While during the height of the Corona pandemic Peru eliminated the stamping of passports when entering the country, in May 2022 the entry stamp was re-introduced just to be eliminated again at the end of May 2023 for those entering Peru on international flights. And, unfortunately, this time it seems for good as there are already plans to successively stop stamping at land borders as well; however, right now you still should get an entry stamp when crossing into Peru at a land border.
Today, your entry and the number of days you got (and when you leave your departure) is just automatically registered and nothing more than an entry in the Migraciones database. Once again, tourist and business travelers don't have anything in writing on how long they are allowed to stay.
As you don't get an entry stamp anymore, your only options to find out how long you can be in Peru as a tourist or as a business traveler is to ask the immigration officer and, if you want to have a confirmation "in writing" or need proof when you entered or left the country, to check online. As many things in Peru that's sometimes easier said than done, but hopefully this article will help.
Content overview
- How long can I stay in Peru as a tourist?
- How many days did I get when entering Peru?
- How to check your TAM virtual
How long can I stay in Peru as a tourist?
According to the old Foreigner Law, Decreto Legislativo 1350, and the new Foreigner Law, Decreto Legislativo 1582, which was published in November 2023, foreign tourists, who can travel to Peru visa-free, can stay a maximum of 183 accumulated days in a 365-day period.
However, this doesn’t mean you get the full 183 days when you enter the country. The general 183 days per year was and still is limited for most foreign tourists by a publication of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (RREE) issued in 2019 and updated occasionally. This publication allows most foreign nationals to stay in Peru as a tourist for up to 90 days in a 180-day period for touristic, recreational or health purposes; a few can stay up to 90 days in a 365-day period and a handful up to 180 days in a 365-day period.
Since August 2021, no foreign tourist who can enter Peru visa-free, was given the full 183 days upon arrival. The rule for everyone seems to be up to 90 days in a 180-day period, even for those who, according to RREE, are allowed to stay longer. So, when you enter, in most cases you get three months and then have to stay out of Peru at least three months before re-entering the country.
However, it’s always at the discretion of the immigration officer how many days you are allowed to stay in the country. You are not entitled to get the full 90 days per half year or the full 183 days per year. And depending on the immigration officer and your situation you might (or not) be allowed to re-enter the country before your 180-day period is over, if you haven't stayed the full 183 days of your 365-day period.
But be aware as well that the new Foreigner Law further states that in case foreign tourists don't get the full 183 days upon arrival, an extension can be granted until the 183 days are reached, unless international agreements or conventions determine a shorter period or don't allow extensions.
As till today (end of January 2024) the administrative regulations, called TUPA, necessary for the implementation of the new Foreigner Law still haven't been published, we don't know, which foreign nationals can extend or for which nationalities there might be restrictions or when foreigners might be able to extend or how it works. The only foreign nationals, who already now can extend their stay as a tourist, are Bolivians, Ecuadorians and Colombians, which is stated in the TUPA from October 2023.
Note: The 180-day period isn't per half year from January to June or July to December, as the 365 days period isn't per calendar year from January to December but calculated from your day of first entry.
If you want to check whats the maximum you are allowed to stay in Peru as a tourist, please have a look at our PDF "Visas for Peru by country and allowed length of stay" at the end of this article. This PDF is an English translation of the original published by the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs which can be found here.
How many days did I get when entering Peru?
TAM - Tarjeta Andina de Migracion
For decades, it wasn’t a problem to know how many days you got when coming to Peru. Already on the plane (or at the border) you had to fill in a small white card called TAM (Tarjeta Andina de Migracion), which additionally to your passport was stamped by immigrations at the point of entry and the number of days written on it.
TAM virtual
A few years back, however, Peru abolished the use of this printed form and implemented a virtual card, the so-called TAM virtual for entries at Jorge Chávez International Airport (for international travelers) and at seaports, later at land borders. Your entry was (and to this day still is) automatically registered in the Migraciones database and additionally your passport was stamped and the number of days you were allowed to stay scribbled on the stamp.
Elimination of entry stamp
As part of Corona hygiene measures, stamping of passports was eliminated in 2020 and your entry, the number of days you got and your departure was only automatically registered in the Migraciones database. Lots of foreigners didn't have a clue how many days they were allowed to stay. And as the system wasn't properly prepared, retrieving the TAM virtual was a nightmare for some foreigners.
This ended when in May 2022 Peruvian immigration officers started stamping passports again. And while the old paper TAM wasn't back, on the entry stamp the immigrations officer would write the number of days the foreigner was allowed to be in Peru as a tourist.
But to follow the example of other countries worldwide, who already have elimated the entry stamp, Peru decided that starting May 29, 2023 to once again stop stamping passports. Now we are back that foreigners don't have anything in writing about the number of days they are allowed to stay in the country.
