Poll Results: Why Are There So Many Indians and Bangladeshis Interested in Moving to Peru?

Here are the poll results for Why Are There So Many Indians and Bangladeshis Interested in Moving to Peru?

• Love: 23% with 11 votes
• Work: 13% with 6 votes
• The ability to get Peruvian citizenship: 19% with 9 votes 
• Schooling / Education: 6% with 3 votes
• Culture: 9% with 4 votes
• Language: 6% with 3 votes
• Being far from home: 6% with 3 votes
• Being able to start over: 4% with 2 votes
• The Indian community in Peru: 9% with 4 votes
• Other: 4% with 2 votes

Love conquers all!
In first place is love with 23% of the votes. The ability to get Peruvian citizenship is second with 19% of the votes, and in third place is work with 13% of the votes. Thanks for voting!

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Why Are There So Many Indians and Bangladeshis Interested in Moving to Peru?

When I started this blog back in 2008, most of the emails and comments I got were from Westerners (Europeans, Canadians, and Americans). Nowadays, the majority of the questions I get come from Indians.

If you're Indian or Bangladeshi, I'd love to hear from you and what made you decide to move to Peru. Please take the poll below. If you can't view the poll, you can vote here as well.

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Can My Child, Sibling, Parent, or In-Laws Get Me a Visa to Live in Peru?

Image Source

***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.***

I've been asked a handful of times about the family visa option. Since this is a family visa, someone in your family can sponsor you. Who they consider family might vary from immigration officer to immigration officer and you might need to get a lawyer to help you with complicated cases. Below you can find out who can get this visa and who might be able to get this visa. If you think you qualify, you can find out what documents you need in this post or by contacting migraciones.

You can get this visa if you are . . .

• An under-aged child of a Peruvian citizen (if the child isn't Peruvian) or immigrant
• Married to a Peruvian or immigrant

You might also be able to get the visa if you are . . . 

• A parent of a Peruvian child (whether they are a minor or of age) or immigrant
• A parent of a Peruvian child and the child has special needs
• A sibling of a Peruvian citizen or immigrant
• In-laws of a Peruvian citizen or immigrant
• An adult child of a Peruvian citizen or immigrant

Family might be your children, your siblings, your parents, or your in-laws. The issue is that they should be able to support you. Since children born in Peru can get citizenship via jus soli (meaning that anyone born on Peruvian soil can become Peruvians), children might be able to sponsor their parents. However, this doesn't mean that your infant can sponsor you. In most cases, the person must be financially stable (an example of an exception would be a child with special needs). If your child is a minor who earns money, for example, an actor than that would be a different story. A child who is of age and had a job should also be able to sponsor their parents. When in doubt, contact a lawyer or migraciones.

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Getting Married in Peru After a Divorce

Some people have emailed me and asked how to get married in Peru after a divorce, whether it be a divorce in Peru or a foreign divorce. First things first, make sure your divorce is final.

• If you're getting divorced in Peru please look at how to get divorced in Peru and a timeline for getting divorced in Peru.
• If you're a foreigner and got divorced in Peru you might want to look at registering your Peruvian divorce back home. 
• Likewise if you're a Peruvian who got divorced abroad, please read registering a foreign divorce in Peru.  

While second marriages are becoming more common there are 3 reasons why Peruvians prefer not to get married. If you decide that marriage might be right for you, there are some things you should think carefully about before marrying a Peruvian.

Waiting Periods and Pregnancy Tests
With all that being said getting married in Peru after a divorce is fairly simple. Some people have asked about waiting periods and the answer is that it depends on the municipality that you get married in. Some have waiting periods and some don't, so ask around. If you're a woman, foreign or Peruvian, you will have to undergo a pregnancy test if you get re-married within a year of your divorce. If found to be pregnant a DNA test will probably be requested to find out who the father is.

Paperwork Needed
All the information about getting married in Peru can be found here. There is a section that talks specifically about how to get married if you're divorced. You'll find information about how long it takes, what documents you need, name changes, spousal visas, CEs, and more on that blog post. Paperwork can be daunting, but once you're done you can register your Peruvian marriage back home. Congrats! Be sure to enjoy your time together and tell each other how much you love and appreciate each other every day.

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Reader Request: Registering a Foreign Marriage in Peru

Congrats on your marriage! I get a lot of emails asking me how to register a foreign marriage in Peru when one of the spouses is Peruvian. This information was originally posted here and I've re-posted it below.

Image source

You will have to register your marriage in the country where you got married (probably at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and then go to the Peruvian consulate or embassy and register it with them. Do this as quickly as possible because there may be a time limit. If possible, get a couple marriage certificates. You will need a new marriage certificate every year in order to renew residency.
After you register it at the consulate or embassy, they will then give you a Peruvian marriage certificate.

Ask them if your marriage will be registered with RENIEC. If it will not be registered with RENIEC, then you will also have to do that when you get here. When you come to Peru, you have between 30 and 90 days to register your marriage depending on the person you talk to.

