Arequipa

Passport validity requirements

To enter Peru, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.

Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.

You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.

Dual nationals

When returning to the UK, British citizens must carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement. See Dual citizenship.

Visa requirements

You can travel to Peru without a visa for tourism or short visits. If you are travelling for any other reason, check requirements with the Peruvian Consulate General in the UK (in Spanish).

When you arrive in Peru, you will normally get permission to stay for up to 90 days in a 180 day period. The 180 day period is calculated from the date of your first entry into Peru. Immigration officials can grant you a maximum of 183 days in a 365 day period as a visitor or tourist.

If you overstay, you will get a fine and you could be detained.

Arriving at an international airport

If you arrive in Peru at an international airport, authorities will register your entry digitally through a Tarjeta Andina de Migración (TAM) - a virtual immigration control document.

You can check how long you are allowed to stay in Peru on the Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones website (in Spanish).

Airport fee

From 7 December, passengers transiting or connecting through Lima (Jorge Chávez International) Airport will be required to pay a fee, known as a TUUA (Tarifa Unica por Uso de Aeropuerto, or Airport Use Fee).  

This fee is not currently included in airline tickets.  

To avoid delays, travellers are encouraged to pay in advance via the Lima Airport online platform or use available on-site payment options, including mobile POS (Point of Sale) agents, dedicated payment modules, and QR codes.

Arriving by land

Land entry: make sure you get your passport stamped.

If you enter Peru by land from a neighbouring country, get a passport entry stamp at the immigration checkpoint. You cannot leave Peru without one. If you did not get a stamp, apply to get a passport entry stamp online (form in Spanish) and:

• give your passport details
• give evidence of your entry to Peru, such as a bus ticket in your name
• show an exit stamp from the last country you visited

The British Embassy can help you to apply for an entry stamp. You should start this process as soon as possible.

If you cannot give the information needed, you must apply for an exit order or expulsion order to leave Peru in person at the Immigration Office in Lima. These orders may stop you from re-entering Peru for a number of years. The British Embassy cannot intervene in these decisions but can help you with the exit procedure.

Travelling inside Peru without a passport 

If your passport is lost or stolen and you plan to travel inside Peru, contact your travel agency, airline or bus company to check their requirements. Some companies will not allow you to travel carrying a police report only. You may need a new passport or an emergency travel document.

Vaccine requirements

For details about medical entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see TravelHealthPro’s Peru guide.

Travelling with children

Children aged 17 and under who are travelling on a British passport and have Peruvian resident status need written permission (‘Autorización de Viaje Notarial’) from the non-accompanying parent or parents to leave Peru.

You must get permission in a letter signed by a public notary in Peru. The letter must include:

• proposed destination
• purpose of the trip
• departure date
• return date

These requirements do not normally apply to children with tourist status, but immigration officers may ask for them in circumstances considered suspicious, or if the child has overstayed in Peru and the stay lasts more than 183 days.

For further information, contact the Peruvian Consulate General in the UK (in Spanish) or the Peruvian Immigration Department (in Spanish).  

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of Peru (in Spanish). You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

You can bring one laptop and 2 mobile phones into Peru without paying tax.

When you leave Peru, you may be stopped and prosecuted if you are carrying:

• products made from wild animal skins
• crafts made with preserved butterflies, spiders, starfish, sea horses or other fish or insects
• crafts and jewellery made with condor or other wild bird feathers, turtle shells, teeth, bones and other animal parts

The sale of souvenirs made with wild animal parts, including condor feathers, is illegal in Peru. These products are often sold in tourist markets in Cusco and Iquitos.

It is illegal to remove any archaeological artefacts from Peru without authorisation.

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of Peru (in Spanish). You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

You can bring one laptop and 2 mobile phones into Peru without paying tax.

When you leave Peru, you may be stopped and prosecuted if you are carrying:

• products made from wild animal skins
• crafts made with preserved butterflies, spiders, starfish, sea horses or other fish or insects
• crafts and jewellery made with condor or other wild bird feathers, turtle shells, teeth, bones and other animal parts

The sale of souvenirs made with wild animal parts, including condor feathers, is illegal in Peru. These products are often sold in tourist markets in Cusco and Iquitos.

