International document corresponding to the Antecedentes policiales, penales and judiciales in Peru

One of the requirements when applying for a resident visa in Peru or when changing your immigration status (for example, from a work visa to a permanent resident visa) is presenting the “Antecedentes policiales, penales y judiciales” from your home country or from a country where you legally lived (that is, with a resident visa) during the five years prior to coming to Peru, proving that you do not have a criminal record.

Many foreigners are confused by this requirement. They don’t know what these Peruvian antecedentes actually are, what they correspond to in their home country, or how to obtain an equivalent document. This article aims to clarify these points.

While it’s impossible to know the exact name of the required document and the application process for every country in the world, the information below should at least point you in the right direction and help you avoid common mistakes.

Table of contents

• What are the Peruvian Antecedentes policiales, penales y judiciales?
• What kind of record check does Migraciones accept?
• Some tips and recommendations
• Document corresponding to the Peruvian "antecedentes" by country

What are the Peruvian Antecedentes policiales, penales y judiciales?

In Peru, the antecedentes consist of three separate background checks:

• Antecedentes Policiales: A police clearance certificate indicating whether a person has had registered encounters with the police, was involved in criminal investigations, or is under investigation.
• Antecedentes Penales:  A criminal record check showing whether a person has ever been convicted of a crime by a Peruvian court. So, it’s an official document of the criminal history of a person limited to actual convictions.
• Antecedentes Judiciales: A judicial background record showing whether a person has been incarcerated in a Peruvian jail or completed community service as part of a sentence.

If you need more detailed information on these Peruvian documents and how to obtain them for time you lived in Peru, see our article “Police Clearance Certificate and Criminal Background Check in Peru”

Peruvian Police Clearance Certificate and Criminal Background Check

Legal Stuff

Foreigners who live or have lived in Peru, as well as Peruvians, are often required to present a police clearance certificate or criminal backgroun...

For visa purposes in Peru, however, Migraciones requires an equivalent document from abroad proving that you do not have a criminal record in your home country or in countries where you legally resided during the five years before coming to Peru.

While the official regulation allows submitting a record check from another country of legal residence, Migraciones often ask for the document from your home country. If they become aware that you lived in another country during the relevant five-year period, they may additionally request a record check from that country.

What kind of record check does Migraciones accept?

Most countries do not have a three-part background check system like Peru. Consequently, it is usually impossible to submit three separate documents equivalent to the Peruvian antecedentes..

After some initial confusion when the requirement was introduced in 2021 - back then Migraciones rejected quite a few police clearance, criminal record and good-conduct certificates submitted by visa applicants because they did not perfectly match the Peruvian system - the authority adjusted its approach. 

Today, Migraciones generally accepts: A criminal / background record check or any type of no criminal record certificates issued by the highest competent authority in your home country, such as a federal police authority, judicial authority, or national security agency responsible for criminal records.

The exact name of the document varies by country. What matters is that it clearly proves the absence of police, criminal, and judicial records. A simple local police check or municipal certificate is usually not sufficient and may be rejected.

That said, Migraciones occasionally still rejects documents without clear explanation. If this happens, your only option is to clarify the reason directly with Migraciones and, if necessary, appeal or submit a different document.

If you are unsure which document is accepted from your country, check the country-specific section below or consult a Peruvian consulate before applying.

Some tips and recommendations

• Apply while still in your home country
  Obtaining criminal record checks from abroad is often complicated, slow, expensive—or simply impossible. In most cases, embassies and consulates in Peru cannot help, though there are exceptions.
• Fingerprint requirements can be a hurdle
  Some countries require a current fingerprint card with rolled and flat impressions of all ten fingers, personal data, and official seal/stamp of the police agency and the signature of the official taking the fingerprints.
  In Lima, for example, fingerprinting is usually available at the National Police Complex (Direccion de Criminalistica PNP) on Av. Aramburu 550. However, over the past few months, several foreigners have reported being turned away, so it may be worth having a backup option. Other alternatives in Lima include local police stations - some are happy to help, while others may not offer the service - as well as the Interpol office. In Cusco readers reported success at the Policia Nacional del Peru, DIVINCRI PNP, Oficina de Criminalistica Cusco (a building behind the big police headquarters in Plaza Tupaq Amaru).
  Be aware this is a voluntary service.
• Request the document for international use
  When applying for your criminal record check in your home country, make sure the certificate is issued “for use abroad”, “for visa purposes”, or similar.
• Authentication is mandatory
  The document must contain an official signature and stamp from the issuing authority to be eligible for Apostille or legalization.
• Apostille or legalization is required
  After you received your record check, you have to get an Apostille on it (or, if your home country didn’t sign the Hague Apostille Convention must get legalized). This must usually be done in the country where the document was issued. Some authorities offer to forward the document directly for Apostille, which can save time and costs.
• Consider professional services
  Especially if you are abroad, using an approved service provider handling all the red tape to get your record check and/or the Apostille may be practical. In some countries, it’s even required to use such services at one point or the other.
• Translation into Spanish must be done in Peru
  Translations done abroad are not accepted. Foreign documents are only accepted in Peru if the translation was performed by a certified Peruvian translator. You find lists of government-approved translators (traductor público juramentado) on the Peruvian government website. Just click under point 3 on the language of your original document and the list of translators for your language appears. You can use other certified translators also.

