Foreigners who have a valid and legally signed work contract with a Peruvian company that was approved by the Peruvian Labor Ministry or who have a legally signed service contract with a Peruvian company can apply for a work visa in Peru.
Content overview
- Work visa types
- Signing a work or service contract with a Peruvian company
- Approval of work contact by the Peruvian Labor Ministry
- Legal background for the work visa application in Peru
- Requirements for a work visa application in Peru
- Last steps before the actual work visa application
- Step-by-step guide to apply for a work visa in Peru
- Getting your Carné (foreigner ID)
- Things you should know living in Peru on a work visa
Work visa types
Peru’s main work visa types include:
Temporary work visa – Trabajador temporal
The temporary work visa in Peru is a multiple entry visa that allows you to work in Peru for up to 183 days within a 365-day period. It is mainly intended for foreigners who have a work contract with a Peruvian company with a duration of less than 12 months to work in Peru short-term (temporary) without the intention of a long-term residence in the country.
Additionally, the temporary work visa is intended for foreigners who have a work contract with a probation period where it’s not clear if they will work and live long-term in Peru. If the probation period ends and/or the contract is extended and you get a work contract with a duration of at least 12 months, you then can apply for a resident work visa.
Resident work visa (dependent) - Trabajador residente dependiente
The resident work visa (dependent) is intended for foreigners who plan to live in Peru long-term and work as an employee for a Peruvian company. To apply for it, you need a valid work contract with a duration of 12 months or more without a probationary period.
The resident work visa (dependent) is valid for one year, allowing you to live and work in Peru for one year. After one year of living on a resident work visa in Peru, you can/must renew it. After three years of legal residency (so living and working in Peru on a resident work visa) you can apply for a permanent resident work visa, which is valid indefinitely as long as you don’t leave Peru for more than a year.
Resident work visa (independent) - Trabajador residente independiente
The resident work visa (independent) is intended for foreigners who plan to live in Peru long-term and work as an independent service provider for a Peruvian company. To apply for it, you need a valid service contract with a duration of 12 months or more without a probationary period.
The resident work visa (independent) is valid for one year, allowing you to live and work in Peru for one year. After one year of living on a resident work visa in Peru, you can/must renew it. After three years of legal residency (so living and working in Peru on a resident work visa) you can apply for a permanent resident work visa, which is valid indefinitely as long as you don’t leave Peru for more than a year.
While the actual application for the work visa is basically a simple and straightforward process, at least if you are familiar with Peruvian bureaucracy, it is only the last step. The tricky part, especially when you aren’t working for a big international company, is the necessary groundwork you have to do before being able to apply for the work visa.
Signing a work or service contract with a Peruvian company
After finding a Peruvian company that is willing to employ you and sponsor your work visa, or who is using your services offering a service contract, the most important step of the process is the work/service contract.
If you sign a work or service contract with a Peruvian company while still being abroad, make sure to have it legalized by the Peruvian consulate before setting out for Peru. If the contract isn’t in Spanish, it has to be translated by an official translator once you are in the country.
If you are already in Peru as a tourist, you need a so called "permiso para firmar contratos" (a special permission to sign contracts) before you can legally sign the contract. Since January 2018, this can be easily done online. Our article "Permit to sign contacts in Peru" explains how it's done.
As soon as you have the permission, you can legally sign the work or service contract.
If you, however, entered Peru as a business traveler (so, your entry stamp clearly shows a "NEG" (for negocio) before the number of days you are allowed to stay), you do not need the permit to sign contracts as it's "included" in your business status.
Approval of work contract by the Peruvian Labor Ministry
Once the work (!) contract is correctly signed, it has to be approved by the Peruvian Labor Ministry. Exempted are contracts with citizens of Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Spain that only have to be sent to the ministry, but not approved by them.
Foreigners married to a Peruvian who already have a Peruvian family visa and foreigners with a "permanente residente" status are so called “exonerated workers”. Their work contract doesn’t require the approval of the Peruvian Ministry of Labor and some employment regulations, such as a Peruvian company is only allowed to have 20% of foreigners on their payroll and pay all foreign workers in the company not more than 30% of the total wages, don’t apply.
And last, but not least, service contracts do not need the approval of the Peruvian Ministry of Labor.
Even though the procedure has been simplified over the past years, the approval of the contract by the Labor Ministry sometimes can be tricky. Usually, the process should only take 5 to 7 business days, but longer waiting times have been reported.
