticket, whether it be bus or air will do. You could also buy an MCO (Miscellaneous Charge Order) from the IATA (International Air Transport Association) which will allow you to fly on any IATA airline with seats available or give you a refund. See Customer Services for more details.
There's been some discussion about entering on a one-way ticket. In theory, you need a round trip if you enter on a tourist visa. Sometimes they require you to buy a return ticket at the airport, then you simply refund it. Or you might be asked to show proof of funds. Here are some recent discussions about onward tickets: Discussion 1, Discussion 2, Discussion 3
Replacement TAM
You can find information in Spanish on the Migraciones site. It's called "duplicado de la Tarjeta de Migracion Andina". If you lose your TAM (Tarjeta de Migracion Andina), the little white paper that they give you when you enter Peru, you will have to get a new one before you leave. The process is relatively easy. You can go to the nearest immigration office with the following three items. Here's a list of offices in Lima. The main immigration office is located in Brena in Lima. However, there are other smaller immigration offices around Peru.The whole process should only take between one and three days depending on what city you do it from. Here's what you'll need.
- Form F002.
- Pay the fee at the Banco de la Nacion
- Your original passport and copy of the Peruvian stamp / visa.
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I came the last day of February and will be leaving on April 29 for Buenos Aires. I can not seem to find my 90 day immigration paper. I am wondering if this is going to be a problem when I leave, and if so, where do I go within the next four weeks to get this cleared up?
ReplyDeleteThanks for any help,
Bonnie
You need to get a replacement TAM card. YOu will have to go to the closest immigration office. You need three things:
ReplyDeleteForm F-002 (You can print it at the link below)
To pay 8.17 soles at the Banco de la Nacion (Don't pay at the immigration bank in Lima, the line is about one hour long)
Your original passport and copy of the Peru stamp.
Should take between one and three days depending on what city you do it from.
http://www.digemin.gob.pe/cm_dtam_mostrar.asp
If I have double citizenship (USA/Peru), entered Peru with American passport (got 180 days visa); got my first peruvian passport, and planning to leave Peru with it, do I still need to pay the $1 a day for the extra days that I stayed in Peru?
ReplyDeletethanks!
psarango@gmail.com
I honestly don't think so, since I believe you'd have to leave as a Peruvian. But ask at immigrations. In ordre to get Peruvian citizenship, first you have to have residency for two years, then do the paperwork, which takes about three months.
ReplyDeleteCan you still get a permission to sign contract if your tourist visa is expired?
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. You'd have to border hop and get a new tourist visa.
ReplyDeleteDear Sharon, many many thanks for your very informative website. My question: is there any limit to how many times you can enter and leave Peru? Initially I got 183 days, then left the country for a day and got another 183 days on the border. Can I do it again? I heard of people having problems extending their stay this way. Thanx in advance, Greg
ReplyDeleteIn theory, nope, but it depends on the immigration officer. I've heard them saying that people have to stay out of Peru for 24 to 72 hours before re-entering. This isn't true. Usually they want money. You could simply overstay your tourist visa and pay the dollar a day fine. It's often cheaper than border hopping and it's a straight forward process. I've heard of people who overstay by a lot and negotiate how much they have to pay.
ReplyDeleteActually, supposedly you can only stay 183 days out of 365, but they change the laws all the time and barely enforce the laws they have.
You should be fine. Don't worry about it.
Hi. I am argentinian and will be moving to Peru for at least one year. I will enter Peru as a tourist and will then go to the immigrations office with my work contract (hired by a peruvian company) in order to apply for the CE. Last time I was in Peru for just a week, the immigration officer at Lima airport asked me how long I was planning to stay. Should I tell him this time that I plan to stay for a year? I am concerned that I won't have anything to show that proves I will be hired by a peruvian company, so is it better to just say I will stay for 2 months?
ReplyDeleteNO! I'm not sure what the limit is for Argentinians, it might be 90 or 183 days. Find out what the limit is and say that's how long you're staying. Don't tell them you'll be working if you enter on a tourist visa. YOu won't be let in. Tell them you're visiting Peru, that's it.
ReplyDeleteI have a question and hopefully you can answer this ASAP...
ReplyDeleteIm an US citizen living in Lima, Peru...
My visa is about to expire in Feb. 20th of 2011
Flying out of the country and back is too expensive...
Taking a bus to Ecuador and back has been done before, but very tiring and exhausting, and a lil dangerous...
My question is...
If my visa expire late Feb, and I plan on leaving Peru on Mid March to go to the states for a month till mid April... I know I will have to pay some fees, which I'm fine with, because I'm assuming it will be from $30-$60... When I leave in March...
