Help Those Affected by the Devastating Floods in Peru

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Since December 2016, rains have been beating down on Peru resulting in the worst flooding in 30 years. Mostly recently, catastrophic floods have hit northern Peru leaving hundreds of thousands affected. Piura River has flooded in banks. Having lived in Piura, I know how much rain can affect this desert. Nearly 100 people have died and 700,000 have been left homeless in 12 of the 25 regions. Thousands of kilometers of roads and crops have been swept away. Archeological sites have been affected as well which will in turn affect tourism.

Many organisations are raising money for Peru Flood Relief. Peruvian embassies and consulates are also helping out. Below you can find some places that are accepting donations.

• Children's Hunger Fund
• Convoy of Hope
• Direct Relief 
• Embassy of Peru in Washington, D.C.
• Global Giving
• PADF
• Red Cross

You can also read more about the flooding at the following sites.

• BBC
• Los Angeles Times
• NBC News
• Reuters

 

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How to Register Your Peruvian Divorce with a Peruvian Embassy or Consulate Abroad

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This information is for the following people.

• Peruvian citizens (or naturalised Peruvians) who live abroad yet get divorced in Peru and have not updated their Peruvian passport and/or DNI. What often happens is that they got married in Peru while they were young and then left. Years later they decide to get divorced. 
• Couples in which one person is Peruvian and the Peruvian has not updated their Peruvian passport and/or DNI. In this case what usually happens is that the Peruvian wants to get married in their country, so they have a wedding there for the family, but they live abroad. Then they decide to get divorced. 

In both of these cases, there are two options, provided that at least one of them is a legal resident in the country where they are living.

1. Get divorced in the country they are living and then register their foreign divorce in Peru (aka exequatur).
2. Get divorced in Peru and register their Peruvian divorce in the country they're living in.

This article will discuss the second option. In both of these cases, what usually happens is that either neither of them live in Peru or only one of them lives in Peru. You do not have to live in Peru in order to get divorced there if you are a Peruvian citizen. One of you can live there and the other spouse can give a lawyer power of attorney. Or both of you could give your lawyers power of attorney. What happens is that you get divorced by proxy (similar to marriage by proxy). Here are some lawyers that you can contact for more information. I have been through the process and it is legal. The article how to get divorced in Peru discusses more options if you are both able to go to Peru.

Peruvian Citizens
If you are the person living abroad and are Peruvian, you will have to change your DNI so it says you're divorced. If you're a woman and have taken the "de", you will have to change your name on your DNI and passport. In order to do this you will need the proper paperwork.

For marriages that took place in Peru
If you got married in Peru, you will need to get the marriage certificate from the municipality. It will have an annotation on it that states you're divorced. This is the document you will need if you want to update your documents. Hopefully your ex will be nice enough to send them to you (mine wasn't, so I still haven't updated my documents after all this time), if not you can either ask a friend or family member to do it or in the worst case scenario get a lawyer to do it.

For marriages that took place abroad
If you got married abroad, you will have to talk to the embassy or consulate that has jurisdiction over your area to see what the requirements are. More likely than not you're going to have to get things translated and apostillised (or authenticated if the country isn't in the Hague Agreement). Hopefully you got married in the country you're living in. If you got married in one country, divorced in Peru, and are now living in a third country, you will probably run into difficulties. Some people have said they just need their marriage certificate and their Peruvian divorce documents. Other people have said they need to register their Peruvian divorce in the country they're living in. (If you're in the USA, you might have trouble registering (or recording) a foreign divorce. I know that my county no longer registers foreign divorces.)

In conclusion
Either way, you are also going to need your DNI and your passport. If they're not valid, it should be ok and you can still update your records. Whenever you decide to renew your documents, the changes will be reflected on them. You will also need to fill out some forms and pay a fee. Make sure you call the embassy or consulate and see if they have any other requirements.

If you are not able to update your documents for whatever reason and you hold citizenship in another country, then don't worry. You can still get married again. You will just have to show your Peruvian divorce agreement. Make sure it's translated and apostillised (or authenticated if the country isn't in the Hague Agreement).

If you are not able to update your documents and you do not have a second citizenship, then you will have problems if you want to re-marry. You will either have to update your documents, stay single, or simply live together.

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How to Give Up / Renounce Peruvian Citizenship

Some foreigners decide to become naturalised Peruvian citizens. They move to Peru and Peru becomes their home. Sometimes Peruvians decide to leave Peru and sever all ties. One way to do that is by renouncing (or giving up) Peruvian citizenship. If you do this you will no longer be a Peruvian citizen and will have to hand your DNI and passport over to the embassy.

Usually to do this you will need to have another citizenship since being stateless is not something you should become unless there are dire circumstances. If that's the case, then what you usually need to do is go to another country and declare yourself as a refugee. Rules vary country to country.