According to Peruvian law, the company (mostly the company’s lawyer) has to support the future foreign employee with all the red tape. While for years the Peruvian employer had to prove the professional competence and occupational qualification of his future foreign employee, for example, by presenting work related certificates, decrees, titles, etc. today a sworn statement indicating work experience or a specialized education in the field is enough.
Detailed information and necessary form letters can be found on the webpage of the Peruvian Labor Ministry Mintra.
Except for the exemptions mentioned above, you can only apply for a work visa, after the work contract is approved by the Labor Ministry.
Legal background for the work visa application in Peru
Officially, you can apply for a work visa if you are still outside Peru or if you are already in the country, for example, as a tourist.
However, while for decades Peruvian consulates abroad handled temporary and residence visa applications from giving information and handing out the right forms to fill in, to accepting the application and, if approved, issuing the visa, since August 2021, the Peruvian diplomatic missions abroad only handle tourist and business visa applications and refer foreigners, who want to apply for a temporary or residence visa, to Migraciones in Peru.
So, foreigners, who can enter the country visa-free (so, who don’t have to apply for a “real” tourist visa at a Peruvian consulate), should come to Peru as a tourist and then change their immigration status - make a so called Cambio de calidad migratoria (as opposed to a Solicitud de calidad migratoria if you apply from outside Peru) - at Migraciones.
Those foreigners who cannot enter Peru visa-free (so, who must apply for a “real” tourist visa at a Peruvian consulate), officially must apply for residency from outside Peru; a complicated, lengthy, and sometimes frustrating process. We explain in detail how it’s done in our article “Peruvian residence visa application from abroad”.
For all foreigners planning to stay longer in Peru and to apply for a temporary or resident visa, the most important laws and regulations are the Decreto Legislativo 1350 (which only stipulates general rules), the Decreto Supremo 002-2021-IN and the TUPA. Helpful as well is to check out the Peruvian government website. All these documents are, of course, in Spanish.
While below, under "Requirements for a work visa application in Peru" you find the necessary documents described in English, the official list of requirements (in Spanish) can be found here:
Temporary work visa
In the Decreto Supremo 002-2021-IN on page 33, in article 75-C “Procedimiento administrativo de cambio de calidad migratoria trabajador temporal”. If you prefer to check out the TUPA you find the information on page 95.
Resident work visa (dependent and independent)
In the Supreme Decree DS N° 002-2021-IN on page 42, in article 88-B “Procedimiento administrativo de cambio de calidad migratoria trabajador residente”. If you prefer to check out the TUPA you find the information on page 138.
Requirements for a work visa application in Peru
Below you find the requirements to apply for a temporary or resident work visa, accurately to make a so-called "Cambio de calidad migratoria" (change of immigration status) in Peru.
Please be aware that Migraciones has the right to request other and/or additional documents at any time.
Required documents to apply for a temporary (!) work visa in Peru include:
- Form PA - Cambio de Calidad Migratoria
- Interpol clearance - Ficha de canje internacional not older than 6 months (see below)
- Receipt for paid application fee (code Migraciones 07568; concept Cambio de calidad migratoria trabajador temporal, S/.118 in 2023)
- Passport
- Sworn statement that you don't have a criminal record in Peru and abroad
- Legally signed and by the Peruvian Labor Ministry approved work contract with a duration of less than 12 months or with a probation period (not older than 30 days)
- Sworn statement of the legal representative of the company declaring that he/she is in charge of hiring staff and why he/she needs to employ a foreigner
- SUNAT registration, including RUC (Peruvian tax number) showing the employing company is active (***)
- Company registration of the employing company showing the legal representative (***)
- Recibo, so a water or electricity bill
Required documents to apply for a resident (!) work visa (trabajador dependiente) in Peru include:
- Form PA - Cambio de Calidad Migratoria
- Interpol clearance - Ficha de canje internacional not older than 6 months (see below)
- Receipt for paid application fee (code Migraciones 07568; concept Cambio de calidad migratoria trabajador residente; S/.162.50 in 2023)
- 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 (*)
- Legally signed and by the Peruvian Labor Ministry approved work contract with a duration of at least 12 months (not older than 30 days)
- Sworn statement of the legal representative of the company declaring that he/she is in charge of hiring staff and why he/she needs to employ a foreigner
- SUNAT registration, including RUC (Peruvian tax number) showing the employing company is active (***)
- Company registration of the employing company showing the legal representative (***)
- Recibo, so a water or electricity bill
Required documents to apply for a resident (!) work visa (trabajador independiente) in Peru include:
- Form PA - Cambio de Calidad Migratoria
- Interpol clearance - Ficha de canje internacional not older than 6 months (see below)
- Receipt for paid application fee (code Migraciones 07568; concept Cambio de calidad migratoria trabajador residente; S/.162.50 in 2023)
- 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 (*) (**)
- Legally signed service contract with a duration of at least 12 months
- Sworn statement of the legal representative of the company declaring that he/she is in charge of hiring staff and why he/she needs to employ a foreigner
- SUNAT registration, including RUC (Peruvian tax number) showing the employing company is active (***)
- Company registration of the employing company showing the legal representative (***)
- Recibo, so a water or electricity bill
(*) 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.
