Peruvian Overstay Fine for tourists

Tourists who stay longer than the number of days granted upon entry to Peru must pay an overstay fine before leaving the country. While this is usually a fairly straightforward process – at least if you know how it works - in some cases there might be the one or other hurdle to overcome. This guide explains the rules, consequences, and payment options in detail, so you know exactly what to expect.

Table of contents

• How long can I stay in Peru as a tourist
• How many days did I get
• Consequences of overstaying your allowed time as a tourist
• How much is the overstay fine
• How and where to pay the overstay fine
  • Paying the overstay fine at the airport
  • Paying the overstay fine at the border
  • Paying the overstay fine on pagalo.pe
  • Paying the overstay fine at the Banco de la Nacion
• If you can’t pay the overstay fine
• When can I return to Peru after having overstayed

How long can I stay in Peru as a tourist

In general, according to the former Foreigner Law (Decreto Legislativo 1350) and its modification, the current Foreigner Law, Decreto Legislativo 1582, published in November 2023, foreign tourists may stay in Peru for a maximum of 183 accumulated days within a 365‑day period - in other words, up to half a year counted from the day of first entry.

However, this does not mean that you automatically receive the full 183 days when entering Peru. For most nationalities, this theoretical maximum is limited by a publication of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (RREE), first issued in 2019 and updated occasionally. According to this publication, most foreign nationals are allowed to stay in Peru as tourists for up to 90 days in a 180‑day period for tourism, recreational, or health purposes. A smaller number of nationalities may stay up to 90 days in a 365‑day period, and only a handful may stay up to 180 days in a 365‑day period.

In practice, Peruvian immigration officers strictly apply the RREE rules. Since August 2021, foreign tourists have generally been granted up to 90 days upon entry; even nationals who, according to RREE, could theoretically stay longer, or who hold a “real” tourist visa issued by a Peruvian consulate allowing up to 183 days. Upon arrival, these travelers are also usually limited to a maximum of 90 days.

So, in most cases, you will receive 90 days when entering Peru. That said, the final decision always lies with the immigration officer. Without any obvious reason, you might receive only 30 or 60 days. If you overstayed in the past, or if you try to re‑enter Peru before your previous 180‑day period has elapsed, you might be granted as little as a few days or, if you are lucky and have not yet reached the annual maximum of 183 days, the full 90 days again.

The new Foreigner Law further states that if foreign tourists do not receive the full 183 days upon arrival, an extension may be granted until the 183‑day limit is reached, unless international agreements or conventions provide for a shorter stay or do not allow extensions at all.

However, the current TUPA, Migraciones’ administrative regulations and procedures, makes it clear that only nationals of Andean Community member states (Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia) are currently allowed to extend their stay as tourists. For all other nationalities, international agreements or conventions appear to limit the allowed stay and exclude extensions.

So, if you were granted 30, 60, or 90 days upon entry and do not hold Bolivian, Ecuadorian, or Colombian nationality, you cannot extend your tourist stay in Peru. If you overstay, you must face the consequences explained below.

How many days did I get when I entered

After passport stamping was suspended during the height of the Covid pandemic, Peru briefly reintroduced entry stamps in May 2022, making it easy for travelers to see how many days they were allowed to stay.

Unfortunately, this only lasted about a year. At the end of May 2023, Peru eliminated entry stamps again for travelers arriving on international flights, and gradually for those crossing land borders as well.

Today, the only way to confirm how many days you were granted is to ask the immigration officer upon entry or - if you prefer written confirmation - to check online via the Migraciones website under Consultas en Linea TAM Virtual.

For step‑by‑step instructions, background information on the TAM and TAM Virtual, and alternative ways to verify your allowed stay, see our detailed guide: “How many days did I get when entering Peru?”

How many days did I get when entering Peru?

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Consequences of overstaying your allowed time as a tourist

Overstaying your allowed time in Peru is not a criminal offense, and overstayers are rarely actively pursued. In most situations, there are no severe immediate consequences. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend respecting Peruvian immigration rules, including the length of stay granted to you as a tourist.

From the day your tourist stay expires, you are considered to be in Peru with an “irregular immigration status” under Peruvian law. While this may not affect you much day‑to‑day, overstaying can lead to a range of consequences - from minor inconvenience to serious problems depending on your specific situation.