Assuming that you already have another citizenship the process to renounce Peruvian citizenship is pretty straightforward. You have two choices: you can either do it at a Peruvian embassy/consulate abroad or in Lima at the Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones aka migraciones. The information below was taken from the Chicago consulate's website:

• Bring your DNI (or Libreta Militar) and passport.
• Bring the solicitud to renounce Peruvian citizenship.
• Pay the fee.
• You'll be registered as wishing to renounce citizenship.

The time varies depending on whether you do it in Lima or abroad. If you're doing it abroad it varies on the embassy/consulate due to holidays and such, so be sure to ask. Keep in mind that just to get a DNI abroad it takes 2-3 months. So don't expect this to be instantanous. In addition, if you're giving up Peruvian citizenship in order to try to avoid being prosecuted for breaking the law, don't expect your request to be granted.

The information above it only for those over the age of 18. You're not allowed to renounce citizenship on behalf of a minor. If you aren't sure if you want to renounce Peruvian citizenship or if you're hoping your minor children will do it in the future, here are somethings you can do.

• First,change your DNI to show an address abroad so you won't be fined for not voting. 
• Secondly, cut ties with Peru: close bank accounts, sell property, don't visit, etc.
• Third, even though it might be tempting to destroy documents such as birth, marriage, or death certificates, or your DNI or passport: don't do it. Just keep them since destroying them could cause you legal problems. 
• Lastly, don't renew your DNI or passport. Simply let them expire. For all intents and purposes Peru won't be able to keep tabs on you and you can just disappear.

That's about it. It's a bit step to take, so make sure you're ready before you sign any papers.

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Ley de Retorno: How the Peruvian Government is Trying to Get Peruvians to Come Back to Peru

One of my most popular posts of all time is how to get Peruvian citizenship. I thought this post might benefits Peruvians like me who have left. (I got citizenship in early 2009 and left in early 2010. I haven't been back since.) I saw a poster about the Ley de Retorno when I went to the embassy a bit ago here in Seoul. Since so many Peruvians have gone abroad and not come back, their human capital is diminishing. They're trying to do something to entice people to come back.

The complete name of the law is Ley de Reinsercion Economica y Social para el Migrante Retornado and is number 30001 and there are monetary and social benefits. For the monetary benefits there are no taxes on cars up to $30k, household goods up to $30k, instruments, machines, equipment, and capital assets up to $150k when you repatriate to Peru. For the social benefits, they will help you find loans, jobs, with certification, and assistance with psychological and social integration.

In order to qualify for the monetary benefits you must be a Peruvian who has lived abroad for at least 4 years. If you have to leave the foreign country due to immigration issues then they lower it to 2 years. For the social benefits you must be a Peruvian who has lived abroad for at least 3 years. If you have to leave the foreign country due to immigration issues then they lower it to 2 years.

You can find out more about this law on RREE, Ley de Retorno, Facebook, or leyderetorno@rree.gob.pe

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Renewing a Peruvian Passport vs Having a Peruvian Passport Issued

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One of my most popular posts of all time is how to get Peruvian citizenship. Getting a Peruvian passport (once you get citizenship) is a fairly straightforward process and they are valid for 5 years. If you're in Peru, you can get it within a day. Once you get your first passport, there are two options for the next passport you get: you can renew your current passport or having a passport issued. I personally always make sure my passports are valid. You never know when you will travel to Peru! And being a Peruvian will get you discounts at Machu Picchu.


There are different steps and outcomes for renewing a Peruvian passport whether you're in Peru or abroad.

• If you're in Peru, they will simply turn your passport over and open it up. On the last page they will add a new front page with your photo and data. 
• If you're abroad they will find the first blank page and put an ink stamp it in, wrote down the necessary information, and then put some postal stamps in it that represent the fee you paid. 
• The pros of this are that if you're abroad you don't have to wait 3 months for a new passport or get a new photo taken. This option is also a little bit cheaper than getting another passport. 
• The cons are that when you travel, immigration officers open up your passport and think it's expired. 

Having a Peruvian passport issued is the same as when you get your first passport. You will get a whole new passport.

• The pros are that you can update your photo and don't have to deal with confused immigration officers.
• The cons are that it's more expensive (by just a little bit) and that if you're abroad be prepared for it to take 3 months (more if there are holidays). 

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Registering Your Peruvian Divorce Back Home

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Updated 21 December 2016

Once you finish getting divorced in Peru, you're going to want to register your divorce back home. More likely than not you're going to have to do the same thing you did when you registered your Peruvian marriage back home.

If you get divorced in Peru it will not automatically show up on your records back home. What you do depends on where you're from.

When your divorce is finalised you will some official documents. I got a a "registro personal" and an "acta de concilacion extrajudicial". The first translates to a personal registration which basically says you're divorced. The second breaks down the division of property, custody, alimony, and child support.