• It will have to be apostillised; see Peru and the Hague Agreement for more info. 
• It will also have to be translated by a certified translator, if it's not already in Spanish (see Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (RREE) and do a search for traductores oficiales). 
• Then go to RENIEC and register your marriage if it hasn't already been registered.

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Reader Request: Proxy Marriage in Peru

From Weare

Updated 12 September 2015

I've had people ask me if they can do a proxy marriage in while living in Peru. To start with, a proxy marriage is when one person gives someone POA* to get married on their behalf. A double proxy marriage is when both people give other people POA* to get married on their behalf. Here's another article I wrote with more information about proxy marriages and common questions about them, such as whether they're legal.

The short answer is yes, you can do a proxy marriage while living in Peru. I know the US does them and does not require people to be US citizens. Here are some companies which perform proxy marriages in the US. One of you (unless one of you is active duty US military) will have to actually go to Montana and the other person can sign over power of attorney. You'll have to pay the company about $600-$800, which seems like a lot, but it's cheaper than an actual wedding. If you plan on using the American marriage certificate in Peru then you will have to register your foreign marriage in Peru. Here are steps telling you what to do. You can check with your home country to see if they allow them and what you would have to do.


Proxy marriages at Peruvian municipalities
Contact the nearest muncipality and ask if they allow proxy marriages. In addition to all the regular documents you need to get married, you would need to give someone POA*. You might need to hire a lawyer and get the correct POA* drafted up. It will be in Spanish so if you don't understand Spanish make sure you give the POA* to someone you trust. You could give the power to a friend in Peru or to a lawyer. You would then have to sign it at the Peruvian embassy or consulate nearest you and send it to Peru where it would be registered. Then you can do everything that is required in order to get married.

Non-proxy marriages in Peru
If you just want to get married in Peru and not live there, you might want to look at having a destination wedding in Peru.

If you want to get married in Peru and live there, then should look at the following articles:

• Getting documents notarised and translated
• Getting a marriage visa for Peru
• Getting your CE (resident visa)
• Registering your Peruvian marriage back home

* power of attorney

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Reader Request: Getting Married in Peru if You Don't Live There aka Destination Wedding

Peru is becoming a popular place to have a destination wedding. Many people are emailing me and asking me how they can get married in Peru when they don't live there.

If you want to get married in Peru and live there, then you're going to have to jump through more hoops. Read the following articles:

• How to get married in Peru
• Getting a marriage visa for Peru 
• Getting documents notarised and translated
• Registering your Peruvian marriage back home

If you simply want to have a wedding in Peru and not live there, then it's pretty easy to do. Here's the thing, getting married in Peru requires getting documents notarised and translated and then register your Peruvian marriage back home. All of this adds time, money, and stress to an already stressful event. So here's what you should do.

1. Get married back home. Have a simple, legal ceremony. Create a wedding registry!
2. Have the wedding in Peru. You won't have to worry about legalisations or translations or any of that stuff. If you want to get married in a church in Peru, you will probably have to show a copy of your marriage license, but that's just for the church. You won't have to deal with any Peruvian government offices. 

So there you go, a short and sweet way to have a destination wedding in Peru.

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3 Reasons Why Peruvians Prefer Not to Get Married

Many people ask me about whether they should marry their Peruvian boyfriend or girlfriend and what documents are required to get married in Peru. Marriage seems to be getting less popular these days. Not only in Peru, but worldwide. Here are three reasons why I believe Peruvians would rather have parejas (partners) than get married. There are a lot of hoops you'll have to jump through if you want to get a divorce in Peru.

Peruvians aren't as Catholic as they think they are

From www.chattycatholics.blogspot.com

Despite the fact that most Peruvians perceive themselves as being Catholic, I just don't see this as being true. I, personally, would refer to them as lapsed Catholics, meaning that they'd probably only attend church for weddings, funerals, Easter, and Christmas. While I don't think that you have to go to church to be religious, I also don't see them practice what they're preaching.

Catholicism does not allow living together before marriage (ie living in sin) or having children out of wedlock (ie illegitimate children) and many Peruvians do both of these things.

Despite the number of times I see it I'll always find it a bit disturbing to see people shouting or arguing on the bus, pass a church, and frantically cross themselves many times over, and then go back to shouting or arguing. It's almost a superstition rather than a religion in my opinion.

Divorce is painful
People get divorced for different reasons, some people fall out of love, others realise they are more different than they thought, others were taken advantage of by bricheros or bricheras.  Going to marry a Peruvian? Make an effort to learn about the culture and the language.

Despite being common, divorce isn't easy; few divorces are truly amicable. Divorce tends to bring out the worst in people even with spouses who get along, but just don't love each other anymore. People fight about money, children, material goods, retirement portfolios, and even friends. Skeletons come out of the closet and the people become very bitter as divorce drags on.

From millennialinflux.com

Peru's becoming more liberal
Along with many countries around the world, things that were once taboo, such as living together before marriage, having sex before marriage, having kids outside of marriage, gay rights, abortion, and so on, are not only accepted, but people who disagree with these topics are often perceived as being old-fashioned or backwards.

