Entry/Exit Requirements

A valid passport is required to enter and depart Peru. Tourists must also provide evidence of return or onward travel. Travelers entering Peru on a U.S. passport receive a card and an entry stamp from Peruvian Immigration upon arrival stating the length of approved stay (usually 90 days). Extensions are not available, and overstays will result in fines. Visit the Embassy of Peru website for the most current visa information. Peru does not require any immunizations for entry, although it recommends vaccination against Yellow Fever. The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of Peru.

It is imperative that all travelers entering Peru – especially those crossing at a land border – obtain an entry stamp from Peruvian immigration authorities at the time and place of entry. Travelers without an entry stamp will not be allowed to exit the country. Immigration authorities often insist that travelers must return to the point of entry in order to obtain the stamp (e.g., a traveler who crossed into Peru by land from Bolivia will not be provided an entry stamp by immigration authorities in Lima, but will have to return to the original border-crossing point to obtain it). The U.S. Embassy cannot supply official letters legitimating a traveler’s claims about how and when s/he entered Peru for the purpose of obtaining an entry record.

In cases of passports that have been lost or stolen in Peru, travelers must first obtain a new passport and then “transfer” the entry record from their previous passport to the new one before they are allowed to exit the country. This service is not currently available at Jorge Chavez Airport in Lima. Travelers must take their new passports to Peruvian Immigration headquarters at Av. España 730, Breña, Lima, open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in order to pay for and process the transfer. The current fee, which must be paid in Peruvian nuevo soles, is approximately $8.00.

Minor children with Peruvian citizenship – including those with dual U.S./Peruvian citizenship –  who are traveling with only one or neither legal parent/guardian are required to have official authorization from the non-traveling parent/guardian(s). In Peru, the non-travelling parent/guardian(s) can complete this process at most public notaries or through a travel authorization issued by a family court. In the United States, the non-travelling parent/guardian(s) should visit the nearest Peruvian Consulate and complete a “Permiso Notarial de Viaje.” Please be aware that these authorizations are valid for 30 days and one trip only. If the minor child has only one legal parent or guardian, the travelling parent/guardian must present evidence of sole custody, as well as a completed Permiso Notarial de Viaje from a Peruvian notary.

Information about dual nationality and the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our website. For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information sheet.

The government of Peru prohibits the exportation of archaeological artifacts, colonial art and some natural artifacts such as fossils. These restrictions include archaeological material from the pre-Hispanic cultures and certain ethnological materials from the colonial period of Peru, which are considered protected Peruvian cultural patrimony. U.S. law enforcement authorities can take action even after importation into the United States has occurred. For more information, contact the Ministerio de Cultura (Ministry of Culture; Spanish with limited English). Travelers buying art should be aware that unscrupulous traders might try to sell them articles that cannot be exported from Peru. Peruvian customs authorities may seize such articles, and the traveler may be subject to criminal penalties.

Visitors who purchase reproductions of colonial or pre-colonial art should buy only from reputable dealers, and they should insist on documentation from Peru's National Institute of Culture (INC) showing that the object is a reproduction and may be exported. Peruvian customs authorities may retain articles lacking such documentation and forward them to INC for evaluation. If found to be reproductions, the objects eventually may be returned to the purchaser, but only after the purchaser pays all storage and shipping charges.

Vendors in some regional cities and airports sell live animals and birds, as well as handicrafts made from insects, feathers, or other natural products. Under Peruvian law, it is illegal to remove certain flora and fauna items from their place of origin to another part of Peru or to export them to a foreign country. Travelers have been detained and arrested by the Ecology Police in Lima for carrying such items.

Information on U.S. regulations for the importation of plant and animal products is available from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Travelers bringing animals to the United States may also wish to consult with U.S. Customs or the Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of Interior. Travelers wishing to bring animals from the United States into Peru should consult the Peruvian Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agraria (SENASA) at 51-1-313-3300. Information regarding current restrictions is available on the SENASA website (Spanish only).

Peruvian customs regulations require that many electronic items or items for commercial use be declared upon entering the country. Failure to make a full and accurate declaration can lead to arrest and incarceration or significant fines. Undeclared items, including personal laptop computers may be seized and held.

Travelers should be aware that some drugs and other products readily available over the counter or by prescription in Peru are illegal in the United States. The prescription sedative flumitrapezan (Rohypnol) is one such drug; others may come on the market at any time. Although coca-leaf tea is a popular beverage and folk remedy for altitude sickness in Peru, possession of these tea bags, which are sold in most Peruvian supermarkets, is illegal in the United States.