Under the Peruvian Foreigner Law, Migraciones has four sanction levels for overstaying:

• an overstay fine
• a re‑entry ban
• an obligatory departure (salida obligatoria)
• deportation

In the vast majority of cases, only the first and sometimes the second apply. Obligatory departure orders and deportations are typically reserved for severe cases of overstaying, often combined with other violations or crimes. That said, in recent years Migraciones has occasionally carried out street checks, particularly in Lima, Callao, Cusco, and border regions, targeting foreigners who may have overstayed or entered the country irregularly.

Overstay fine

The most common and consistently enforced sanction is the overstay fine. If you remain in Peru beyond the number of days granted upon entry, you must pay a fine for each day overstayed before you are allowed to leave the country.

If you overstayed only a few days or weeks, paying the fine is usually straightforward. However, if you overstayed for several months or longer, the fine can add up quickly and become a financial burden.

In most cases, once the fine is paid, you can leave Peru without further punishment.

Re-entry ban

Travelers who overstayed excessively or repeatedly - typically for many months or even years -may also receive a temporary re‑entry ban, usually for one or two years. Whether such a ban is imposed is entirely at the discretion of the immigration officer, and in rare cases even shorter overstays can result in a ban.

Obligatory departure and deportation

Although typically reserved for severe cases of overstaying combined with other violations or crimes, and rarely enforced against “normal” overstayers, Peruvian law allows Migraciones to issue an obligatory departure order, the so-called salida obligatoria, requiring the foreigner to leave immediately or within a specified timeframe.

Since April 2023, such orders may be accompanied by a re‑entry ban of up to five years. Failure to comply can result in deportation and a re‑entry ban of up to 15 years.

While uncommon, corrupt officials may attempt to misuse these provisions to intimidate or extort overstayers. This is another reason to avoid overstaying whenever possible.

Most common other inconveniences and consequences

Next to these official sanctions, overstaying may lead to additional complications:

• Your overstay is recorded in the immigration database and may affect future entries. So, when you return to Peru, you might be questioned more intensively and/or you might not get the full number of days tourists usually can stay in the country.
• You generally cannot apply for a residence visa (make a so-called cambio de calidad migratoria from tourist to, for example, family, work, student, etc.) in Peru while overstaying, unless you first regularize your status, which can be a mission to do.
• Airlines and long‑distance bus companies may technically refuse transport, although enforcement is inconsistent.

How much is the overstay fine

Regardless of the reason for overstaying your allowed time in Peru - be it by mistake, due to unforeseen circumstances or intentionally - the fine amounts to 0.1% of one UIT per overstayed day. It must be paid before being allowed to leave the country.

• In 2026, one UIT equals S/ 5,500, so the fine is S/ 5.50 per overstayed day.
• In 2025, one UIT was S/ 5,350, resulting in a fine of S/ 5.35 per overstayed day.

How and where to pay the overstay fine

If you overstay your allowed time in Peru, the fine must be paid before you leave the country. Payment is possible:

• at the airport
• at certain land borders
• online via pagalo.pe
• at any branch of the Banco de la Nación

Note: Paying the overstay fine does not extend your tourist stay. Even if you pay in advance (for example via pagalo.pe), this is not a tourist visa extension. The fine is a penalty for overstaying, not a fee to legalize additional days.

As a general rule, tourist visa extensions are no longer possible in Peru. Exception (since October 22, 2023): only foreign nationals from Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador may extend their stay as tourists.

No matter where you pay, keep your payment receipt safe! You must present it to the immigration officer when leaving Peru.

Paying the overstay fine at the airport

Despite occasional contradictory information, it is still possible to pay the overstay fine directly at the new airport terminal.

After checking in and passing the security check, proceed to the immigration counters as usual. The immigration officer will calculate the number of days you overstayed and then send you to the bank located right next to the immigration counters.

The bank is open daily as long as international flights are departing.

For many years, only cash payments in soles or US dollars were accepted (with a rather poor exchange rate), but since August 2022, debit and credit card payments are also possible.

Once you have paid, return to the immigration counter with your receipt.