Look at the picture on the right. Well 38% of people surveyed think it's a bad thing to live together, 50% don't think it matters at all and 10% actually think it's good. The people who think it's bad are in the minority and that number's just going to decrease in the future as people become more forward minded.

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TEFL in China vs TEFL in Peru

From blog.simplek12.com

One of the most common questions I get asked about Peru (in addition to marriage, divorce, and visa info) is what it's like to teach English there. Many people know what it's like to teach English in China, so I thought I'd compare TEFLing (not international schools) in Peru and China.

Here is a basic summary of what it's like to TEFL in both countries. 

	China	Peru
Salary	About $1000-$1600 a month. Jobs in the south and big cities pay more but may not include accommodation.	About $700-$1500 a month. Hourly pay is usually about $10 an hour. Institutes usually pay hourly.
Flights	Included. You usually get half of your flight paid for after six months and the other half at the end of your contract.	Usually not included.
Accommodation	Usually included or a stipend is given.	Usually not included.
Visa	Legally you should get a Z (work) visa, though some places will have you work on an f (business) visa or an L (tourist visa).	Most places will not get you a visa and will either hire people who already have visas or people on tourist visas.
Types of jobs	Kindergarten, institute, and university jobs are the most common.	Most jobs are at institutes. Universities do hire native English speakers, but few will go through the trouble to get work visas.
Contracts	12 months for kindergartens and institutes. 10 months for universities with some universities paying you during the two month vacation if you renew your contract with them.	12 month contracts are the norm, though if you're on a tourist visa you might not sign a contract at all.
Extra work	The British Council often looks for IELTS examiners. You can also find private students.	Many teachers work at a couple different places as well as teach private students.

If you're looking for more info about TEFLing, you can find a lot of articles about teaching in China and teaching in Peru at TEFL Tips. If you decide to go to Peru, you should start learning the language. Knowing Spanish will help you assimilate to the culture and you'll be able to communicate easier.

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Poll Results 2013: What brought you to Peru?

The 2013 poll was "What brought you to Peru?" Here are the results.

• Love: 57% with 57 votes
• Work: 7% with 7 votes
• Studies: 3% with 3 votes
• Other: 33% with 33 votes

I'm not surprised that most people choose love. I get far more questions and emails regarding dating and marriage to Peruvians than any other topic. I am surprised to hear that "other" got 33%. What brought you to Peru then?

Be sure to vote in this year's poll: What's your monthly salary?

Recommended Reading

• You might want to read about how to get a marriage visa for Peru as well as why you should think carefully before marrying a Peruvian.
• If you're thinking about living in Peru forever, here's an interesting article to read.
• Didn't come here for love, work, or money? Here are alternative ways to get residency in Peru.
• If you're here for the long haul look into getting Peruvian citizenship. 
• Learn Spanish. It'll help you assimilate to the culture, and you'll be able to communicate easier.

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Reader Request: I'm Going to Live in Peru Forever!

From dogwalkmusings.blogspot.com

Updated 20 October 2017

It's not uncommon for me to get emails from people who say that they want to live in Peru forever, but don't know how to do it. It's usually accompanied by statements saying that someone (their husband / wife / partner / boyfriend / girlfriend / fiance / fiancée) is living in Peru / going to move to Peru and they'll get married and live happily ever after. More often than not the person emailing me has never been to Peru or has spent less than two weeks there.

Keep in mind that marriage is no longer forever. Divorce rates are high enough between people from the same culture let alone those from different cultures. The good news is that there are alternatives to residency besides marriage.
Differences in culture can also wreck havoc on cross-cultural partnerships. There's a reason why I wrote think carefully before marrying a Peruvian and that's it's one of the top 5 posts on my blog.

Moving is hard but it can be even harder if you move to a different country, don't speak the language, or if you don't have a job waiting for you. More often that not people end up begrudgingly teaching English. While there are other options than teaching English in Peru, they do take time to set up. If you do decide to to move to Peru, definitely take time and read the advice that other long-term expats have written.

While there are plenty of people that do end up living in Peru forever, just remember to keep your options open. Don't limit yourself to one country. Take things in stride and realise that there are many things beyond your control.

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Reader Request: Registering Your Peruvian Marriage Back Home

From happydietitian.wordpress.com

I've been asked a couple times if marriages in Peru are legal back home and the short answer is yes, they are.

Now if you get married in Peru, does that mean that it'll automatically show up on your records back home? No, it won't. If you get married in Peru and then go home and check if you have a marriage record, you won't. It'll still show that you're single.

So what do you do? It depends on where you're from. If you're from the US, they usually don't ask for official translations or apostillisations. Personally, I would still get my Peruvian documents notarised, apostillised, and translated. Here's a guide on how to use Peruvian documents abroad.

Update August 2014
Some counties in the US aren't allowing you to record foreign marriages or divorces anymore. Contact your county clerk for more info.

