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
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.
If foreign visitors, who are in Peru as a tourist, or temporary visa holders who haven't applied for a CTM, need to sign a legally binding document...
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, 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
Where to apply for a work visa
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”.
Foreign nationals who can travel to Peru visa-free, enter Peru as a tourist and then apply for their residence visa at Migraciones in Peru. However...
Important laws and regulations
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 (automatically filled in during application)
- 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 (RUC, Peruvian tax number) (****)
- "Recibo" (so a water or electricity bill proving your address; doesn't have to be in your name)
Required documents to apply for a resident (!) work visa (trabajador dependiente) in Peru include:
- Form PA - Cambio de Calidad Migratoria (automatically filled in during application)
- 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) from your home country or from the country where you legally lived (so with a resident visa) during the 5 years prior to coming to Peru showing that you don't have a record (*) + (**) + (***)
- Legally signed and by the Peruvian Labor Ministry approved work contract with a duration of at least 12 months (not older than 30 days); approval exception for "exonerated workers” see above
- 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 (RUC, Peruvian tax number) (****)
- "Recibo" (so a water or electricity bill proving your address; doesn't have to be in your name)
Required documents to apply for a resident (!) work visa (trabajador independiente) in Peru include:
- Form PA - Cambio de Calidad Migratoria (automatically filled in during application)
- 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 (RUC, Peruvian tax number) (****)
- "Recibo" (so a water or electricity bill proving your address; doesn't have to be in your name)
(*) 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...
(**) That's the official requirement. However, Migraciones always requests the criminal record check from your home country. And, if they are made aware of the fact that you lived in another country during the 5 years prior to coming to Peru, sometimes additionally a check from this country.
(***) All foreign documents need an Apostille or, if the country in which they were issued, didn't sign the Apostille Convention have to be legalized by a Peruvian consulate abroad. Once in Peru, the document has to be translated into Spanish and in some cases legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(****) Even though no longer on the official requirement list, the RUC number has to be entered when you apply
Last steps before the actual work visa application
Translation of foreign documents
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 into Spanish. Even though officially no longer required and a simple translation should be enough (see Decreto Legislativo 1272 about simplified administration procedures) we highly recommend to use a certified translator in Peru, 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.
If your documents have an Apostille and were translated by one of the certified translators on the list according to the above mentioned Decreto Legislativo Migraciones should accept them without problems. However, most translators are still recommending an additional legalization of the translation by the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (RREE), as sometimes Migraciones doesn't apply the simplified administration procedures, rejects documents without the additional RREE legalization and explicitly asks the applicant to upload the apostilled and translated foreign documents this time with another legalization from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (RREE) in Lima or a RREE branch in the provinces.
So, if you want to skip the additional legalization by RREE, we highly recommend to keep an eye on your Migraciones electronic mailbox for notifications from Migraciones (see below).
If your documents aren't apostilled but legalized they must be legalized again after the translation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (RREE) in Lima or a RREE branch in the provinces.
Interpol
And 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”.
All foreigners must present the "Ficha de Canje Internacional" to Migraciones when changing their immigration status, for example from a temporary ...
Paying the application fee
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, processing fees and fines government agencies, public authorities and entities levy in Peru have to be paid at the Banc...
Last preparations
If you apply for a temporary work visa, you have to fill in and sign the Sworn statement that you don't have a criminal record in Peru and abroad.
And last but not least, make PDFs from your passport (page with your personal data), and from all other required documents (max size per document 3MB).
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 processing time of your work visa application you must 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 - to be precise who applied for a change of their immigration status (cambio de calidad migratoria) or a ...
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. And to avoid further system errors, we highly recommend to not using a VPN and switching off any ad blockers you might use.
Migraciones Agencia Digital
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 (if you have a bank account in Peru; if you have taken out a loan in Peru; if you have a bank account in another country; if you hold shares in a company 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 (max. size per document 3MB).
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
- numero de recibo (number of the receipt) which is the "secuencia de pago" on the pagalo receipt
- codigo de verficación (verification code) which is the "codigo control" on the pagalo receipt
- fecha de recibo (date) which is the "fecha de operación" on the pagalo receipt.
If you don't know where to find the requested bank information on your receipt, click on the question mark. After entering the requested info click on Validar.
Under the Documento de Identificación tab, select the document with which you entered Peru (in most cases passport), fill in required data and upload a copy.
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 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 Contrato tab, you must upload your work or service contract.