If you already know exactly how many days you overstayed, you may also first pay at the bank or on pagalo.pe (see below) and then proceed to the immigration counters.

Paying the overstay fine at a land border

At larger land border crossings, you can usually pay the overstay fine onsite. Proceed to immigration; either payment is handled there directly, or you will be directed to a payment counter. After receiving your receipt, return to the immigration officer and you are usually cleared to leave the country.

At smaller border crossings, however, onsite payment may not be possible. In this case, you will be asked to pay:

• online via pagalo.pe (see below), or
• at the nearest branch of the Banco de la Nación

Be aware that Banco de la Nación branches are often not near at all, operate only during regular business hours (sometimes shorter), and frequently have long queues. For this reason, it is often wise to pay your overstay fine a day or two in advance, either online or at a bank branch, before heading to the border.

Paying the overstay fine on pagalo.pe

You can pay your overstay fine online via pagalo.pe, Peru’s official government payment platform. In general, this is a fast and convenient option. However, as with many administrative procedures in Peru, there are a few hurdles, especially for foreigners.

To use pagalo.pe, you must first create an account. Our article “Paying administration charges and processing fees in Peru” explains the process in detail and includes step-by-step instructions with screenshots. I strongly recommend reading it first.

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Step-by-step guide to pay your overstay fine on pagalo.pe

Once your account is set up:

1. Go to pagalo.pe and click Ingresar 
2. Enter your email address and password 
3. After logging in, you reach the main page 

Next, click on “Buscar trámite o entidad” and this drop-down list is displayed.

Select Migraciones and you see a list with all administrative procedures that you can pay online.

Choose  00675 - Multa Extranjeros - Exceso Permanencia (Por Dia.

You are now on the Registro de Tasa page. 

Enter the following information:

• Concepto: Select the year in which you overstayed
• Costo: Automatically filled in after selecting the year
• Tipo de documento/Numero de documento: Choose the document used to enter Peru (usually passport) and enter the number
• Cantidad: Enter the number of overstayed days
• Importe total: After you entered the number of days you overstayed the system automatically calculates the amount you must pay..

Then click on Agregar a carrito and you get to your "shopping cart".

There just accept the terms & conditions and proceed to Pagar.

Paying overstays across two calendar years

If you overstayed across two years (for example, late 2025 and early 2026), you must add the days separately for each year to your pagalo shopping cart:

1. Add the overstayed days for the first year to the cart as explain above.
2. Accept the terms & conditions and click Agregar otro pago.
3. Repeat the process for the second year.
4. Your shopping cart shows now the payment for the first and second year.
5. Accept the terms & conditions and click on Pagar to pay both amounts together.

Payment methods

You are now on the Método de pago page. You can pay using:

• your Visa, Master, or American Express card (debit or credit)
• Yape

Just follow the instructions. Once payment is completed, a receipt is sent to your email address.

Next to paying by card or Yape app you can also generate a voucher by clicking on the red Banco de la Nacion icon to pay in cash at a Banco de la Nación branch or selected Banco de la Nación ATMs.

At the airport, after security, proceed to the bank counters near the immigration desks to have your pagalo.pe receipt verified. You will receive an additional payment slip, which you then present at immigration together with your passport.

Paying the overstay fine at a branch of the Banco de la Nacion

Procedures vary slightly depending on the branch. Some require that you first generate a payment voucher on pagalo.pe (see above), while others allow you to pay directly at the counter.

There you will need:

• your passport (and ideally a copy of the personal data page) as the payment must be registered under your name and passport number.
• If you haven’t created a voucher on pagalo:
  • the authority: Migraciones
  • the procedure code: 00675
  • the number of days you overstayed
• If you have created a voucher on pagalo: the voucher

Before leaving the counter, check the receipt carefully. Even small spelling mistakes or incorrect numbers can cause problems later, and immigration may refuse the payment when you try to leave Peru.

If you can’t pay the overstay fine

If you overstayed your allowed time in Peru, the overstay fine must be paid before leaving the country. In most cases, there is no way around it. If you are unable to pay because you don’t have sufficient funds, the situation can become serious.

Under Peruvian regulations, foreigners who cannot or refuse to pay the overstay fine may be held in custody until the fine is paid by themselves or by a third party, or until another solution is agreed upon with the authorities. While imprisonment solely for not paying an overstay fine is rare, it can happen.