In the US you cannot register a foreign marriage. It's impossible. What exactly does that mean for people who get married abroad? It's simple. In the US you're only allowed to register a marriage that takes place on US soil. If you get married abroad all you have to do is bring your foreign marriage cert and a translated copy (Doesn't have to be official. You can translate it, a friend, Google, etc) to the county clerk's office. Then the record it and it'll show up on your record.

What does it mean? It's just semantics. You register marriages that take place on US soil and you record marriages that take place on foreign soil. The end result is the same: you'll show up as being married. If you get divorced, you follow the same procedure.

One tip to remember is that speaking Spanish will help you greatly. You'll be treated differently than if you speak English all the time, it'll help you assimilate to the culture, and you'll be able to communicate easier.

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Reader Request: Alternative Ways to Get Residency in Peru Besides Marriage

From blog.smalltownkid.net

Updated 30 April 2017

About once a month I get an email from someone asking me how in the world they can get residency in Peru. Usually it's due to the fact that a significant other in Peru, but they don't want to or aren't able to get married.

One tip to remember is that speaking Spanish will help you greatly. You'll be treated differently than if you speak English all the time, it'll help you assimilate to the culture, and you'll be able to communicate easier.

The good news is that after three years of residency you can apply for inmigrante status (permanent residency) or become a Peruvian citizen.

Here are some other alternatives to residency besides getting married.

1. Get a work visa. If you can score an expat package, all the better.
2. Start your own business. It'll get you a visa. You'll need $30,000 and there's a lot of paperwork involved.
3. Get a student visa. You will be able to work part-time as well. married.
4. Get a retirement visa. You'll have to prove a steady source of income, not from a job. (ex, government retirement scheme, private retirement scheme, etc.)
5. Get a family visa. If you have children that were born in Peru, they can become Peruvian citizens. If your kids are Peruvian, you might be able to get a visa through them. Get a lawyer. I've heard it's possible, but don't know anyone who has done it.

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Reader Request: Think Carefully Before Marrying a Peruvian

Updated 4 October 2017

Got your attention, didn't I? I was thinking about making "Think Carefully Before Getting Married" the title, but since my blog is about Peru, I figured I'd tweak it a bit. I'm not saying that you shouldn't marry a Peruvian, but what I'm saying is that marrying a foreigner can be more difficult than marrying someone from the same country or culture. Also, dating someone is vastly different than marriage. Americans marrying Americans have usually been brought up similarly and can relate to many of the same things. Americans marrying Brits might have some difficulties, but their background is often the same. However, Americans marrying Peruvians often have many difficulties that they encounter. My marriage ended after nearly 8 years. Here's what I had to do to get a divorce in Peru.

Love is blind (deaf, dumb, and stupid) and everyone knows that, but it doesn't stop us from jumping in. Try to learn Spanish. The Rosetta Stone is amazing and you can learn at your own pace. Don't forget to read up on Peruvian culture, it will help you understand more about Peru and its people, including your in-laws.

Online love
With the internet, more and more people are marrying people they met online. While it's good in one way since the focus is getting to know each other mentally rather than physically, I also think it's really romanticised and people get married too quickly.

A bit of help please
I get countless emails from foreigners, mainly from the US and the UK, but other countries as well, such as Canada, Germany, etc, asking me what docs they need to marry their Peruvian sweetheart. I wrote the post how to get married in Peru in order to help people out. I also get lots of emails asking me how to divorce a Peruvian because things didn't go according to plan, they felt like they had been used for visas or money, or cheating occurred.

Pedal to the metal
More often than not these couples have known each other for less than 2 years. Sometimes the foreigner wants to live in Peru and sometimes they ask me about visa info to go back home. More often than not when the foreigner wants to live in Peru, it's "forever".

I'm going to live in Peru forever
I can't help but smile and shake when I see that a foreigner wants to live in Peru forever. It's got nothing to do with Peru itself, but living in a foreign country forever is the hard part to understand. Many times these people have only spent a week or so in Peru on vacation and have never lived outside their own country. They don't speak Spanish and their plan is to teach English. While I myself am an English teacher and blog about it at TEFL Tips, I will admit that it's not easy. Especially in Peru. Older people have a tougher time than younger people. They're leaving their careers, benefits, and decent salaries behind.

