Foreigners who have a correctly signed and valid work contract with a Peruvian company that was approved by the Peruvian Labor Ministry can apply for a work visa in Peru.
In case the work contract has a duration of less than 12 months or includes a probation period, you have to apply for a temporary (!) work visa. Only if you can present a valid work contract with a duration of 12 months or more without a probationary period, you can apply for a resident (!) work visa.
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.
Our article "Finding a job and working legally in Peru" describes in detail where and how to find work in Peru, what jobs are in demand, the legal background for employing foreigners and the application for jobs in Peru.
Content overview
Signing a work contract with a Peruvian company
After finding a Peruvian company that is willing to employ you and sponsor your work visa, the most important step of the process is the work contract.
If you sign a work 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 works and what you need.
Foreign visitors, who entered Peru as tourists or temporary visa holders such as temporary students, have to apply for a special permit called “Per...
As soon as you have the permission, you can legally sign the work contract.
Approval of work contact by the Peruvian Labor Ministry
Once the 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.
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 a week, but much 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. As the Peruvian employer, who sponsors your work visa, has to prove the professional competence and occupational qualification of his future foreign employee it is advisable to bring work related certificates, decrees, titles, etc. with you that best have an Apostille (or, if the country where they were issued didn't sign the Hague Convention, have to be legalized by the Peruvian consulate and as soon you are in Peru by the Peruvian Foreign Ministry) and once in Peru have to be translated by a certified translator.
Detailed information and necessary form letters can be found on the webpage of the Peruvian Labor Ministry Mintra.
Only when the work contract is approved by the Labor Ministry, you can apply for a work visa at Migraciones.
Legal background for the work visa application in Peru
Officially, you can apply for a work visa at a Peruvian consulate abroad or at Migraciones in Peru. However, since August 2021, an increasing number of Peruvian diplomatic missions abroad don't issue temporary visas (except tourist and business visas) and resident visas anymore.
So, if you want to apply for a work visa you usually have to enter Peru as a tourist and then change your immigration status from tourist to work - make a so called Cambio de calidad migratoria (as opposed to a Solicitud de calidad migratoria at a consulate) - at Migraciones.
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 32 in article 75-A “Procedimiento administrativo de solicitud de calidad migratoria trabajador temporal” (when applying at a Peruvian consulate) or in article 73-C “Procedimiento administrativo de cambio de calidad migratoria trabajador temporal” on page 30 when applying at Migraciones in Peru.
If you prefer to check out the TUPA you find the information on page 95.
Resident work visa
In the Supreme Decree DS N° 002-2021-IN on page 41 in article 88-A “Procedimiento administrative de solicitud de calidad migratoria trabajador residente” (when applying at a Peruvian consulate) or in article 88-B “Procedimiento administrative de cambio de calidad migratoria trabajador residente” on page 42 (when applying in Peru).
If you prefer to check out the TUPA you find the information on page 138.
Requirements for a work visa application in Peru
As the best source of information for applying abroad is the Peruvian consulate you are planning to use below the requirements when applying for your temporary or resident work visa 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, but may not be restricted to:
- 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 2022)
- 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 (**)
Required documents to apply for a resident (!) work visa in Peru include, but may not be restricted to:
- 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 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 (*)
- 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 (**)
(*) 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...
(**) 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 work visa at Migraciones, 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”.
All foreigners must present the "Ficha de Canje Internacional" to Migraciones when changing their immigration status - either from a temporary visa...
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".
All administration charges and processing fees government agencies, public authorities and entities levy in Peru have to be paid at the Banco de la...
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.
Foreigners in Peru who applied for a visa - correctly who applied for a change of their immigration status (cambio de calidad migratoria) or a chan...
Finally, applying for a work visa in Peru
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 “Trabajador Temporal” and “Trabajador 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.
At one point, you end up on a page where all requirements are listed. 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.
Once you uploaded all documents, you usually end up on a page showing the Form PA - Cambio de calidad migratoria already (partly) filled in. If and where necessary, complete the form and check that all information on this form is correct. Then download and/or print the form, sign and fingerprint it, and keep it safe for the time being.
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” (your personal 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.)
Since mid-2022, the system additionally gives you a code and the option to directly make an appointment for having your biometrical data (photo, fingerprints, signature) taken. As waiting times can be long, especially in Lima, we suggest that after your application you immediately make the appointment.
Getting your Carné (foreigner ID)
Shortly before your biometrical data appointment, 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 work visa applicants choose under concepto "Expedición de carné temporal migratorio - CTM", while resident 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. Be aware that in case your visa application is still in process and not approved yet, the registration might not work. So, then just wait with the online registration for a few days.
On the day of your biometrical data appointment, be at the office 15 - 30 minutes before your appointment with all your documents (passport, appointment, application, all documents, receipts). 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. 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 (or longer, if Migraciones is behind with approving applications) 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, all documents, confirmation(s) 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 was approved and you have the carné in your hands.
The work visa is bound to the Peruvian company that sponsored the visa.
Temporary work visas are valid up to (!) one year. If your probation period ends or your contract is extended and you then get a contract with a validity of at least 12 months, you can switch to a resident work visa.
Resident work visas (so the residency) is only valid for one year and then has to be extended. 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".
If any information 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.
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.
Indefinite-term employment contracts are the rule of thumb for hiring in Peru. Without prejudice to the foregoing, fixed-term and part-time employm...
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!
6 Comments
· 16/08/2022@Kevin Hello Kevin,
