Peruvian Digital Nomad Visa

Hello Toby,

traveling with two passports isn't a big deal and there are no pitfalls if you follow the rules.

If you have a Peruvian passport and one from another country, you can enter Peru with either, the Peruvian or the foreign. If you enter on the Peruvian passport you are in Peru as a Peruvian and have the same rights and obligations as every other Peruvian. If you, however, enter on the foreign passport you enter as a tourist and are treated like any other tourist.

Be aware that if you enter Peru on a foreign passport you must leave the country on the same passport. If you enter Peru on a Peruvian passport or a DNI then you must leave again with the Peruvian document.

Some countries (not sure if Australia is one of them) require that you must enter on the passport of this country if you have dual nationality. But honestly, it wouldn't make any sense for your daughter to enter Australia on a Peruvian passport as then she would need a visa.

Your daughter can travel to Bolivia, Colombia or Ecuador only using her DNI. But, as at the moment she is in Peru as an Australian, she must leave Peru on the same document (so her Australian passport) with which she entered. She then can enter Bolivia (or Colombia or Ecuador) only with her Peruvian DNI. When she leaves she must exit Bolivia (or Colombia or Ecuador) with the Peruvian document and then can decide if she wants to enter Peru with the DNI or her Australian passport.

If your daughter is in Peru on her Australian passport and leaves for Australia she must exit Peru with her Australian passport (and if applicable, pay a fine for overstaying).

If you daughter is in Peru on her Peruvian DNI, she should show her Australian passport during check-in (so she won't be asked for a visa for Australia) but must (!!!) pass through immigration at the airport using her DNI (always leave the country on the document you entered it).

Greetings

Eva

P.S. My book will be a novel based on my life. I traveled a lot, lived in many countries, have seen and experienced a lot. So, one day I will send you a copy. :-)

Hello Toby,

first of all thank you so much for your nice words. It's always great to year that what I'm doing helps foreigners getting through Peru's bureaucratic jungle.

I'm not sure how you ended up here on the Digital nomad visa article, but anyway.

At the moment there are no tourist visa extensions in Peru and no way to extend the stay!!! Sorry.

In November of last year a new foreigner law was introduced suggesting that extending a stay as a tourist is possible again, but until today the administrative procedure, called TUPA, for the complete implementation of the law still hasn't been published. But when I remember correctly the government only has 6 months after the law was introduced to publish the TUPA, so we can just wait and hope that in the next few weeks we finally get it and see if extension are really an option again or who can extend. 

How tourist visa extension were handled in the past and today is extensively explained in our article "Tourist visa extension". https://www.limaeasy.com/peru-guide/legal-stuff/tourist-visa-extension-in-peru

According to the foreigner law foreign visitors can stay in Peru visa-free for 183 days in a 365-day period. However, this doesn’t mean you get the complete 183 days when you enter the country.

A publication issued by the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (RREE), which is based on agreements Peru has with the different countries, limits or better divides the general 183 days per year allowing most foreign nationals to stay in Peru as a tourist for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.

Since August 2021, no foreign tourist, who can enter Peru visa-free, was given the full 183 days. The rule for everyone seems to be up to 90 days in a 180-day period. So, when you enter, in most cases you get three months after which you latest must leave the country and have to stay out of Peru at least three months before re-entering.

However, it’s always at the discretion of the immigration officer how many days you are allowed to stay in the country. You are not entitled to get the full 90 days per half year or the full 183 days per year. And depending on the immigration officer and your situation you might (or not) be allowed to re-enter the country before your 180-day period is over, if you haven't stayed the full 183 days per year (not per calendar year but counted from the date you first entered). It's completely up to him or her.

And even though your daughter is Peruvian (she has a Peruvian birth certificate), she entered the country on her Australian passport, so as a foreigner. Therefore she is now treated like every other foreigner. If she had entered using her Peruvian documents then she wouldn't have any problem now. I understand that she only has her birth certificate at the moment and no DNI or passport. But as a Peruvian she as well can enter Peru only with her birth certificate. But be aware she can't leave the country again without her DNI (traveling to member countries of the Andean Community) or without her Peruvian passport (traveling internationally). So, if Reniec is giving her trouble issuing a DNI and passport entering as Peruvian might be a risk, because she won't be able to leave again until she has her DNI and passport.

With this being said, if she wants to stay longer than the days she was given when she entered, then she only has two options: Overstay (our article "Peruvian overstay fine" https://www.limaeasy.com/peru-guide/legal-stuff/peruvian-overstay-fine-for-tourists explains everything you need to know) or leave the country and return (as said above, your daughter will be at the mercy of the immigration officer and no-one can guarantee how many days she will be given. However, if she explains her situation, shows her Peruvian birth certificate and tells the officer that she is waiting for her DNI and passport to be issued he/she might be less strict.)

Wishing you and your daughter all the best.

Greetings

Eva

P.S. And please encourage your daughter to write a book. It's on my bucket list for over 2 decades and until now I never found the time and leisure doing it.

Hello Audrey,

thank you so much for your nice words.

Hope everything works out for you.

Greetings

Eva

Hello Richard,

yes, there are lots of people waiting for the digital nomad visa. 

I really hope, we soon get the administrative procedures so the visa can be implemented. When I remember correctly, according to the law this should happen within half a year after the publication of the law.

So, let's cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Greetings

Eva

Hello Rena,

if you entered in August 2023 and stayed until January 2024, you have been in Peru for around 5 months and, as you most probably were only allowed 90 days when you entered, overstayed for around 2 months. And with being in the country as a tourist for around 5 months you already nearly stayed the maximum allowed 183 days for tourists in a 365-day period.

As it's always at the discretion of the immigration officer you have to face when entering Peru how he/she evaluates your case and if he/she lets you enter and how many days you he/she is willing to give, it’s impossible for anyone to exactly tell you when you can return to Peru and how many days you will get.

If you already stayed (nearly) 183 days allowed per year, then you officially can only return to Peru in August 2024 (so, when your 365-day period is over).

If you only stayed, let's say, 150 days, then you could return to Peru and if you are lucky could get another 30 days, or if the immigration officer has a good day even another 90 days. But you as well could be denied entry as you have no right to get a certain number of days per year, no matter what any law says  especially as you overstayed before.

So, depending how many days you already stayed since August 2023, when you first entered, returning to Peru before August 2024 might be a gamble.

Greetings

Eva

Hello Ivan,

Great to hear that our short article about the digital nomad visa was helpful. Unfortunately there are still no news about when foreigners finally can apply for it.

Let's hope we will soon get some more official information

Greetings

Eva

Hello Kinsey,

unfortunately, there are still no official news when the digital nomad visa will finally be available. But as soon we get any information we will update this article with all the necessary details.

Greetings

Eva

Hello Rena,

yes, it is great news and might be an option for many digital workers to consider moving to Peru or to finally live legally in Peru.

As far as I know, until now the administrative procedures haven't been published. So, I can't tell you anything about exact conditions and requirements.

But I assume (!!!) that the digital nomad visa will be a full resident visa. If it will be a full resident visa, then the perks of other Peruvian resident visas should apply to it as well. Therefore, I assume (!!!) that the spouse of a digital nomad visa holder can apply for a family visa.

But who knows, we will have to wait and see until we finally get the official publication with conditions and requirements.

All the best

greetings

Eva

Hello Sean,

Right now nobody knows when Migraciones publishes the administrative procedures for the digital nomad visa; might be tomorrow, in a week, a month or two or three.

As soon as we get any information about the digital nomad visa we will publish it here.

We provide lots of information and help here in our free time free of charge. So, you might understand that we are unable to update you personally when we get any news. You could hire an immigration lawyer or tramitador, who updates you as soon as there are any changes.

All the best.

Greetings

Eva