(**) 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) they 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, a so-called traductor publico juramentado, in case they are not solely in Spanish! The translation then has to be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(***) Even though no longer on the official requirement list, these documents might be requested additionally.
Last steps before the actual work visa application
Before you can finally apply for your temporary or resident work visa, you 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”.
If you apply for a temporary work visa, you additionally have to fill in and sign the Sworn statement that you don't have a criminal record in Peru and abroad.
If you apply for a resident work visa, you hopefully brought the criminal record check with Apostille/legalization from your home country that now needs to be translated by a certified translator, a so-called traductor publico juramentado. You find lists of these government-approved translators 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. The translation then has to be legalized again by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (RREE) in Lima or a RREE branch in the provinces.
Then pay the fee of S/ 118 (temporary work visa) / S/ 162.50 (resident work visa) for the Migraciones administrative procedure “Cambio de Calidad Migratoria” under code 07568 with "concepto": "Trabajador temporal" or "Trabajador residente" on pagalo.pe, at any Banco de la Nacion branch or at some Banco de la Nacion ATMs. 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".
And last but not least, make PDFs from your passport (page with your personal data and entry stamp), and from all other required documents.
Once the groundwork is done and you have all documents together, the actual application for a work visa (or correctly the change of your immigration status from, for example, tourist to work) is simple and straightforward. Even though after Peruvian law the company employing you has to support you and usually the company’s lawyers will help with or handle all the red tape involved, it might be good to know the application process.
Finally, the time has come to apply for your work visa. Be aware that in case you need to leave the country during the application process you have to apply for a special travel permit (Permiso especial de viaje, officially as well called Autorización de estadía fuera del país) before you leave the country, otherwise your application is null and void.
Please be aware that you have to be in the country on a valid visa (for example, a tourist visa or "authorization to enter as a tourist") when applying for your work visa in Peru.
Step-by-step guide to apply for a work visa in Peru
One remark before we start: The Agencia Digital is in Spanish only. We highly recommend to not using a translation program which automatically translates the page from Spanish to your preferred language to avoid system errors. Additionally, often translation programs have difficulties "understanding" the bureaucratic language used by Migraciones, which results in translations that don't make any sense or are more difficult for you to understand than the Spanish original. If you can't understand the one or other field, enter the description for this field in a translator. If you still can't make sense of it, feel free to leave a comment below and we try our best to explain what to fill in. And to avoid further system errors, we highly recommend to not using a VPN and switching off any ad blockers you might use.
Once you have done all the preparation work, open the Migraciones Agencia Digital and click on Entrar.
On the next page, select "Extranjero". Then choose in the drop-down menu the document with which you entered Peru (most probably passport), enter your passport number, your birthdate, nationality, the date you entered Peru and the captcha. Click on Verificar.
No matter which forms you fill out in Peru, always enter your personal data exactly (!!!) as in your passport!
Now you are on the main page of the Agencia Digital. Here you can either use the search field or find in the menu on the left under “Cambio de calidad migratoria” the points Trabajador Temporal and Trabajador Residente. Choose the one that applies and proceed to the next page.
1st page of the work visa application
Here, you first have to select the Migraciones branch which should handle your application (for example, Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, …). In the second field, you must enter a “data update code” which you most probably don’t have. Below this field is a quite small link.
Click on it and you are re-directed to the Sistema de Actualizacion de Datos page. Choose Option 2. On the next page fill in your nationality, select the document with which you entered Peru (most probably passport), enter your passport number, and your birth date, select your gender and enter the captcha; you can leave the field with the "preinscription code" blank. Then you get to a quite extensive questionnaire.
