Foreigners planning to study at a Peruvian educational institution or to do an internship / apprenticeship (without payment!) at a Peruvian company, have to apply for a student visa.
Depending on the length of your studies in Peru, a temporary student visa, called Formación temporal (issued for studies less than 12 months) or a resident student visa, called Formación residente (for studies longer than 12 months) is issued.
However, in some cases, "short-term" students and participants of study abroad programs don't have to apply for a student visa at all but can do their studies on a tourist visa. So, best check with the Peruvian university, the organization of your exchange program or nearest Peruvian consulate if this exception might apply to you.
Please note: the Peruvian educational institution or training facility you plan to study / do an internship has to be recognized by the Peruvian Ministry of Education or the National Assembly of University Rectors.
Applying for a Student Visa
Officially, you can apply for a temporary or resident student visa at a Peruvian consulate abroad or at Migraciones in Peru. However, while diplomatic missions in the US and a few other countries issue the visa without a problem, consulates in other countries don't. So, students or interns enter Peru on a tourist visa and then change their immigration status from tourist to either temporary student or resident student - make a so called Cambio de calidad migratoria (as opposed to a Solicitud de calidad migratoria at a consulate) - at Migraciones.
Requirements for a Peruvian Student Visa
In mid-July 2021 the new TUPA (Texto Unico de Procedimientos Administrativos; Single Text of Administrative Procedures) went into effect, which is mainly based on the Peruvian Supreme Decree DS N° 002-2021-IN. This new legislation changes a few immigration processes, procedures, and requirements for some Migraciones paperwork.
So below, find the requirements according to the July 2021 TUPA. As the document is quite confusing, we recommend that those who prefer to read the original requirements either check out the official website of Peru (only for resident visa) or better the corresponding text passage of the Supreme Decree DS N° 002-2021-IN.
- For temporary student visa on page 29 in article 73-A “Procedimiento administrative de solicitud de calidad migratoria formación temporal” (when applying at a Peruvian consulate) or in article 73-C “Procedimiento administrativo de cambio de calidad migratoria formación temporal” on page 30 when applying at Migraciones in Peru.
- For resident student visa in article 83-A “Procedimiento administrative de Solicitud de Calidad Migratoria de Formación” on page 36 (when applying in Peru) or in article 83-B “Procedimiento administrative de cambio de calidad migratoria formacion residente” on page 37 when applying in Peru.
However, please be aware that Migraciones has the right to request other and / or additional documents at any time.
As the best source of information for applying abroad is the Peruvian consulate, below the requirements and a walk-trough of the application process when applying in Peru.
Requirement documents to apply for a student visa in Peru include, but may not be restricted to:
- Form F-007 (must be downloaded during the application process, filled in and uploaded again)
- Interpol clearance - Ficha de canje internacional (see below)
- Receipt for paid application fee (code Migraciones 07568; S/.162.50 in 2022)
- Passport
- Antecedentes policiales, penales y judiciales (Police clearance certificate, criminal record and judicial matters check) issued in the country of origin and, if the applicant lived in another country before coming to Peru, in the country of residence covering the last 5 years (*) (**)
- For students: Enrollment certification issued by the recognized Peruvian educational institution
- For exchange students: Official letter from the Peruvian host university or higher education institution
- For interns: Official letter from the Peruvian company
- Proof of sufficient financial resources or sworn statement stating that you (in case of minors, the parents) have sufficient financial resources to fund your studies or internship in Peru
(*) All foreign documents need an Apostille or, if the country in which they were issued didn't sign the Apostille Convention (like Canada, for example) have to be legalized by a Peruvian consulate abroad and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Peru. Additionally, all documents, apostilled or legalized, have to be translated into Spanish by a certified translator in Peru, in case they are not solely in Spanish!
(**) As we get many question about the “Antecedentes policiales, penales y judiciales” we dedicated a separate article to the topic where we explain in detail what kind of document you need, where you get it and what to watch out for when applying for it.
One of the requirements to apply for a resident visa in Peru or to change your visa type, for example from a work visa to a permanent resident visa...
Getting started ...
Before you can even start any temporary or resident visa application process, you first have to get the so-called “Ficha de Canje Internacional” from Interpol in Peru. Find a detailed description of how it’s done in our article “Interpol - Ficha de Canje Internacional”.
All foreigners must present the Ficha de Canje Internacional to Migraciones when changing their immigration status – either from a temporary visa o...