Document corresponding to the Peruvian "antecedentes" by country

Below is information about which document meets the “Antecedents policales, penales y judiciales” requirement for the most common nationalities applying for resident visas in Peru. If your nationality is not listed, we hope the general guidance above still helps. If you have gone through the process and want to share your experience, we’d appreciate it.

United States

Officially, US nationals must submit an FBI Criminal Record Check, also called Identity History Summary, issued in the US by the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS).

For more information about the application process see the website of the US Department of State or  the FBI website. Once issued, the document must be apostilled by the US Department of State and translated in Peru.

However, since mid-2024, readers reported that state-issued background checks are sometimes accepted instead. Others experienced the opposite, with Migraciones rejecting state checks and requesting the FBI report. Confusing and so typical for Peru.

Throughout 2025, there have even been cases where properly issued FBI checks were rejected, with explanations ranging from vague to contradictory. Some applicants were explicitly told that only a state-issued check would be accepted.Weird. 

As of January 2026, FBI checks are still officially valid and should be accepted. To minimize risk, bringing both documents - so, the FBI and a state-issued check - might be a wise move. State checks are often faster, cheaper, and easier to apostille. In some states it you can apply online and/or without having to provide fingerprints. Additionally, as this document is issued by your state (not the federal government), it doesn't require U.S. Department of State processing but can be apostilled by the state's Secretary of State, which in most states only takes a week or two.

Canada

Canadians need a Certified Criminal Record Check issued in Canada by the Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services (CCRTIS) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

For more information about the application process see the website of the RCMP. 

Once issued the document must be apostilled officially by Global Affairs Canada (however, some readers reported that you can book an appointment on the website of the Canadian embassy in Lima under notarial services to have the document apostilled at the embassy) and translated in Peru. 

UK

UK nationals need an ACRO Police Certificate issued by the National Police Chiefs' Council's Criminal Records Office.

For more information about the application process, which can be done online, see the website of the Acro Criminal Records Office. 

Once issued the document must be apostilled in the UK by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Legalization Office and translated in Peru.

Australia

Australians must submit a National Police Clearance Certificate (NPC) for criminal records that cover all Australian states and territories issued by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

For detailed information about the application process see the website of the AFP.

Once issued the document must be apostilled in Australia by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and translated in Peru.

New Zealand

New Zealand citizens need a Criminal Record Check issued by the Ministry of Justice.

For more information about the application process, which can be done online, see the website criminal records website. 

Once issued the document must be apostilled by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) Authentication Unit in Wellington and translated in Peru. 

Germany

Germans need a Führungszeugnis issued by the Bundesamt für Justiz (Federal Office of Justice).

Applications can be made at any local registration office (Meldebehörde/Bürgeramt) or through the online portal of the BfJ (you will need your Personalausweis with PIN) if you are still in Germany. If you are abroad you can submit your application on the online portal or by written request. For more information see the website of the Bundesamt für Justiz.

Once the document is issued, it must be apostilled. Since 2023, Apostilles are issued by the Bundesamt für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten (BfAA), which only sends apostilled documents to German addresses. The website of the BfAA explains the whole process. 

Note:

If you want your criminal record certificate (Führungszeugnis) to be forwarded directly from the Federal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz) to the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs (BfAA) for the Apostille, you must first apply for the Apostille online with the BfAA. After paying the applicable BfAA fee, submit your application for the Führungszeugnis to the Bundesamt für Justiz and make sure to include the application number issued by the BfAA.

Once the Bundesamt für Justiz has the BfAA application number, it can forward the Führungszeugnis by mail to the BfAA, where it will be processed for the Apostille. Be aware that once the document is apostilled it will be sent by registered mail (Einwurf-Einschreiben) to you or to a recipient authorized by you within Germany. Delivery to addresses outside Germany is not possible.

Austria

Austrians need a Strafregisterauszug.

While the Landespolizeidirektion Wien (Federal Police Bureau Vienna) is responsible for keeping the register, the certificate is issued depending where you live by different police departments. You can as well apply online.

Once issued the document must be apostilled in Austria and translated in Peru.

If you are already in Peru - good news - the Austrian consulate is in charge.

Russia

Russians need a Certificate of no criminal record (in Russian this should be the “Spravka o nalichii (otsutstvii) sudimosti” - Certificate of presence (absence) of a criminal record).

If you are still in Russia, you can apply in person at your regional Information Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or at your local Multifunctional Service Center. 

Once issued the document must be apostilled and translated in Peru.

If you are already outside Russia, you can apply in person at the Consular Section of the nearest Russian Embassy (bring your Russian passport and, if you are a foreigner who lived in Russia, proof of your (former) residency).

Please note: LimaEasy is not a Peruvian government agency, public authority, or law firm. The information provided is based on our best knowledge and is intended as general guidance to help you understand Peruvian immigration regulations and procedures. Regulations, requirements, and administrative practices may change at any time and without prior notice, so we recommend verifying current details with the relevant authorities before acting on this information.

And last but not least: If you notice any inaccuracies or outdated information on this page, please help us keep this guide up to date by leaving a comment below or contacting us via our contact form. Thank you for your support!