So, if you want to confirm the number of days you got or just check which personal data is registered, or, if for whatever reason, you need to prove when you entered or left the country, you have to check your Tam virtual.
How to check your TAM virtual
Option 1: Migraciones website
Checking your TAM virtual and getting the confirmation of how many days you got usually is easily and quickly done on the Migraciones website.
Enter the Migraciones website under Consultas en Linea TAM Virtual or scan above QR code. In the drop-down list choose your travel document, in most cases this will be the passport (pasaporte) and enter the passport number.
Afterwards, choose in the drop-down list your nationality; be aware that the names are in Spanish, so you won’t find, for example, United States or US, but have to look for EE.UU (Estados Unidos); or no sign of Germany, so select Alemania, etc.
Then just enter the day you entered Peru and the captcha. Click on “Verificar”.
You now should immediately get your TAM virtual showing:
- your personal details registered
- the point of entry
- the day you entered (Fecha de ingreso)
- the number of days you are allowed to stay (Tiempo de permanencia).
If an error message pops up or nothing happens, switch off a VPN, language translation program, ad blocker or incognito mode you might be using, reload the page and try again. Still nothing? Clear your cache and/or use another browser; Chrome and Firefox worked fine when we tried it just recently. Still nothing? No way around our "Option 2: Get in contact with Migraciones" to check with them if you were registered correctly when you entered the country.
If for whatever reason you need a confirmation when you left Peru, on the first page enter the date of your departure and additionally check the box “TAM virtual de salida”.
Option 2: Get in contact with Migraciones
If you get an error message or aren't shown your entry in the Migraciones database, you can either send an e-mail to consultastamvirtual @ migraciones.gob.pe, which hopefully is answered, or use the chat function (right bottom corner) on the Agencia Digital, which surely is the best and quickest option.
However, be aware that waiting times to be connected can be long, the system sometimes "hangs" and you might be disconnected without any reasons and have to start again. But, if you are lucky you might be connected within 10 or 20 minutes and then have anything clarified in a few minutes. Best start a video conference early, shortly after they open around 08.15 am to 08.30 am, then your chances to be connected quickly are high.
So, just enter the Agencia Digital and click on entrar. On the next page, select "Extranjero". Then choose in the drop-down menu passport and enter your passport number. Complete the other fields (birth date, nationality, last time you entered Peru and the Captcha) and click on Verificar. Now you are on the main page of the Agencia Digtal. Depending on your device, you usually find the video conference icon on the bottom right corner.
Just click on it and you get a ticket with a number and the approximate waiting time. Once you have your ticket, you usually hear a ringing tone, which indicates that you are still in the queue to be connected. As the displayed waiting time is rarely accurate, expect a longer or even much longer time until it's your turn.
In case your computer goes into the sleeping mode while waiting, don't panic. Just wake it up, refresh the Agencia Digital page, click on the video call icon and request a new ticket. It should be the same number you had before and you should hear the ringing tone. However, if you leave the Agencia Digital page or turn off your computer your spot is gone and you have to start from scratch.
Anyway, as soon as it's your turn, accept the video call within less than 30 seconds or so otherwise you are disconneted. Once you accepted the video call a new window opens and you are connected. It might take a few minutes until you hear and see someone. Do not close the window, otherwise all the waiting was for nothing. Just wait until the Migraciones staff starts talking. And don't worry, if your screen remains black and you can't see anyone; most probably - as increasingly the case - the camera on their side isn't turned on.
Option 3: Official duplicate of the TAM virtual
If for whatever reason you need or want a copy of your official Migraciones TAM virtual which shows your personal data, the border you entered, your day of entry and the time you were given when you entered, you can request it through the Agencia Digital.
First pay the fee of S/ 14.40 for the Migraciones administrative procedure under code 07561 - Formulario F-SPE-001, concepto: "Duplicado de Tarjeta Andina de Migración (TAM)" on pagalo.pe or at any Banco de la Nacion branch / ATM.
You can find detailed explanations about how to pay, what you have to do and be aware of and how to register and find your way around the online payment platform pagalo.pe in our article "Paying administration charges and processing fees in Peru".
Then enter the Agencia Digital, choose if you are Peruvian or foreigner and fill in required fields (passport (CE or DNI) and number, birthdate, nationality and your last entry into Peru). On the next page, click on "Mesa de Partes" at the top. Check "persona natural" and enter an e-mail address and cellphone number. Accept the terms & conditions and click "Siguiente".
In the drop-down list under "Tipo de solicitud" choose "Nuevos trámites TUPA" and the "Subtipo": "Duplicado de Tarjeta Andina de Migración (TAM)" as well as the Migraciones office. Then download the form, fill it in and below upload it together with your payment receipt. Click on "Registrar".
Within 24h Migraciones processes your request, and you can then download your TAM virtual on the Agencia Digital.