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

Image Source

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.

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• I use affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on links. Read more at my FTC Disclosure and Privacy Policy Statement

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

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• I use affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on links. Read more at my FTC Disclosure and Privacy Policy Statement

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.

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• I use affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on links. Read more at my FTC Disclosure and Privacy Policy Statement

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.

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• I use affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on links. Read more at my FTC Disclosure and Privacy Policy Statement

Translators, Notaries, Legalisations, and Apostillisations in Peru

Updated 23 November 2015

Below you can find information for using documents in Peru and abroad. Here are some issues you need to think about to make sure you find a good lawyer.
 

Using Peruvian Documents Abroad
You can find steps at Using Peruvian Documents Abroad. Apostillisations are for Peruvian documents that are going to be used abroad in countries that are part of the Hague Agreement, like the US and the UK. You can read more about apostillisations in Peru and the Hague Agreement. Legalisations are for foreign documents from non Hague Agreement countries that are going to be used in Peru or Peruvian documents that are going to be used in non Hague Agreement countries, like Canada.

Validating Degrees
Validation is different that legalisation and apostillisation. Here's some info about the validation process.

Recommended Translators

• Jose Antonio Nino de Guzman, C.Jan Traducciones SAC. Ocharan 444. He is in Miraflores off of Larco. Dpt 103 B. tel: 243-0053. cel: 97215022 jantraducciones@gmail.com Someone commented that he charges 150 soles for a birth certificate and divorce certificate to be officially translated. This did NOT include the RREE stamps. He suggests you avoid this translator because his service is VERY expensive compared to the other translators on this page.
• Liliana Ibanez is an official translator in San Isidro. She's off Camino Real just a few blocks from Ovalo Gutierrez. Miguel Dasso 126 Office 301. 441-2122, 998379514. Fax 441-4122, ibaneztraducciones@gmail.com
• Luis Legua. He was recommended because he is fast and does impeccable work plus his rates are very reasonable. His email is english-spanish@hotmail.com
• SEPROADSAC Translators. They actually do business as LexiTrans. Las Begonias 552, Of. 16, San Isidro. Fax: 442-7429. Their phone numbers are 222-0019 and 441-2913. They do the translation, plus the trips to the notary, Colegio de Notarios and RREE. A birth cert cost me 100 soles.
• Shannon Abad does English, Italian, French, Spanish, and German. Although she's not an official translator, she has a business, ConsultUSPeru and helps expats here in Peru. shannonabad1111@msn.com . They also have a Facebook group.

Official Translations

• Only official translations are accepted by the Peruvian government and they have to be done in Lima. A list of official translators can be found at RREE (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores)  or you can go directly to the PDF version.
• Living in Peru has a list of Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, and Russian translators. For times, directions, and more information, see Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (RREE).

Foreign Documents NOT in Spanish
If you need a document that's not in Spanish translated in order to get married or for visa reasons, you will have to have it apostillised and officially translated. See Peru and the Hague Agreement for more info. If it's not in Spanish, you have to get it translated by an official translator and get the translation legalised. (I know this sounds complicated, but you can pay translators to do this and it's worth it).

Your best bet is going to an official translator and paying them to do everything for you, there are some recommended ones above. It saves a lot of time and frustration, also they know the steps, so you won’t be running around needlessly. They don’t charge too much and it’s well worth it. For example, I needed my degree to be legalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (RREE). The translator charged me 200 soles and this was for all the stamps and translation. I dropped my degree off on Friday at the translator’s office and they delivered it to my house on Thursday with everything ready to go. Shorter documents cost less, the same translator charged me 100 soles for my birth cert, and took it around to get stamped and signed, just like my degree.

Foreign Documents in Spanish
If you need to get documents legalised that are in SPANISH, then just get it apostillised. See Peru and the Hague Agreement for more info. If the document is from Peru, it will have to be legalised from the place where you got it. For example, my marriage cert is from RENIEC, I have to pay about 17 soles at RENIEC to have it legalised, after that I can take it to RREE.

Apostillisations and Legalisations at the MFA (RREE)
Peru joined the Hague Agreement in September 2010. If you want to use your foreign documents in Peru you will have to do one of two things.

• If your documents are from countries that are part of the Hague Agreement, such as the US and the US, then they the documents need to be apostillised in your home country and not at the Peruvian embassies and consulates abroad.
• If, however, your documents are from a non Hague Agreement country, such as Canada, then you have to get the legalised in the Peruvian embassy.

First, follow the steps above according to what language your document is in. Here's some useful info, in Spanish, about legalisations at RREE. Then take them to Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores del Peru. There is also a RREE in Cusco. See the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores website for more info.

Anyone can bring the documents to be legalised, it does not have to be the applicant. It takes 1 day to process your request for a legalisation and about two weeks for an apostillisation. (There are exceptions to the 1 day rule. If you show that you have a bus or plane ticket leaving Lima or Peru the SAME day, then you can pick up your legalisation in the afternoon. You MUST show the original ticket and a copy.)

• Hours are now 8:15 to 2:30pm to drop off documents. To pick up it's 8:15 to 4pm
• Address: Avenida Lampa 545 in Centro de Lima. It's near Abancay, if you get off at Hiraoka, then you have to walk about four blocks.
• Bring: the orginal, a copy of the orginal, your ID (CE, DNI, or passport) and a copy of your ID. Lines are long, expect it to take 30 minutes to an hour.
• You'll have to pay a fee around $10.
• If you have a foreign document and you got it legalised in your embassy here in Peru, instead of the Peruvian embassy / consulate in your country, you also have to pay $37.50 in addition to the regular fee. However, if your embassy in Peru gave you the orginal document, then you just have to pay the regular fee.

Steps

1. Show your documents at Line 1 or 2. They'll give you a ticket and slip of paper. Fill out the little paper with your personal details and the number of the ticket they gave you. They'll also take your originals. If they are Peruvian documents, first they have to be legalised by the authorising center. For example, birth, marriage, and death certificates would have to be legalised at RENIEC. So before you go to RREE, you will have to get the documents legalised first.
2. Then you go in another line to pay at Interbank. Give them the ticket and the slip of paper. They'll give you back both of them, plus a receipt.
3. Then go back to the orginal line you were in, either line 1 or 3 and give them everything. They will take the ticket they gave you and the receipt from Interbank. You keep the ticket.
4. You will need the ticket and your ID to pick up the documents. Pick the documents when they tell you to. You must pick up your document within 30 days of dropping it off.

Notarisations and Certified Copies Documents may also have to be notarized, which can be done at any public notary and they usually charge around 5 soles. Certified copies can also be made at notaries. For both you will have to show the copy, the original, plus a form of ID (CE, DNI, or passport). Usually you show them everything, pay, leave the copies and pick them up in a couple of hours.

Recommended Notaries
Some notaries that have been recommended are in San Isidro near MAC, and in Miraflores, 5th and 6th blocks of Jorge Basadre near Vivanda. Also see this post on lawyers as many of the lawyers are also notaries.

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• I use affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on links. Read more at my FTC Disclosure and Privacy Policy Statement