Data update questionnaire
Be aware that you only have 1 hour to complete the questionnaire and as the system doesn’t save your information, even though there is an option to save, once you started you must finish it within an hour otherwise all your progress is gone, and you have to start from scratch. The questions are quite unorganized and partly a bit strange, so to give you an idea what questions you have to answer and might need to prepare for here an overview:
In the first two categories, you have to fill in your personal data including full name (as in your passport!), document with which you entered Peru, document number, gender, marital status, country of birth, if you have a criminal, police or judicial record, if you are pregnant.
The third category asks for your address in Peru, your e-mail address, cell phone number and landline phone number. Here you must upload a “recibo”, so a water or electricity bill to prove that you live at that address. The recibo doesn't have to be in your name, just must show the correct address.
Then you are asked for the information of an emergency contact, including ID, name and e-mail of your emergency contact. This is followed by questions about your employment situation and where you were born (continent, country, town).
In the next category, you have to enter your hair and eye color, height in meters, weight in kilograms, religion, marital status, date of marriage, vaccinations and if you have a disability or disease. You are then asked if you arrived in Peru alone or if someone was accompanying you. If so, you must enter the personal data (passport number, name, last name, birthdate) of that person. Now you are asked if you have lived in other countries previously and in which country before coming to Peru, when you last entered Peru, how you came to Peru (plane, bus, car).
The last questions check your living conditions (are you living in a house, number of rooms, accommodation connected to water, sewage, electricity, and internet), ask for some financial info (bank accounts in Peru or other countries, shares, or stock in Peru, bank loans in Peru) and want to know if you have a car and a driver’s license in Peru or other country.
As soon as you have completed the last page of the questionnaire, the system accepts all your answers and sends the data update code to your e-mail.
You made it!
Back to the 1st page of the work visa application
Now fill in the data update code and click on Siguente.
2nd page of the work visa application
Here you must fill in some data and/or upload all for the work visa application necessary documents as PDF.
Those who just want to verify the requirements or double check if the requirements have changed can do so on this page. Then just click through the tabs but do not upload any documents and do not click on Siguente; once you finished just leave the page.
To continue with your work visa application, click on the little arrows next to each requirement, and certain fields appear depending on the requirement. Just fill in the fields as requested and upload the corresponding document.
Under “Pago por derecho de tramite” you are asked to enter certain information of the bank receipt. If you don't know where to find the requested bank information on your receipt, click on the question mark.
Under the Interpol tab, you must upload the Ficha de Canje from Interpol and, if you apply for a resident work visa, the criminal record check you brought from home, or, if you a apply for a temporary work visa, the sworn statement. Be aware that both fields are mandatory, and you can’t continue without having uploaded both documents.
Under the next tab, you must upload your work or service contract and below other documents required. And finally, fill in the required information of your passport and upload a copy.
Once you uploaded all your documents, click on Siguente.
3rd page of the work visa application
You then get to a page showing the fields of the Form PA - Cambio de Calidad Migratoria already (partly) filled in. If and where necessary and/or possible, complete the fields and check that all information is 100% correct. Then download and/or print the form (if downloading isn't possible, make a screenshot of the complete page)!!!
At the bottom, under the signature / fingerprint field, the "fecha de publicacion" (application date) and a "codigo de verificaion" (verification code) are shown. If you later want to check the status of your application online, which can be done here or if you, for example, want to apply for a travel permit to leave the country while the approval of your application is still in process, you will need this code. Additionally, you as well find your login data for the buzon electronico at the bottom of the page.
Print the page, sign and fingerprint it, and keep it safe until you pick up your carné.
If you didn't print the page when you had the chance during your application, retrieving especially your verifiaction code is nearly impossible. But as you will need the PA form when picking up your carné you can download the Form PA - Cambio de Calidad Migratoria on the government website, fill it in, sign and fingerprint it, and bring this with you when you pick up your carné.
4th page of the work visa application
You now get to a page "Registro de Solicitud de Cambio de Calidad Migratoria" where you are asked to make an appointment for having your biometrical data (photo, fingerprints, signature) taken with a provided code. This code is your numero de expediente (file number). It consists of 2 letters (usually some abbreviation of the Migraciones office where you applied; LM for Lima, for example; or CY for Chiclayo, etc.) and 9 numbers. Download and or print the page and keep it safe. Once you leave this page, you can't return to it. And if you haven't saved your file number, it's a nightmare to retrieve it.
As waiting times sometimes can be long, especially in Lima, we suggest following provided link and make the appointment immediately. If you want to make it at a later time, you can enter the Agencia Digital and make an appointment under "Citas en Linea", subpoint "para registro de datos biometricos".