My question is, when I leave in March with my EXPIRED visa..... in April, would I be let back in to Peru, or would they look down on me because I had an expired visa before [u]and would not let me in?[/u]....
I was told that when you leave on a expired visa, the next time you try to enter you wont be let back in.
HI sorry, I was on vacation without internet and just got back.
ReplyDeleteNo worries about overstaying your visa. I've had friends overstay by a year and a half. You just pay $1 a day at the border. You should have no problems re-entering either. They're pretty flexible with visas. I don't know anyone who was refused entry.
llevo 2 años en Peru con visa vencida.por motivos monetarios no he podido salir,ahora necesito viajar a España en sptiembre urgente(soy español) como lo puedo solucionar??
ReplyDeleteQue visa tienes? Si es turista, solo tienes que pagar la multa de $1 el dia.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and her friend entered Peru from Leticia, Colombia to Iquitos, Peru by boat. There was no Immigration Offical or forms on the Peru side. They got the Colubian exit stamp but no Peru enter stamp; now they won't let them leave. They have found taxi's that will drive them to Chile from Tacna, Peru but the costs and consequenses are vague. The American Embassy is Lima is no help. What do you advise them to do ?
ReplyDeleteContact immigration and ask. Because it looks like they entered Peru illegally.
ReplyDeleteI'm a US citizen living and working in Peru for the past year and a half. I've overstayed my visa three times already, doing normal border hops to come back in and paying the fines at the border in both Bolivia and Ecuador. In total in the past two years, I've been in Peru for one year and seven months. The last time that I crossed the border back into Peru from Ecuador, the border agent told me that I'm practically living in Peru (which, I admit, I am) and I had to pay a bribe to convince him to let me in with only 3 months on my visa. He told me that next time, it's better that I just stay in the country over the limit and pay the fine when I leave because if I leave the country they probably wont let me back in. Now I'm working for the local government and theyre going to give me a contract, but I need a new TAM for that.
ReplyDeleteMy question is, if I leave the country, will they really not let me in? Or was that just part of the border agent's spiel to try and solicit a bribe from me? Is there any limit to the amount of times that I can border hop and renew my visa?
Right, it's often better to overstay your visa and pay the $1 fine.
DeleteIf you're working for the government, they should be able to bribe people and sort everything out for you.
Yes, if you leave the country, it is very possible that they might not let you in. It depends on the immigration officer, their mood, etc. It's up to their discretion. If you have connections with the local government, they might be able to help you out, ie, ahead of time by letting immigration know that you're crossing the border or right then at the border, you could name drop or make phone calls.
Might be part of a spiel, but it seems like immigration is cracking down on people living illegally in Peru. They do NOT have to let you in the country, so yes, the threat could be very real and the officer is letting you know what might happen.
Supposedly there is no limit, but since you are practically living in Peru and you're doing it on a tourist visa, they don't have to let you in. Tourist visas are for tourists and it's obvious that you are not one.
If possible, try to get a resident visa ASAP. You should not have to leave the country to do so, especially if you have connections with the local government. Hope this helps.
Can I fly within Peru with my visa expired?
ReplyDeleteYes, you should be able to.
DeleteThanks Sharon for information. I love your blog by the way. I wanna move to Peru soon. Can i apply for residency visa and subsequently CE if i came with short term tourist visa? And what about short term student visa like for learning Spanish language in Peru?
ReplyDeleteJoseph
Hi Joseph,
DeleteI'm glad you like my blog! Yes, you can get a residence visa and CE if you come on a tourist visa. You just need to find a way to stay, whether that be work, study, or a Peruvian spouse. Try contacting these Spanish schools and ask if they're able to help you. http://theultimateperulist.blogspot.com/2008/08/5e-learning-spanish-other-languages.html
Hope this helps. If you have any more questions, just let me know.
Sharon
Thanks a lot Sharon for the tip. I just have few questions.
Delete-So it'a possible to change from tourist visa to student visa if became officially a student at a peruvian institution?
-After i have like 6 months student visa, what can i do next to acquire my CE?
-How much do think it costs to study Spanish in group classes for 6 months exclusive of shelter because i'm aiming at providing myself with that?
I'm kind of guessing that i can come with a short term tourist visa, then get accepted in a spanish school, apply for a student visa, then resident visa, then CE. I'm not sure. You have all the knowledge about this. I hope you would help me out. Thanks a lot. You have the best blog for expats about Peru. I couldn't find anything on the internet like it. Your blog is phenomenal.