Under the Documento especificos tab you must upload the sworn statement of the legal representative of the company and under the Ficha RUC tab you must enter the RUC number of the company employing you.
There is one last tab “Exceso de permanencia” (excess stay). If you apply when your stay in Peru is still valid, this tab has already a green check in front of it and you just leave it as it is.
If you, however, apply when your stay as a tourist is expired, open the tab and you should be able to upload the payment receipt for your overstayed days and a sworn statement explaining the reasons for their overstay. Once these two documents are uploaded the check in front of the tab should turn green. Before counting on this option please read our chapter Can I apply for a work visa when my stay as a tourist is expired?.
Once you filled in all required fields and uploaded all your documents, there should be a green check in front of each tab. 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 filled in with your personal data. The only fields you can change here are your cell phone number and your e-mail address. If everything is correct, click on “Guardar datos y generar tramite” (Save data and generate procedure).
4th page of the work visa application
You now get the "Registro de Solicitud de Cambio de Calidad Migratoria" displayed on your screen. That's the confirmation of your successful application. Download and/or print the form and keep it safe (if downloading isn't possible, make a screenshot of the complete page, don't miss the second page)!!!
At the top right of the document under the bar code you find your Numero de expediente (file number) which sometimes is also called Numero de tramite. 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. At the bottom of the first page, under the signature / fingerprint field, the Fecha de publicacion (application date) and a Codigo de verificacion (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 these numbers / codes.
Additionally, at the bottom of the first page you as well find your login data for the Migraciones electronic mailbox (see below).
If you didn't print or save the page when you had the chance during your application, retrieving your file number is usually simple as it's the code you see on your screen when you are asked to make an appointment for your biometric data (see below). But getting the verification code can be a mission as you must get in contact with Migraciones.
Biometric data appointment
Following the confirmation of your visa application you are asked to make an appointment for having your biometric data (photo, fingerprints, signature) taken with a provided code. This code is your numero de expediente (file number).
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".
On the day of your biometric data appointment, be at the Migraciones office (in Lima it's either the one on Jr. Carabaya 494 in the city center or the MAC center you selected when making the appointment) 15 - 30 minutes before your appointment with your documents. Usually you will only need your printed (!) appointment and passport, but to be prepared for any unforeseen events you may want to take the folder with all other documents with you.
At the door you just have to show your appointment and passport. At the Lima Migraciones office you get a ticket with a number on it. Then just join the line and wait until your number is shown on the screen. When it's your turn proceed to the counter where you have to sign on a signature pad, you are digitally fingerprinted and a biometric photo is taken.
Do not wear a white shirt or a top in light or pastel color! Migraciones might refuse to take your photo. Best wear a simple black shirt or something in a dark or strong color.
Until recently the process in the Migraciones office in Lima was quick and astonishingly well organized and you were done in less than half an hour. However, over the past few weeks some foreigners reported that their appointment time wasn't respected and they had to wait for anything between one and three hours until they made it to the counter where the process was quick and smooth. So, plan accordingly. At the Migraciones offices in the provinces, the whole process is usually quick and painless.
After your biometric data appointment, all you can do is check your Buzon electronico regularly and wait until you get a notification from Migraciones either telling you that they aren't happy with a document you uploaded or that a document is missing or that your visa is approved.
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.).
You can access your buzon by clicking on the "Buzon" button on the top of the main page of the Agencia Digital or by using this direct link. The username (usario) and password (contraseña) is on the "Registro de Solicitud de Cambio de Calidad Migratoria", the confirmation of your successful application (see above under 4th page).
Be aware that notifications sent via the buzon are considered "officially delivered". If you don't react to a deadline Migraciones usually gives in these notifications (in most cases only 5 days), your application can be dismissed. So, if you get a notication from Migraciones informing you that you haven’t uploaded a required document, that an uploaded document isn’t to their liking or they want an additional document, don’t waste any time.
If you have the document, make a PDF of it (max size 3MB) and upload it on the Agencia Digital. How this so-called Subsanación is done, is explained in our article “Subsanacion - Submitting documents”.
During the internal evaluation and approval process of any application on the Agencia Digital, Migraciones may discover that you haven’t uploaded a...
If you don’t have the document yet and won’t be able to submit it within the deadline, you still have to react and can apply for an extension of time to hand in the document later. The process is called “Solicitud de ampliación de plazos” and explained in our article "Extension of a Migraciones deadline".