• Jobs: Teaching English doesn't pay that well and there are minimal benefits. You often have split schedules and have to cater to people who don't want to study, yet think that you hold the secret to teaching them English. There are other jobs available, but Peru isn't known for its high salaries. Expats get great packages, but if you're already in Peru when you're hired, you're often given a local contract which means you can kiss those high salaries, benefits, and perks out the door. If you want to work in a Peruvian company you'll probably have to learn Spanish and you're going to need a higher level of Spanish than being able to ask "how much is this?" and "where's the bathroom?"
• Cost of living: While many people are thinking, "but the cost of living in Peru is so much cheaper," I know that this is partly true. If you want to live like a local then the cost is cheaper, but other things are more expensive. We rent out our apartment in Surco. It's a walk-up on the 4th floor with rattly windows, no heat, no insulation, a minimal kitchen, two baths (but one's outside and doesn't work) and very poorly laid out. While it has 80 m2, it's unfurnished and has no parking space. We rent it for $400. That's a lot of money in Peru where the average salary is about $500 a month. Most English teachers are earning about $10 an hour (if that, which comes out to about $800 a month). Whereas in the US you'd pay about double that ($800), but have a much nicer place. In Peru a higher percentage of your income tends to go towards housing. Transport is cheap in Peru, if you want to take combis. I did for years and they took forever, stopped at green lights, went at red, were driven by maniacs with dirty fingernails, had people crouching down in mini-vans, fighting over fares, bribing police officers, making me angry and stressed out. Many expats drive or take taxis due to this. Electronics are much more expensive in Peru. The good news is that food and household help is pretty cheap. You can live pretty well in Peru. You will have to budget if you want to save or travel. If you're in Lima, here are a bunch of tips written by expats to help you out.
• Other concerns: If you're going to have kids, education is another concern. Public schools are appalling and private education usually starts around $10,000 a year. Some of the better schools run as much as $25,000.

Taking my Peruvian sweetheart back home
Just as you'd have problems living in a foreign country, your spouse-to-be will also run into problems. Many Peruvians miss their families much more than we miss ours. Getting things done can be harder. Peru is a country of flexibility. Laws are grey, not black and white. Emphasis is put on helping people out, doing favours, and bending the rules. Time is another issue as it is rigid abroad whereas in Peru you have "hora Peruana" and "hora Inglesa" and most Peruvians prefer the former.

Hindsight is 20/20
Flexibility seems to be the key in Peru and marriage is no exception. Many Peruvians have parejas rather than spouses and having children out of wedlock seems more excepted, which is odd since Peru is such a Catholic country. Despite this, divorce is also very common. The only legal marriage takes place at city hall; church weddings aren't legal.

Unfortunately, many divorced foreign wives that I know ended up divorcing due to their cheating Peruvian husband. While it may be more accepted in Peru or people turn a blind eye, that's usually the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Think before you leap
I'm not saying that you shouldn't marry a Peruvian. What I am saying is that I think many people get blinded by the fact that they're going to marry a foreigner. They tend to think less and move more quickly than if they were with someone of the same nationality. When really, the opposite should be true. If you're going to marry a foreigner, you need to think twice as hard as you would if you were marrying someone from the same country as you.

I know plenty of happily married Peruvian-foreign couples. I also know plenty of happily divorced (and bitterly divorced) Peruvian-foreign couples. Marriage is a decision that will affect you the rest of your life, so give it some thought and time before you jump in. 

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Family and Marriage Visas for Peru

Updated 10 August 2016

***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.***

According to Peruvian law, you CAN earn money while on this visa. You can find information about this visa at Migraciones. It's called "llamado de familia". Peru is a wonderful country with so many sites to see! Living here is quite the experience. Being married to someone from a different culture can be challenging, but all marriages are hard work!

You can get this visa if you are . . .

• An underaged child of a Peruvian citizen (if the child isn't Peruvian) or immigrant
• Married to a Peruvian or immigrant

You might also be able to get the visa if you are . . . 

• A parent of a Peruvian child (whether they are a minor or of age) or immigrant
• A parent of a Peruvian child and the child has special needs
• A sibling of a Peruvian citizen or immigrant
• In-laws of a Peruvian citizen or immigrant
• An adult child of a Peruvian citizen or immigrant

Sponsors
Since this is a family visa, someone in your family can sponsor you. Who they consider family might vary from immigration officer to immigration officer and you might need to get a lawyer to help you with complicated cases.

Family might be your children, your siblings, your parents, or your in-laws. The issue is that they should be able to support you. Since children born in Peru can get citizenship via jus soli (meaning that anyone born on Peruvian soil can become Peruvians, children might be able to sponsor their parents. However, this doesn't mean that your infant can sponsor you. In most cases, the person must be financially stable (an example of an exception would be a child with special needs). If your child is a minor who earns money, for example, an actor than that would be a different story. Likewise if your child was of age and had a job. When in doubt, contact a lawyer or migraciones.

Getting Married in Peru
If you're not married yet, but are planning on getting married in Peru, you can find the steps here in the Marriage Section. The information below is for those who are married. For all other cases, you will have to do the same things, except instead of a marriage license, you'll have to show birth certificates to prove they you are related. Check with immigrations for a complete list of what you need. Either call them or go in person. Make sure to documents apostillised and translated if necessary.

Check here for personal stories about getting marriage visas. For those of you married to a Peruvian, you can get a resident visa that allows you to work in Peru. If you're not married yet, but are planning on getting married in Peru, you can find the steps here in the Marriage Section. It takes about two months to get.

You no longer have to leave the country to pick up a residence visa. All the paperwork can now be done in Lima. You will also get a carne de extranjeria (foreign resident card / CE) which is proof of residency. You have to renew it yearly and pay the yearly foreigner's tax. After three years of residency, you can become a Peruvian citizen. There are two ways to get the visa, depending on where you got married.