Make PDFs from your passport (page with your personal data), and from all other documents.
Applying for a student visa in Peru
Once you have the Ficha and all documents together, pay the fee of S/ 162.50 (2022) for the Migraciones administrative procedure “Cambio de Calidad Migratoria” under code 07568 with "concepto": "Formacion temporal" or "Formacion residente" at any Banco de la Nacion branch or ATM or on pagalo.pe. As you already paid the Interpol fee, you know how the systems works, otherwise check again in our article "Paying administration charges and processing fees in Peru".
All administration charges and processing fees government agencies, public authorities and entities levy in Peru have to be paid at the Banco de la...
Then open the Migraciones Agencia Digital. Choose "Extranjero" and enter the data requested. Enter your personal data exactly as in your passport.
On the next page you find on the left under “Cambio de Calidad Migratoria” the points “Formacion Temporal” and “Formacion Residente”. Choose the one that applies.
Then just follow the steps as indicated; nothing you can do wrong. Always check that all personal data you entered (or was automatically filled in) is 100% correct.
During the process - under “Pago por derecho de tramite” - you are asked to enter certain information of the bank receipt (click on the little arrow and the fields appear). If you don't know where to find the requested bank information on your receipt, click on the question mark.
Under “Documento de identificacion adminstrado” (click on the little arrow and the fields appear - here you can as well just check which documents are necessary and then leave the page without finishing the process), you have to upload requested documents as PDF.
Be aware that at one point during the application process you have to download the F007 form, fill it in and then upload it again with all your other documents.
At the end of the process - if everything works smoothly - you get the confirmation of your application. Download this document and / or print it and keep it safe.
At the bottom of this document, you find the login data for the “Buzon Electronico” which you should check regularly for notifications from Migraciones (for example, request to upload missing / other documents, approval of your visa or appointment for taking your biometrical data / photo, fingerprints, signature).
Getting your Carné (foreigner ID)
Once you get the confirmation that your student visa was approved, pay the fee of S/ 49.90 on pagalo.pe under code 07561-Formulario F-SPE-001 for the registration in the foreigner database and issuance of the carné; temporary student visa applicants choose under concepto "Expedición de carné temporal migratorio - CTM", while resident student visa applicants select "Expedición del carné de extranjeria".
Then once again enter the Agencia Digtal to do the online registration under “Inscr. Reg. central extranjeria”. As before, just follow the steps as indicated. Check that all information is correct. At the end, you get a confirmation which you should download and / or print and keep safe.
Usually, around the same time (sometimes even before you get the confirmation of the visa approval), you receive an appointment for getting your biometrical data (photos, signature and fingerprints) taken. As the appointment is usually within 3 to 5 days after the message was sent to you, we highly recommend checking your buzón electronico regularly to not miss anything. Be aware that in Lima, the biometrical data is taken at the Migraciones office on Jr. Carabaya and not at the main office in Breña.
Be at the office 15 - 30 minutes before your appointment with all your documents (passport, appointment, application, approval). The process is quick and astonishingly well organized; you should be done in less than half an hour. The staff usually tells you when you should make an appointment to pick up your carné, but often a message is sent as well via the buzón electronico, so keep an eye on that. Expect to wait 10 - 14 days while your carné is in the process of being issued.
Then make an appointment on the Agencia Digital under “Citas en linea” to pick up your carné. Once again, download and / or print the confirmation and keep it safe.
On the day of your appointment, arrive at Migraciones 15 - 30 minutes early. Take your passport and confirmation(s) with you. Migraciones personal will point you in the right direction where you are handed you carné.
Congratulations! You made it!
Can I work on a student visa in Peru?
No! The Peruvian student visa doesn’t allow foreigners to work or engage in any professional activity receiving a remuneration. To do a professional (paid) internship or to work during official university vacations, foreign students can apply for a special authorization to work. This is done on the Agencia Digital under "Permisos".
Please note: We from LimaEasy are not the Peruvian immigration authority Migraciones or a Peruvian consulate. All information is published to our best knowledge and should be seen as general guidance introducing you to Peruvian procedures. All information is subject to change, as regulations, requirements and processes can change quickly without prior notice! Therefore, we recommend checking the current regulations with the nearest Peruvian consulate or, if you are already in Peru, with Migraciones!
5 Comments
· 13/07/2022@Sebastián Hello Sebastián,