Buzon Electronico
The Buzon Electronico is your personal Migraciones electronic mailbox which you should check regularly for notifications from Migraciones (for example, request to upload missing or additional documents, approval or denial of your visa application, etc.).
The username (usario) and password (contraseña) is on the PA form (see above under 3rd page). If you didn't download or print the form, you can get your login details by entering the Agencia Digital and on the main page at the top clicking on Buzon Electronico or using this direct link. Then click on ¿Olvidaste la contraseña? and you get to the "Verificacion de Datos" page. Here enter your nationality, passport, passport number, last name(s), first name(s) and your birthdate. After submitting your information by clicking on Siguiente, you get an email with the "usario" and a link to reset or create a password.
Getting your Carné (foreigner ID)
Biometrical data appointment
On the day of your biometrical data appointment, be at the office 15 - 30 minutes before your appointment with your documents (usually only your printed appointment and passport is needed, but to be prepared for any unforeseen events you may have the folder with all other documents with you). 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. The process is quick and astonishingly well organized; you should be done in less than half an hour.
Then all you can do is check your Buzon regularly and wait until your visa is approved.
Registration in the foreigner database
As soon as your application is approved, pay the fee of S/ 49 (temporary workers) or S/ 49.70 (resident workers) on pagalo.pe under code 07561-Formulario F-SPE-001 for the registration in the foreigner database and issuance of the carné under concepto "Expedición del carné temporal (CTM)" for temporary workers or "Expedición del carné de extranjeria" for resident workers.
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.
Picking up your carné at Migraciones
Then make an appointment on the Agencia Digital under “Citas en linea”, subpoint "para recojo de documentos" 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, all documents and receipts with you. Migraciones personal will point you in the right direction where you are handed your carné.
Congratulations! You made it!
Things you should know living in Peru on a work visa
You are only allowed to start working when your work visa is approved and you have the carné in your hands.
Temporary work visas allow you to work in Peru for up to 183 days within a 365-day period. They can be extended.
A resident work visa (so the residence permit) is valid for one year and then has to be renewed. The carné (so the Peruvian foreigner ID) is usually valid for four years and then must be renewed. For more details, check out our glossary under "Carné de Extranjería – Peru’s ID Card for foreigners".
Once you have your residence permit and carné as a resident worker, you must get a Peruvian tax number (RUC) and password (Clave SOL) which is issued by Sunat, Peru's tax authority.
If any information you provided when applying for your work visa changes, Migraciones must be informed about it within 30 days. So, if you change jobs, get a new passport, move to a new address, etc. you have to apply for a so-called "modificación de datos en el registro central de extranjería". Be aware that in some cases, a new carné has to be issued after the application is approved.
Whenever you, as a resident worker, want to leave the country for short or extended periods of time, for example, to go on holidays or for a business trip abroad, you must present the so-called "Certificado de Rentas y Retenciones" at immigrations before you are allowed to leave. This form is issued by your employer or, if you work independently, by your client(s), who confirms that the income tax corresponding to your earnings was retained according to the Peruvian tax legislation. The physical form, Formulario 1492, is rarely used anymore. Instead, your employer or client has to enter his/her Sunat Virtual and fill in the Formulario Virtual 1692°, then print and sign it and give it to you. The form expires 30 days after it was filed with Sunat; so, you must leave Peru within these 30 days. If you, as a dependent or independent resident worker didn't have any earnings, you must present the so-called “Declaración jurada de haber realizado actividades que no impliquen la generación de rentas de fuente peruana” at immigrations before you are allowed to leave. So, just download Formulario 1495, fill it in, sign it and show it to the immigration officer when leaving Peru.
Foreigners living in Peru on a resident work visa have to be in the country at least 183 days per year, otherwise they lose their resident status. In case you have to be outside Peru for longer, before leaving the country, apply for the Autorización de estadía fuera del país por 183 días, and won't lose your residency.
Resident work visa holders can get the Peruvian nationality by naturalization after having legally lived in Peru for at least two years.
If you don't want to get the Peruvian nationality or can't because your home country doesn't allow dual nationality, after three years of legal residency in Peru on a resident work visa, you can apply for a permanent resident visa - make a so-called Cambio de calidad migratoria a permanente residente (trabajador) - if you can fulfill the financial and other requirements; no more extensions and an indefinite residency.
And finally, if you, as a resident worker, are leaving Peru permanently, you have to cancel your residence visa. Once the application is approved, you have 15 days to exit the country.
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!
And if you find something wrong on this page, please help us to keep this guide as up to date as possible and contact us either below with a comment or use our contact form. Thank you!