Name Change
If you change your name and get a new passport, you MUST transfer your visa from your old passport to your new passport.

For bank accounts, you just go to the bank with your bank card and DNI. Same goes for your pension plan. For property you'll have to go to SUNARP and bring a letter explaining the change as well as notarised copies of your documents.

You have to show your old name and new name. You could bring your old and new CE, or your old CE and your new DNI and Naturalisation paper. You'll also have to fill out a form. You'll also need your original partida de matrimonio (marriage license) and a notarised copy of your spouse's DNI.

Depending on Where You Got Married
If you got married outside of Peru, you've got a couple of steps to take. You will have to register it in the country where you got married (probably at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and then go to the Peruvian consulate / embassy and register it with them. They will then give you a Peruvian marriage certificate. Do this quickly as possible because there may be a time limit. If possible, get a couple marriage certificates. You will need a new marriage certificate every year in order to renew residency.

Ask them if your marriage will be registered with RENIEC. If it will not be registered with RENIEC, then you will also have to do that when you get here. When you come to Peru, you have between 30 and 90 days to register your marriage depening on the person you talk to. It will have to be apostillised; see Peru and the Hague Agreement for more info. It will also have to be translated by a certified translator, if not in Spanish (see Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (RREE) and do a search for traductores oficiales). Then go to RENIEC and register your marriage if it hasn't already been registered. Then you have to do everything above that people who got married in Peru have to do. For letters, go to Letters for Immigrations.

OR

1. If you got married in Peru, you need either your Partida de Matrimonio or your Acta de Matrimonio, which must be legalized by RENIEC. In order to legalise your document, first you need to go to the Banco de la Nacion and pay 17 soles.

Then You Must Have
These documents can be gotten from Migraciones or printed off their website.

• Form F007. 
• Form F004 (to change the status of your visa. If you have a tourist visa, mark the first box. If you have a different visa, you'll have to fill out the blanks at the top.
• Pay the fees for the forms (the code for the F004 is 01814) and the annual foreigner’s tax at the Banco de la Nacion. 
• Copy of your passport
• Copy of your visa or entry stamp into Peru
• Original TAM (Tarjeta Andina de Migraciones). This is the little white paper you get when you enter Peru.
• Original passport

Your Spouse Needs to Give You

• They will have to sign a document in the presence of a public notary saying that they will financially support you while you are in Peru. (see Letters for Immigrations.)
• Photocopy of their DNI with casado/a status. They MUST change their civil status so that it says that they are married.

At Immigrations

1. Make copies of everything so that they can stamp your copies. Leave the originals at the Mesa de Partes at Immigrations come back when they tell you to. They will probably tell you to call or email them in 15 days to check the status of your CE.
2. While you're waiting, go to INTERPOL Steps can be found here.
3. In theory, you no longer have to leave the country to pick up a residence visa. All the paperwork can now be done in Lima.
4. Pick up your visa, bring copies of your passport and 2 passport photos. Call ahead and ask how much the visa will be. You'll also need a carne sized photo when you pick up the visa.
5. Then, follow the steps to get your carne de extranjeria.
   

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Affadivit of Single Status for US citizens to Get Married in Peru

I know you're head over heels in love, but take a look at reality and the stats about divorce. People are living a long time and you need to think about the future. Sit down with your spouse to be and have a heart to heart. Decide if marriage is right for you. Things I wish I'd known before I got married and 10 conversations to have before you get married are incredibly useful. If this isn't your first marriage, then you have more stacked against you: you're more likely to get divorced, yet again. Saving your second marriage before it starts should definitely be on your reading list.

Affadivit of Single Status for US citizens (Courtesy of Southbound)
The easiest way is to go to the records department at the county clerk and ask for your marriage certificate. If you're single they will give you a "Record Not Found" which means that you are single. If you are divorced, you will have to get your divorce certificate. Remember that you will then have to get this apostillised. See Peru and the Hague Agreement for more info. After that, the translation will have to be legalised by Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (RREE). For the address, directions, costs, and more information, please see Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (RREE).

OR: Go to your embassy and ask them to notarise a statement that says that you swear that you're single. The majority of embassies already have this document prepared.

OR: You can sign the document below in front of a notary public. This makes it a binding statement and recognized by the Superior Court. Once you get this it has to be apostillised. See Peru and the Hague Agreement for more info. You can find more info at Travel.State.Gov

Sample Affadivit of Single Status
Name and Address of the County Court
Phone and Fax

Affidavit of Single Status
Declaración Jurada de Estado Individual

On this day of: _____ I, the undersigned
En este día de: Yo, los infrascritos

Full Name:________ ( )Male ( )Female
Nombre completo ( )Hombre ( )Mujer

Date of Birth: _______ Place of Birth: _______
Fecha de nacimiento Lugar de nacimiento

Social Security Number: __________ Passport Number: __________
Número de seguridad social____ Número de pasaporte

Current Employer: ____________________
Empleador actual
Address (street, city, state, zip): ____________
Dirección

Residing at (street, city, state, zip) _________________
Que residen en (dirección)

Being dutifully sworn, hereby solemnly declare that, under the laws of the United States of America, I have never been married / or was divorced/widowed on ________ (Date / Fecha), and have never been remarried since that date/ and am fully qualified to marry the following Peruvian citizen:

Se obedientemente jurado, declaran solemnemente por la presente que, bajo las leyes de los Estados Unidos de América, nunca han casado / o era divorciadas y viudas en ____________ (fecha / date) y volvió a no han nunca se casar desde esa fecha / y estoy completo para casarse con el siguiente ciudadano peruano:

Full Name: __________ ( ) Male ( )Female
Nombre completo ( )Hombre ( )Mujer

Date of Birth: ___________ Place of Birth: _______
Fecha de nacimiento Lugar de nacimiento

Peruvian National Document of Identity (DNI) number: ___________ (if any)
Documento Nacional de Identidad de Peru (DNI)

Permanent Address: __________________
Dirección de permanent

I declare that the statements made in this affidavit are true and correct and I take full responsibility for them under the United States law of perjury. I also declare that I shall marry the above named person according to the laws of the Republic of Peru.

Declaro que las declaraciones formuladas en esta declaración jurada son la verdadera y correcta y tomo plena responsabilidad para ellos en virtud de la legislación de Estados Unidos de perjurio. Declaro también que será casarse lo anterior denominado persona acuerdo con las leyes de la República del Perú.

Signature of Applicant (full name): ______________
Firma del solicitante (nombre completo):
For the Notary Public: Para el notario público

Sworn to and subscribed before me on this _____ day of ________.
Jurado y suscrito delante de mí en este día

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How to Get Married in Peru

Updated 23 October 2017

*** Rules often change, so be sure to check with the Municipality where you're going to get married.***

Visas
If you'd like to live in Peru after you get married, you can find the information that you need in steps for a marriage visa and getting a CE (resident permit).

Cultural Issues
Learn about cultural issues. There are lots of good books written about Peruvian culture that can help you learn more about your spouse's culture. Another tip to remember is that speaking Spanish will help you greatly. If you're looking to learn Spanish, check out Rosetta Stone.

Practical Advice
I know you're head over heels in love, but take a look at reality and the stats about divorce. People are living a long time and you need to think about the future. Sit down with your spouse to be and have a heart to heart. Decide if marriage is right for you. Things I wish I'd known before I got married and 10 conversations to have before you get married are incredibly useful. If this isn't your first marriage, then you have more stacked against you: you're more likely to get divorced, yet again. Saving your second marriage before it starts should definitely be on your reading list. If you're sure that, they're "the one", then be sure to make a wedding registry!

Civil and Religious Ceremonies
Only civil ceremonies are legal, so if you want to get married in the church, first you have to get married in the municipality (town hall). Exact requirements vary, so check with your municipality.

Name Changes
Name changes are optional. If you change your name and get a new passport, you MUST transfer your visa from your old passport to your new passport. You cannot just simply leave on a completely new passport. The only exception would be for Peruvian citizens.

Requirements Vary from Municipality to Municipality!

People have reported that getting married in a small town is much easier since they often have more lax requirements, may not require things such as an AIDS test or apostillisation, may accept documents last minute, and may not have a waiting period before you can get married. See Tanya's story below.

Preparation Time
Getting married in Peru can be a headache. It usually takes between 2-4 months if your documents are not in Spanish; it will take less time if they're already in Spanish. If you both are foreigners, you can still get married in Peru. Just follow get the documents required for foreigners.

Documents should be recent
In theory, all the documents that you use should have been issued within the last 90 days. However, some countries don't issue new birth certificates. Don't worry. You should be fine. If you can get a new birth cert then ask the municipality if you need it. If you were born in the USA, you have to have the records office at the county clerk and they will issue you another birth cert or a certified true copy. The same goes for single certificates or divorce papers, they should be recent. You can get them from the records office in your country or get a single certificate from your embassy.

Getting Married if You're Divorced

1. If you get married after a divorce you will have more paperwork to do. Both sets of birth and divorce documents must be signed by apostillised. See Peru and the Hague Agreement for more info. If your country is not part of the Hague Agreement (Canada for example), then you have to get your documents legalised at the Peruvian embassy in that country, then legalised at the Ministero de Relacciones Exteriores (RREE). The same process is required for the divorce certificate, except what you seek from the court is the official judgement nisi. So you must find out the process within the county in which you were divorced to acquire that judgement nisi. Some Secretary of State's office will accept the judgement nisi directly without a notary or county clerk signature.
2. Once legalized, the documents must be officially translated by accepted translators, see the list on the Ministerio's website.
3. Some municipalities have waiting periods after a divorce. Ask yours if they require you to wait a certain amount of time.
4. If you're a woman, foreign or Peruvian, you may have to undergo a pregnancy test if you get re-married within a year of your divorce. If found to be pregnant a DNA test will probably be requested to find out who the father is.
5. Follow the rest of the steps below for marriage.

Certificate of Being Single
You have a few choices to get a single certificate.