Joseph (I have 2 names, one is my real name and the other for my blog)
Hi Joseph,
DeleteYou can change. I'm not sure why you would have to wait 6 months to change your tourist visa. Tourist visas are given for up to 183 days, but if you start studying before that then you can change then. Here's the info about student visas, http://theultimateperulist.blogspot.com/2008/10/studying-spanish-in-peru.html
If you get a resident visa, then yes, you'd get a CE as well. As far as classes go, fees vary. Here is a list of schools, http://theultimateperulist.blogspot.com/2008/08/5e-learning-spanish-other-languages.html
El Sol in Lima for example, would be a little less than $1000 a month, http://elsol.idiomasperu.com/dates-and-fees-of-our-spanish-programs.htm
You could also look at studying at a university; fees would probably be cheaper there.
You should check out the FB group, Expatriates in Peru. https://www.facebook.com/groups/expatriatesinperu/?fref=ts They have a lot of information there. I'm sure people could recommend a school to study at.
Thanks for the compliments about my blog! There's also expatperu.com and limaeasy.com Both are great sites.
Thanks a lot for the information. I now understand more things about the whole procedure.
ReplyDeleteIf i get a 1 month tourist visa. And then enroll in a Spanish language in an institute while i'm in Lima. What's the process of applying for a student visa instead of my 1 month tourist visa (changing my status)? What documents do i need and where should i go?
And when i'm applying for my CE, i need to only get documents and receipt from the Interpol and go to Banco de la Nacion and pay for F004 and F007A forms for changing status and to be put in the foreign registry? Are these all the required documents really?
And what's Tarjeta Andina? (I'm not planning on getting married and i found this in an article)
I'm thinking now to get a 1 month tourist visa and go to Peru (i would have picked a language institute and inquired about their tuition and program, i'm looking for something affordable) and then proceed to apply for my student visa and then get documents from the Interpol, the forms from Banco de la Nacion, my ticket number for CE and apply for CE.
Where are you from? If you're from the USA, Canada, Australia, etc you should be given 183 days upon entry. For the student visa Lima Easy has the requirements, http://www.limaeasy.com/peru-info/peruvian-visa#student-visa-peru
DeleteFor the CE, I would call and ask right before I went since rules seem to change all the time. They do have information on their website, but like I said I would verify that, especially since the new year is coming and things usually change then. Here's their website, https://www.migraciones.gob.pe/
The Targeta Andina is an entry card they give you when you enter the country. You keep it and surrender it when you leave.
Definitely look into universities if you're looking for affordable language programmes. They'd probably be cheaper than institutes by far. They'd probably have more experience with visas as I have a feeling that people who do language programmes at institutes only stay a few weeks. Plus, universities are bigger institutes and probably more respected by immigration.
I'm from Egypt and i live in Istanbul and i have a temporary resident permit (valid for a year and renewable). Turkish citizens enter Peru visa free and they get up to 183 days on arrival but i need a visa to be able to go there and hence i live in Turkey, i guess i would have a facilitated visa paperwork. I can go to Ecuador visa free actually and upon arrival in Ecuador i can get 3 months visa and i can extend it to 6 months further so it would be 9 months total legal stay but i don't wanna live in Ecuador, i wanna live in Peru. One of the benefits being able to apply for citizenship after 2 year resident having CE in hand.
ReplyDeleteI thought i could apply for a tourist visa to Peru (i would have picked an institute to study that's recognized the Peruvian Ministry of Education or the National Assembly of University Rectors.and i would have my documents for application ready so when i get a registration certificate from the educational institute, i would immediately go apply for a student visa). But it's a bit confusing to see from here whether it would be completely straightforward and easy or a challenging somehow so i wanna have a clear understanding.
Before i go to Peru, i will have everything prepared. I would have all the documents i can get from here inclusive of appointments for applying for the temporary visa and the CE. I need all the information i can get because i don't wanna hassle in a foreign country while not speaking the language (I have been here in Turkey for 4 years). Of course i will try to pick as much Spanish from here before i arrive. I wish to be enrolled in a Spanish language class that will last 3 months or more but the thing is that i don't know what the university will need (i'm mostly going for universities) Maybe i need to have an IELTS certificate with me because the language of teaching will be English? Maybe they will require me to have a high school diploma so maybe i will need to apply for a GED test here and have the certificate with me when i'm travelling? (i'm 25 and i had my high school in Egypt and i can't get a hold of this certificate and it doesn't qualify for applying for universities abroad because the educational system is different in Egypt).
I also wish to just learn Spanish and most importantly get my student visa and subsequently my CE (i can learn Spanish on my own though but i would go for studying Spanish for the fun of it being part of a class of expats sharing the same interest in living in Peru and learning Spanish and also for the legal advantage of it of being formally enrolled in a higher education qualifying me to apply for a student visa and eventually getting my CE). I don't think i want to be enrolled in a preparatory course neither would i actually want to pursue a major.