You may think that with this you will be considered divorced and you might be, depending on your nationality. Some countries will accept an apostillised copy of these documents and you can register your Peruvian divorce back home.

Others won't. If you're Peruvian, these documents are NOT enough to show that you are divorced. You need to complete one more step in order to register your divorce in Peru. You need to take these documents to RENIEC and have them register your divorce. You can then get a copy of your divorce certificate. If you got married in Peru, then they will print out your marriage certificate and in the margins there will be a note stating that you got divorced. If you didn't get married in Peru, they will print out a document stating the details of your marriage and also include the divorce in the margins. This document is what you need if your country doesn't accept the other divorce documents you got from the courts. 


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. If your country is in the Hague Agreement, like the US and the UK, there's less paperwork for you to do. If your country isn't in the Hague Agreement, like Canada, then there are some extra steps you will have to do. Here's a guide on how to use Peruvian documents abroad. Double check and ask the embassy of that country if there are any other steps you need to take.

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Sorry Peruvians, You're Not Americans

I first had this argument over 10 years ago and I was flabbergasted. I wasn't trying to be mean or rude or look down on Peruvians, I just simply couldn't understand what they were getting at. Let's do a quick exercise.

• Britons are from. . . . Britain
• Chinese are from . . . . China
• Danes are from . . . . Denmark
• Latvians are from . . . . Latvia
• Russians are from . . . Russia

What would you say if I told you:

• Peruvians are from . . . America

If this were on a test, I'd mark it as wrong. Peruvians aren't from America. Peruvians are from Peru.
The issue that some Peruvians have with this is that they say that there are only five continents: the Americas, Antarctica, Asia, Australasia, and Europe. Due to this anyone from the Americas is American. Now depending on who you talk to you'll find out that there are 4-7 continents in the world.

Most Peruvians are proud to call themselves Peruvians, but some of them may claim to be Americans. Blame it on their culture. The issue I have with this is that people don't refer to the continent they're from. For example, a Kenyan isn't going to say, "I'm African". They're going to say, "I'm Kenyan". Or they might take it a step further and refer to the city they're from, stating that they're from London or New York.

Peruvians also have another issue with this and that's due to language.in Spanish, Americans are called "norteamericanos/as" if you want to translate it directly it would be North American. However, there are three countries in North America: Canada, the USA, and Mexico. In Spanish, Canadians are called "canadienses" and Mexicans are called "mexicanos/as".Peruvians are called "peruanos". If you don't speak Spanish, you should start learning. It'll help you assimilate to the culture and you'll be able to communicate easier.

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree, but to the Peruvians who insist that they're "American" I tell them to go to the USA with no visa or no green card and to tell the immigration officer to let them in, because after all, "they're American".

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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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Visa Fees for Latin America

If you're in Peru chances are you're going to want to travel to other countries nearby. Keep in mind that you'll probably end up paying visa / entry fees. Here's some info on what those are.

• Boots N All: they tell you how to legally get out of paying the fees. 
• The Last Day of the Incas: an epic story that can't be missed
• Matador Network: guide for Americans.
• Peruvian culture: culture, history, and more.
• Project Visa: (Their info for Peru is wrong: says you can only get 90 days when it was changed to up to 183 days quite a while ago. Be sure to double check their info.)
• Latin America Spanish phrasebook: lots of good travel info. 
• South American Living: info about Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay.  
• Turn Right at Machu Picchu: A New York Times best seller about rediscovering the lost city one step at a time
• Wikipedia World Wide Guide: has to be included in the list

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Surprisingly Pleasant Experience at the Peruvian Embassy

In order to cancel my POA (power of attorney) I had to get documentation from the Peruvian embassy here in Seoul. The embassy is more like a small office in a building near the major shopping area where Japanese come for the weekend. No security guards, metal detectors, no appointment, and you can use your cell phone inside.

I'd been twice before and I had come today because they had made a small mistake which neither they nor I caught. I was told that I had to pay for 4 pages to be printed and stamped and that would run me about $40. I paid, not too happy with the fact that I should have read the info more carefully the first time.

Then I sat down and waited and waited and waited. One of the things about Peruvian culture that ticks me off is the waiting around.

The head of consular affairs came over, apologised, gave me 5 key chains as souvenirs, and said the embassy would cover half the cost, since it was kind of their mistake as well. That was nice and it made the fact that I had to travel 3 hours round trip a bit more bearable.

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Visas for Peruvians

Updated 23 April 2014

See your local embassy’s website for more information about visas and requirements. If you're interested in working or studying abroad, see Work/Study Abroad for Peruvians.

• The Canadian Embassy and Canadian Immigrant Visa info.
• The UK Embassy and UK Resident.
• The USA Embassy. If you're interested in getting immigrant visas from the US, try Immigrate2US or Visa Journey.

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