• If you're from the US you should go to the county where you last held residency and ask them to search for your marriage. They will get you a page that says "Record Not Found", which means that you're single. If you're divorced, ask for your divorce certificate.
• You can sign an affadivit of single status. You might want to use the affadivit anyways because then you don't have to pay for the translation.
• You can go to your embassy here in Peru and ask them to give you an affadivit that says you're single. Most embassies will give you one that's in the country's language and in Spanish so you don't have to get it translated, but you will have to get it legalised by RREE. In the US, most banks have public notaries that will notarise documents for free if you have an account at their bank.  

What You Need to Get Married in a Civil Ceremony in Peru

• Peruvians need: Original birth certificate and DNI (National ID Document).
• Foreigners need: Original birth certificate, a certificate saying that you are single (or your divorce certificate), a photocopy of your passport, your CE (if you have one). All documents need to be appostillised or authenticated at the Peruvian embassy / consulate. Documents not in Spanish need to be translated and then apostillised.
• Documents required: An application form listing basic information as well as the information about your two witnesses (they should be Peruvian citizens or hold Peruvian residency). An AIDS test, a newspaper clipping showing you published your marriage announcement in the newspaper. 

Steps

1. All documents from abroad first need to be apostillised. If your country is not in the Hague Agreement you can either get your documents stamped at the Peruvian consulate or embassy in your home country or get them stamped at your country's embassy in Peru. For example, a Canadian could take their documents to the Canadian Embassy in Lima or the Peruvian Embassy in Canada. See Peru and the Hague Agreement for more info.
2. If these documents are in another language besides Spanish, you will have to get them translated by a certified translator, (see translations for more information). Then get the translation legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Relacciones Exteriores, RREE). Some people have gotten their documents translated by translators who are not certified translators in Peru. It's up to the municipality as to whether or not they accept them.  Address, directions, costs, and more information can be found at RREE. Most official translators will translate the document as well as get the RREE stamps on both the original and the translation. You might have to pay a bit extra, but it's well worth it.
3. While you are waiting for your documents, you can go to the Municipality and pay a fee in order to get an AIDS test form. Then you take the form to a certain medical post, pay another fee and take the AIDS test. The next day you can pick it up. Some people have reported not even needing an AIDS test or doctor's visit.
4. Bring your apostillised birth certificate and apostillised certificate saying that you are single, (with translation if needed) the photocopy of your passport, the AIDS test, your soon-to-be-spouse’s DNI, their birth certificate, and photocopies of your witnesses DNIs or carne de extranjeria. You will then have to fill out the application forms and pay a fee.
5. Publish your marriage announcement in the newspaper. You pick the day and then they give you a choice of newspapers you can publish it in. From the time you go to the Municipality, you usually have to wait a certain number of days, usually 7-15 before you get married. You also have to buy the newspaper and bring the entire page that has the marriage announcement to the municipality the day or day after it was published.
6. Finally, you’re ready, bring your receipt from the municipality, your passport, your soon-to-be-spouse’s DNI and your witnesses DNIs or carne de extranjeria. The whole ceremony takes about five minutes and then everyone has to sign and fingerprint the paperwork. Then you are given your Partida de Matrimonio. Congrats!
7. You can find more information at this discussion and here at Marrying a Peruvian

Tanya's Story
We got married last Friday (Sept. 2nd, 2016). Everything was very easy. My mother sent me my birth certificate (original) with a notarized translation from Russian to Spanish. It wasn't too expensive and it only took 4 days to get from Ukraine to my town in Peru by DHL.

My birth certificate was NOT apostatized, since the old format of my certificate doesn't allow to get an apostille.

We did not have to go to Lima neither to get an "official" translation neither to get the single certificate which the Ukrainian embassy indeed can provide Ukrainians with, should one require so. The municipality advised us we can get the single certificate with them.

The documents did NOT need to be recent. This cased me unnecessary stress.

I was born in Germany as a Ukrainian, 2 months after Soviet Union fell apart. My father was serving there as part of the Soviet army at that time.

When my mother tried to get an official copy (you cannot reissue a birth certificate in Ukraine) from the archives I was not found in the system. 2 companies were investigating about my papers and found my documents in the Moscow archives as we suspected. The companies asked for ridiculous money for making an official copy from the government archive and getting the birth certificate apostatized. Thank God by that time I have long known that this copy was unnecessary.

Regarding the AIDS test, we were only required to provide a certificate saying we were healthy. That was really easy to get. According to the forums the smaller the town the less religious they are with the papers. This turned out to be very true.

We live in a small town, the capital of the region. To get the health certificate we visited a private clinic, where the doctor not only didn't check us but didn't even ask us about our health. According to the forums I read this is widely practiced in smaller towns and villages. We got married in a tiny village 15 minutes away from our town(less paperwork). The last document I dropped in was the day before the ceremony. The photos, we brought them on the day of the wedding.

From what I've learned the information on your website is strictly regarding Lima and the bigger cities. For the rest getting married is quick and simple.

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