I'm also thinking if it will be 3 months enrollment, wouldn't the immigration department tell me i don't really need a student visa? what if it was less than 3 months? would i still be able to apply for a student visa if it was a month and a half or 2 months language class?
I don't see how living in Turkey would help you. You could try. Most embassies go by your passport though, not your residence. Yes, you can apply for citizenship after 2 years. Plan on 3 years start to finish. That means getting your CE, having it for 2 years, and then going through the naturalisation process.
DeleteHave you contacted any institutes or universities? That would be the first thing to do. See if they can help facilitate the process for you. Most of the people that you will deal with with speak English. The first thing you need to do is start contacting them. As for IELTS, yes you may need that. Again, you should contact the places you're applying to and see what their requirements are. Same goes for your GED. I can't tell you what the require. Only they can tell you what they require.
Since you're from Egypt, you need a visa no matter what even if you stay less than 90 days. Here's the visa requirements per country, http://www.rree.gob.pe/servicioalciudadano/Documents/VisasxExtran_Agosto_2013.pdf So even if you go for a month and a half or two months, you can't enter the country even for a day without a visa.
Thanks Sharon for the links and the information. Every country has a level of freedom of travel that's set based on few reasons. Turkey is constantly signing agreements with other countries for decreased visa paperwork for citizens of Turkey. Living in Turkey gives me more freedom of travel to other countries because my visa application will be facilitated here rather than Egypt.
ReplyDeleteBeing a resident of Italy has more visa privilege for going abroad than Turkey and Turkey has more visa privilege than Egypt and Egypt has more visa privilege than, Let's say Cameroon. This is provable.
I'm going to have all my documents prepared by March and i would have found a way to move there. If it's for IELTS or GED there are centres here that will allow me to register and take these exams. If for the finances i want to keep it as low as possible. The plane ticket itself won't be less than $700 from Istanbul and i'm trying to find cheaper tickets.
I have read somewhere on the web that the application for citizenship is so straightforward in Peru and a lot of people even get their application approved after 3 weeks and their passport after one more week.
I think i want to apply for student visa from here instead of going to Ecuador (as i can get 9 months tourist visa to there. 3 months on arrival and extra 6 months easily applied for and processed by the local immigration department) because i wanna have all my papers together and be ready for moving there and getting my residence permit and having my life set up there with as less hassle as possible.
And if you would like, we can go for a cup of coffee sometime when i'm in Lima :)
Hi Peter,
DeleteI can't speak for Turkey, but I know when my ex was living in Korea here with me we travelled to six other countries and they didn't treat him differently simply because he was a resident in Korea. He still had to fulfill the requirements required of Peruvian citizens and his tourist visas to those countries were often for a different length of time than mine.
I'm not sure how it works in Europe, like you said for Italy. Do you have any links? Every time I've looked at embassy requirements they always mention citizens, not residents.
For citizenship if you're married it can take 6 months, sometimes more, since you have to pass a test and the police need to visit your home to verify that you're really married. Making the appointments for those can take a while. I know it took me about 2.5 months from the time I applied to the time I got my passport and DNI. My passport took a few hours. My DNI took a week or two. And that was years ago when it was easier and no tests or home visits were required.
A student visa sounds like a good idea.
Be aware that tourist visas are changing. Starting in January rumors have it that people on tourists visas will only be allowed in Peru for 183 days total out of 365 and the fines will increase to $5 a day. No more border hopping. Though this may be the new law, who knows if it will be enforced.
It sounds like you have everything planned out! I wish you the best. I'm actually not in Lima though so I'll have to skip the coffee meet up.
Hi Sharon, Good work you're doing on your site.
ReplyDeleteMy question is, I crossed the border from Ecuador into Peru illegally. I don't have the exit stamp from Ecuador nor the entry stamp into Peru. I'm from Egypt and I do have the Peru tourist visa I got from the consulate in Ecuador still valid. The problem is I have to fly from Lima. What consequences will this pose?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Teddy
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why you crossed illegally if you have a valid tourist visa. But since you crossed illegally, yes, you might have problems. You might get questioned by immigration. I'm not sure what you could say other than you didn't realize the border was there and you walked over. Hopefully, since you have a valid visa there won't be any problems but I would prepare for the worst. If you're leaving and coming back it shouldn't be an issue. But if you want to come back to Peru, you may not be allowed to for some time.
Thanks. I just read your email as well.
ReplyDeleteIt was stupid of me to do. I was with a bunch of mates and we just drove through and down to Mancora and it completely skipped my mind until I arrived in Lima.
Just tell them that. You never know. It's up to the immigration officer. Let me know how it works out!
Delete