During the internal evaluation and approval process of your visa application (Cambio de calidad migratoria) or of the application for the extension...
Approval of your work visa
Officially the processing time of temporary and residence visa applications is 30 business days. However, according to feedback we got from our readers, it usually takes around two to three months until you get a notification from Migraciones in your Buzon with the official resolution that your visa was approved.
Nevertheless, check your Buzon regularly as you might belong to the lucky ones that get their approval within three or four weeks after application. On the other hand, in case you haven't heard anything from Migraciones 4 months after your application, you should check with them what's going on.
Getting your Carné (foreigner ID)
Temporay Workers
Temporary Workers are not issued a carné. After receiving the approval of your temporary work visa, that’s it, you are legally in Peru for the approved time and can work.
Congratulations! You made it!
Resident Workers
After you received the approval of your visa application, for years you had to register in the foreigner database and pay for the issuance of the carné. Since the beginning of 2023 this step isn't necessary anymore.
Instead read the resolution with the approval of your visa carefully. In some cases it already contains instructions on how to pick up your carné. If so, follow the steps, which are as well described below.
In other cases the resolution states to wait for further instructions on how to pick up your carné. So, once again check your Buzon regularly and wait for a second notification from Migraciones. Officially Migraciones has another 30 business days counted from the approval of the visa to send this notification. However, some of our readers shared that they waited anything from a couple of days to four weeks.
Either way as soon as you got the official instructions on how to pick up your carné (be it as part of your resolution or as a second notification) make an appointment on the Agencia Digital under “Citas en linea”, subpoint "para recojo de documentos". Once again, download and print the confirmation and keep it safe.
On the day of your appointment, arrive at the Migraciones office (in Lima it's either the one on Jr. Carabaya 494 in the city center or the MAC center you selected when making the appointment) 15 - 30 minutes early. Take your passport and your printed (!) appointment, which are checked at the entrance, (as well as all documents and receipts, which you most probably won't need) with you. Migraciones staff will point you in the right direction where you are handed your carné.
Congratulations! You made it!
To familiarize yourself with your carné we highly recommend to read our glossary article Carné de Extranjería - Peru’s ID Card for foreigners.
Things you should know living in Peru on a work visa
Officially you are only allowed to start working when your work visa is approved.
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. Our article "Residence visa extension" explains how it's done.
In Peru, a residence visa, so the permit allowing you to live in the country (not the carné, the card), is usually valid for only one (1) year and ...
The carné (so the Peruvian foreigner ID card) is usually valid for four years and then must be renewed. For more details, check out our article "Renewal of the carné".
When your Peruvian residence visa is approved, you get the Carné de Extranjería, your Peruvian foreigner ID. The carné, so the card (not the reside...
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 "Actualización de datos". Be aware that for resident workers, in some cases, a new carné has to be issued after the application is approved. The process is explained in our article “Update your information in the Migraciones database”.
If any of your information, which is printed on your carné or which is registered in the Migraciones database, changes, you must apply for a so-cal...
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.
Other FAQs
Can I apply for a work visa if my stay as a tourist is expired?
For years, you had to be in Peru on a valid visa / stay, for example, as a tourist to apply for any temporary or residence visa, precisely to make the Cambio de calidad migratoria.
But during the visa application on the Migraciones online platform there is a tab labeled "Exceso de permanencia" (excess stay), which suggests that foreigners who overstayed their time as a tourist in Peru can still apply for a Cambio de calidad migratoria and just have to upload a payment receipt for their overstayed days and a sworn statement explaining the reason for their overstay.
While in November 2022 Migraciones informed us in writing that this tab does not apply when you change your immigration status from tourist (!) to work, at the beginning of 2023 one of our readers reported that someone at Migraciones suggested this option. So, he could apply for his visa while being in Peru on an expired stay as a tourist. During his application he uploaded the payment receipt for his overstay fine and a brief explanation why he couldn't apply on time (criminal record check took many months), could finish his application and a couple of months later, Migraciones approved his visa.
Hearing this, we tried to find out more. A few other foreigners in the same situation confirmed that someone at Migraciones they spoke to suggested this option, but our search for any official confirmation in writing that you can apply for a temporary or residence visa while being in Peru on an expired stay as a tourist was in vain.