To avoid ending up in a holding area at the airport or, in extreme cases, in a Peruvian detention facility, it is strongly recommended to resolve any financial issues before attempting to leave the country. If possible, ask friends or family for help so you can pay the fine and depart without complications.

If this is not an option, especially in cases of significant overstays resulting in fines of several thousand soles, it may be worth contacting Migraciones directly and explaining your situation. In exceptional cases, Migraciones may offer alternatives such as a payment arrangement, a partial reduction, or, less commonly, permission to leave without paying the fine in exchange for a re-entry ban, which can range from one to fifteen years.

Some travelers consider leaving Peru via a small land border crossing in the hope of negotiating the fine. While this may occasionally work, it is unofficial, unpredictable, and risky, and should not be relied upon.

Overall, overstaying in Peru is not a criminal offense and, at least for now, usually does not lead to severe consequences. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend respecting Peruvian immigration rules, staying within the number of days granted, and if you do overstay making sure you have the financial means to pay the fine when leaving the country.

When can I return to Peru after having overstayed?

Unfortunately, Migraciones has never officially published clear rules on how long foreigners who overstayed their tourist stay must remain outside Peru before being allowed to re-enter. For this reason, the following information is only partly based on official regulations and partly on long-term observation and real-life cases.

What the official rules say

The general rules for staying in Peru as a tourist are relatively clear as explained in detail above under How long can I stay in Peru as a tourist:

• Most nationalities may stay up to 90 days in a 180-day period (roughly three months in Peru, followed by at least three months outside)
• In addition, foreign tourists may stay up to 183 accumulated days within a 365-day period (all tourist stays added together within one year, counted from your first entry)

However - and this is crucial - you have no automatic right to enter Peru, nor to receive a specific number of days. Entry and length of stay are always at the discretion of the immigration officer you face when entering the country. This applies whether or not you overstayed in the past.

Immigration officers have a certain margin of discretion and may interpret the rules more strictly or more leniently depending on the situation. This discretion can work in your favor or against you.

So when can you realistically return?

Because of this discretionary system, it is impossible to give an exact or guaranteed answer. Still, some general guidelines can help you minimize risk.

Short overstays (days or weeks, up to around 3 months)

Let’s assume:

• You were granted 90 days
• You overstayed by a few days, several weeks, or up to three months
• You paid the overstay fine
• You did not receive a re-entry ban

In this case, we recommend staying outside Peru for at least 90 days plus the number of days you overstayed.

Example: 

If you overstayed 30 days, wait around 4 months (90 days + 30 days) after leaving before attempting to return.

If you return earlier, several outcomes are possible:

• You may be denied entry (rare, but possible).
• You may be granted only a few days or only the remaining days until you reach the 183-day yearly limit.
• You may be granted another 90 days without issue.

Which outcome applies depends entirely on the immigration officer.

Using up the full 183 days

If you stayed 90 days plus overstayed another 90 days, you already reached the maximum of 183 days in a 365-day period.

In this case, you can realistically return one year after your first entry, which is roughly six months after you left Peru.

Long overstays beyond 183 days

Things become even more unclear if you exceeded the maximum of 183 days per year, for example, by overstaying four, five, or six months.

In these cases, you not only overstayed your initial stay, but also exceeded the absolute annual maximum. There is no official guidance on how immigration officers calculate or penalize this extra time.

If you were lucky enough not to receive a re-entry ban, we strongly recommend staying outside Peru for at least six months plus the number of days exceeding the 183-day limit before trying to return.

Real-life outcomes vary widely

To underline this once more: everything depends on the individual immigration officer.

Some travelers overstayed, in some cases severely, left Peru briefly, returned without any issues, and received another 90 days. Others had to explain their situation in detail, for example, delays in getting married or waiting for documents to apply for a residence visa, and were granted enough time to sort things out. In other cases, immigration officers strictly applied the rules and denied entry.

Our recommendation

To avoid stress, uncertainty, and potential penalties, we strongly recommend not overstaying your allowed time as a tourist in Peru. If you do overstay, plan your departure and possible return carefully and be prepared for different outcomes at the border.

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!