It is illegal to remove any archaeological artefacts from Peru without authorisation.

Emergency services in Peru

Ambulance: 106

Fire: 116

Police: 105

Contact your travel provider and insurer

Contact your travel provider and your insurer if you are involved in a serious incident or emergency abroad. They will tell you if they can help and what you need to do.

Refunds and changes to travel

For refunds or changes to travel, contact your travel provider. You may also be able to make a claim through insurance. However, insurers usually require you to talk to your travel provider first.

Find out more about changing or cancelling travel plans, including:

• where to get advice if you are in a dispute with a provider
• how to access previous versions of travel advice to support a claim

Support from FCDO

FCDO has guidance on staying safe and what to do if you need help or support abroad, including:

• finding English-speaking lawyers, funeral directors and translators and interpreters in Peru
• dealing with a death in Peru
• being arrested or imprisoned in Peru
• getting help if you are a victim of rape or sexual assault
• getting help if you are a victim of crime
• what to do if you are in hospital
• if you are affected by a crisis, such as a terrorist attack

Contacting FCDO 

Help abroad  

See how to get help from the UK government abroad including in an emergency. 

Help in the UK  

You can call FCDO in London if you need urgent help because something has happened to a friend or relative abroad.  

Telephone: 020 7008 5000 (24 hours)  

Find out about call charges

Get travel advice updates  

Sign up to get email notifications when this travel advice is updated.  

Follow FCDO: 

• travel advice on X

• travel advice on Facebook

Risk information for British companies

The Overseas Business Risk service offers information and advice for British companies operating in Peru on how to manage political, economic, and business security-related risks.

Areas where FCDO advises against all but essential travel  

Within 20km south of the Peru-Colombia border 

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to areas within 20km south of the Putumayo River and the border between Peru and Colombia (Loreto region) except for: 

• the Amazon River
• the area of the triple border with Brazil and Colombia from and including the towns of Caballococha in Peru up to the actual triple border at Santa Rosa de Yavari town

Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM)

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers, also known as the VRAEM region.

We advise against all but essential travel to these two areas for safety and security reasons.

Find out more about why FCDO advises against travel. 

Before you travel

No travel can be guaranteed safe. Read all the advice in this guide. If you have onward travel plans within the region, check travel advice for all destinations you plan to travel through. You may also find it helpful to: 

• see general advice for women travellers
• read our guide on disability and travel abroad
• see general advice for LGBT+ travellers
• read about safety for solo and independent travel
• see advice on volunteering and adventure travel abroad

Travel insurance

If you choose to travel, research your destinations and get appropriate travel insurance. Insurance should cover your itinerary, planned activities and expenses in an emergency.

About FCDO travel advice

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides advice about risks of travel to help you make informed decisions. Find out more about FCDO travel advice.

Get travel advice updates

Sign up to get email notifications when this travel advice is updated. 

Follow FCDO:   

• travel advice on X

• travel advice on Facebook

• Travel Aware on Instagram

Laws and cultural differences

Personal ID

Always carry ID with you. The Peruvian police may ask to see ID; if you do not have it with you, you may be required to go to the nearest police station.

Illegal drugs and prison sentences

Illegal drug use and drug trafficking in Peru carry lengthy jail sentences. Prison conditions in Peru are extremely poor and the British Embassy cannot intervene in police or judicial matters, or secure more favourable conditions.

You should:

• pack your luggage yourself and always keep it with you
• not carry anything through customs for anyone
• not take coca leaves or coca tea out of the country – it is illegal to import these items into the UK

Drug couriers have targeted British nationals with email scams. These criminals will try to get you to travel to Peru to pick up items containing drugs. You’ll face detention for drug trafficking if convicted.

Military photography

Do not take photographs of anything of a military nature, it is illegal and you could face a prison sentence of two to five years.

LGBT+ travellers

Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Peru, but social attitudes are generally conservative. Crimes against the LGBT+ community are not included in hate crime legislation and same-sex partnerships are not formally recognised.

Same-sex couples showing affection in public may receive unwanted and negative attention.

Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers.