Peru Will Enforce 6-Month Passport Rule
Before coming to visit Peru, verify that your passport will be valid for at least six months from your planned date of arrival.
The U.S. Consulate in Lima issued an alert that effective January 1, 2019, immigration officials will begin enforcing the existing law that requires all foreign travelers to have a passport valid for a minimum of six months past time of entry into Peru.
“Peruvian authorities will deny entry into Peru for travelers not meeting this requirement.” So, if your passport is due to expire in five months, you should get it renewed before coming.
This rule has always been on the books, but rarely was it strictly enforced.
Peru does not require a tourist visa for entry for citizens of most American and Western European countries who arrive with a valid passport. The maximum period of stay granted is 183 days.
Citizens of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Chile may enter with their valid national identification document.
Previous Article
Next Article
Get Inca Trail Reservations in Advance with Fertur Peru Travel 
What to wear on a trip to the Peruvian Amazon 
Luggage storage at Lima’s Jorge Chavez International Airport 
Podcast: Don’t let altitude sickness ruin your Cuzco vacation 
Limited train service to Machu Picchu set to resume today, but expect some wrinkles… 
How common is altitude sickness in Cusco? 
When the rains come early to Cusco, consider the Moche Trail alternative 
You can use US Dollars in Peru, but… Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I am due to travel to Peru with for three weeks with a confirmed return ticket. Passport expires in four months. Will I be permitted?
Hi Kelvin,
Chances are when you pass through immigration at Jorge Chavez International Airport they won’t look twice, but there is no guarantee, especially since they announced that they were going to be enforcing the regulation more strictly. It is luck of the draw. You are at the mercy of the immigration official seated behind the kiosk. If you want to play it safe, you have your tickets already purchased, so you can get a new expedited passport in the U.S. for an additional fee of — hold on, I’m looking it up — USD60:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/hurry.html
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/requirements/where-to-apply/passport-agencies/miami.html
Hope this info helps.
You’re going to love Peru!
Best regards,
Rick
Hi, I am due to travel to Peru in a month but my passport is expiring in 5 months but passport is already under process, so our embassy extended the validity of my passport instead. Can I travel with an extended validity of my passport?
Hi John,
I’ve never heard of an embassy doing that. Pretty cool. The short answer to your question is, I don’t know. Have you contacted the Peruvian Consul?
Peruvian Embassy in Doha, Qatar
Street 835, Building 42, Lejbailat Zone 64
P. O. Box 24062
Doha
TELEPHONE(+974) 4491 5944
FAX(+974) 4491 5940
EMAIL
in**@pe*********.qa
Saludos!
Hey Kevin.
Can I ask what happened?
Did you get let I. To Peru with 4 months left on passport?
I traveled to Peru in July 2019 with a confirmed two weeks return ticket. My USA passport still had 4 months before expiration date. I was not allowed to enter the country. Was harassed by immigrations officials for trying to enter their country without knowing their laws and was deported. Not a good experience, will never try to go back. Yet a friend traveled to Japan at the same time with USA passport with 3 months before expiration; had no problem. Should have gone to Japan.
Hello! I am a US citizen leaving for Peru on October 18 and coming back to the US on October 30. My passport expires April 26, 2020. Will I be let into Peru even though my passport will be expiring in less than 6 months by the time I return back to the states?
Hi Presilla,
I can’t imagine you would have a problem under the circumstances you describe. Everyone is basically at the mercy of the immigration officer they encounter when they arrive, but the folks at Jorge Chavez International Airport are super professional and for the most part really, really nice. They are not looking to keep bona fide tourists out of the country if they have six months left on their passport upon arrival and are only going to be here for a couple of weeks. That’s my opinion.
You’re going to love Peru!
Saludos,
Rick
Hi there. I have just discovered that my passport will be 5 months and 29 days before expiry when i just past through Lima for one night on my way home from Santiago. Do we think they will let me through seeing as its just 1 night and I have a booked ticket back to the UK the next day?? I leave in 8 days on my month long trip so fast tracking a new passport is going to be so expensive and stressful. Advice needed please x
Hello Ciara,
I can’t imagine that you have anything to worry about under the circumstances you describe. Have a wonderful time on your South American adventure!
Best regards,
Rick @ fertur-travel.com
Hello, I am a US citizen leaving for Peru in just under a week (for a ten day trip) and just realized that I needed six months of validity on my passport. My passport is set to expire in May of 2020. Do you think I will get turned away?
I am supposed to travel to Peru on Feb. 9. I had no idea about the 6 month rule, but my passport expires on Feb. 25th. Is there any possibility I would be able to get in the country? I am supposed to leave Peru on Feb 14.
Hello Garrett,
I can’t say for certain whether you would definitely have trouble getting past the airline check-in counter when you depart or with Peruvian immigration upon arrival, but I personally would go for the expedited passport renewal if I were in your situation.
Best regards,
Rick
Hello,
I’m traveling to Peru on 2/6/2020 with my family. My daughter passport expires on 8/4/2020. I was not aware of this 6 month rule. Do you think peru will give me problems because it’s off by 2 days?
Hello. All comments here discuss a passport that has less than 6 months before expiration. I’m wondering if the rule applies also from date of issue on a renewed password. My new passport has a date of March 15, and I plan to arrive in Peru on September 12 … 3 days shy of 6 months. Do you think I’ll have a problem? Right now I plan on taking both new and old passports and hoping I get in!
Thanks for your answers, it is helpful.
Hello . I apply for a new passport by February. I am planning to travel at the end of august . Would I have any trouble to enter to Peru ? I am a USA citizen . I am just going for 8 days with a return flight ticket ? I will appreciate your answer
Yes, they will deny you entry. I had tickets to Peru. I got stuck in Los Angeles on my layover. They would not let me board the plane because my passport expires in 5 months, even though I had return flights booked.
Hi there, my mother in law lives in Peru. She has been staying with us in Canada for a while. Her passport expires in 4 months. Can she still travel to her country?
Hi, it’s July 2023
My daughter has a passport expiring January 8, 2024.
Cannot get an appointment to get an expedited passport.
Has anyone ever walked in and gotten the passport that day?
And is it still super strict?
Supposed to go July 24 2023
Hi There,
I have a layover in Peru from Chile. my passport will expire in 5 months and want to know if the regulations are the same for just layover if i am not going to leave the airport? Thanks
I just recently discovered this rule. I arrived in Lima, Peru on 3-26-24 and discovered the 6 month rule the hard way. I had no idea of this rule prior to my trip. No one from United Airlines or the TSA said anything to me either when I arrived at the airport. I showed up with my family and since my Passport was going to expire in less than 6 months, I got deported and made to return back the the USA alone. My wife and two young kids got to enter Peru and had to continue on without me. I basically had the go almost 48hr without sleep and treated like a criminal by having to stay in a detaining room while I waited for my flights to leave the country. There is no fee or fine you can pay, you just get kicked out with no other options but to go back to where you came from. NOT a fun experience. If I would have known about this relatively recent rule, I would have gotten my passport renewed before booking my flights. This rule needs to be more commonly known to the traveling public. I didn’t know to look if anything like it existed and believe a lot more people will also find out the hard way. I don’t even understand why it exists? If you don’t have a history of overstaying and have a return ticket within the time frame of you passport or the 3 months your allowed to stay in Peru without a Visa, what difference does it make??
I am a Peruvian citizen and my passport will expire on July 25 can I go back to Peru on July 15.