As Migraciones doesn't have an e-mail address anymore where they answer such questions in writing, we called and first were told "No, you have to be in the country on a valid stay". Then when we asked the lady we were talking to more detailed questions, she seemingly quickly spoke to someone else, and then suddenly said "Yes, it is possible.", but she couldn't give us any further details. The whole call didn't really inspire confidence.
So, at the moment (August 2023) officially you still have to be in the country on a valid stay to apply and therefore we can't guarantee that it's possible to change your immigration status from tourist to work if you are in Peru on an expired stay as a tourist.
We always recommend to not overstay and, in case you plan to apply for a temporary or residence visa but don't have all required documents yet, instead of overstaying suggest applying for your visa using a little trick. We explain how it's done below.
If for whatever reason you can't apply while your stay as a tourist is valid, it might be worth personally checking with Migraciones if you can apply despite being in the country on an expired stay before you leave the country and try to return to "renew" your stay as a tourist.
If you have any current information about this topic or would like to share your experience, please let us know either using the comment function at the end of this very long article or our contact form. Thank you!
Can I apply for a work visa if I don't have all the required documents?
Officially, no, you can't as on the Agencia Digital, the Migraciones online platform where you have to apply, the fields to upload the required documents are mandatory and you can't continue with and finish your application without having uploaded all documents.
But, even though we can't and won't recommend it, if your stay as a tourist is about to expire and you must apply until a certain date, depending on the document that you don't have yet, there might be a possibility to "cheat" the system. However, you should have a solid plan to get the document as required, because the time to present it is limited. And here, how it's done.
Follow the instructions of our Step-by-step guide to apply for a work visa in Peru until you are on the 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.
If you don't have, for example, your criminal record check: Under the Interpol tab, you must upload the Ficha de Canje from Interpol and the "Antecedentes" (criminal record check). Both fields are mandatory, and you cannot continue with and finish the application without having uploaded both documents. As you can't leave the field for the Antecedentes blank anymore, you must upload something in the Antecedentes field. One of our readers just uploaded the Ficha de Canje a second time, another reader wrote a letter explaining that he is waiting for his criminal record check from his home country and uploaded this letter instead of his background check. So, upload a "document" there that makes sense.
The same applies if, for example, you don't have your Ficha de Canje from Interpol, because you couldn't get an appointment in time. Instead of the Ficha upload, for example, a letter explaining your situation.
Or if you have the document, but not yet the Apostille or translation, you could upload the document as it is.
Then continue to upload all other required documents and finish the application process as described in our Step-by-step guide.
On the 4th page of your work visa application you get the "Registro de Solicitud de Cambio de Calidad Migratoria" with the "numero de expediente" (your file number), the "fecha de publicacion" (application date) and a "codigo de verificacion" (verification code) displayed on your screen. That's the confirmation of your successful application. You made it. As soon you have this confirmation, your time as a tourist stops and even if your stay as a tourist expires during the processing time of your visa application you won't have any problem.
Now, depending how quickly Migraciones reviews your application and documents, the following happens:
As you haven't uploaded all required documents or not in the form Migraciones requires, Migraciones will send you a notification (can be as quick as a few days after your application or a month, two or three later) requesting that you upload the document. Be aware that these notifications are considered officially delivered. Usually, Migraciones only gives you a short deadline of 5 to 10 days to upload the requested document. You must react to the notification, even if it's on the last day of the deadline they gave you (which might be wise to do if you still need more time), otherwise your application could be canceled.
If you have the document in the correct form when you receive the notification, just upload it. How it's done is explained in our article “Subsanacion - Submitting documents”.
During the internal evaluation and approval process of any application on the Agencia Digital, Migraciones may discover that you haven’t uploaded a...
If you still don't have the document at the end of the deadline Migraciones gave you, then you can apply for an extension of the deadline (max. 30 days). The process is called Ampliacion de plazos and explained in our article “Extensions of a Migraciones deadline”.
During the internal evaluation and approval process of your visa application (Cambio de calidad migratoria) or of the application for the extension...
In case you have the document ready before you hear from Migraciones you can upload it immediately on the Agencia Digital under Subsanacion. But we were told by others, who went through the process that they still got a notification later to upload the document again.
If you decide to go that route, check your Buzon regularly and, if necessary, react to any notification! And, while this "cheating" worked for many others, things might change and Migraciones could dismiss your application (which you could appeal). Anyway, be aware that it will definitely delay the approval of your visa by weeks or even months.
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!
22 Comments
· 26/07/2023@Tanya Hello Tanya,
