Entering Peru on a US passport: visitor stays and overstays

Peru is one of the easier countries in South America for Americans to enter. There is no tourist visa to apply for in advance, no online pre-approval to buy, and the stamp is handed out at the airport or land border. The catch is on the other end of the stay: the number of days you get is decided at the counter, it generally cannot be stretched once you are inside the country, and every extra day is fined. This guide covers what the official sources say about the visitor stay, how to check your remaining days, and what happens if you go over.

Everything here applies to US citizens travelling on an ordinary US passport as tourists. If you plan to work, study or live in Peru, you need a different migratory status from the Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones (Migraciones), which is a separate process.

What you need at the border

The US Embassy in Lima lists three basics for entering Peru:

• A passport valid for six months. Migraciones says the same thing in its advice to arriving tourists: your passport must have at least six months of validity, and if you do not meet this requirement you will be declared inadmissible and sent back to your point of origin.
• Evidence of return or onward travel. The embassy says tourists must be able to show it, so keep your outbound flight or bus ticket easy to pull up.
• No vaccinations are required for entry, although the embassy notes that Peru recommends yellow fever vaccination.

Airlines check passport validity before boarding, so a passport that runs out within six months can stop you at the departure gate in the United States, not only on arrival in Lima. If you are close to that line, renew your passport before you book.

How long you can stay as a tourist

There is no fixed number printed on a visa, because there is no visa. The stay is set at entry:

• Migraciones states that it grants foreign tourists a stay of up to 183 days.
• The US Embassy in Lima says travellers receive a document from Peruvian immigration on arrival stating the length of the approved stay, and that this is usually 90 days.

Read those two together. The 183 days is the ceiling, not an entitlement. The officer decides how many days you get, and the number you are given is the one that counts. Do not assume you have six months because you read about the 183-day limit somewhere. If you need a longer stay, say so at the counter and be ready to show your return ticket and plans, but the decision is the officer's.

Can you extend a tourist stay?

For Americans, the official answer is no. The US Embassy in Lima states plainly that extensions are not available and that overstays result in fines.

Migraciones does run an online extension, but it is limited to citizens of the Andean Community. Its campaign page on the Andean migratory statute describes it as a procedure for citizens of Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador: an initial 90-day tourist stay can be extended by up to 90 more days, to a maximum of 180 days in the same year, through the Agencia Digital Migraciones. US passport holders are not covered by that statute.

In practice this means the number of days stamped or recorded at entry is the whole budget for that visit. If you want more time in Peru, the usual options are to leave before your days run out or to apply for a residence or other long-stay status that fits your situation. The US Embassy page linked below points travellers to the Embassy of Peru for current visa information.

Check your remaining days with the TAM Virtual

Peru no longer relies on a paper card that you keep in your passport. Migraciones offers the Tarjeta Andina de Migracion (TAM) Virtual, a free online record of your latest entry or exit. Migraciones says it shows your date of entry and the days of stay you have left in the country.

Migraciones gives three reasons to download it:

1. It is the official record of your most recent migratory movement.
2. It tells you exactly how many authorized days you have left, so you can plan your exit before the deadline.
3. You can show it, together with your passport, if the National Police of Peru (PNP) or Migraciones stops you during a migratory verification check. Migraciones says these checks have been stepped up across the country.

Download it in the first few days of your trip and check that the entry date and number of days match what you were told at the airport. If something looks wrong, it is far easier to sort out early than at the departure counter.

What an overstay costs

Peru fines overstays by the day. In its guidance for foreign tourists, Migraciones states the fine as 0.1 percent of the Unidad Impositiva Tributaria (UIT) for every day you stay beyond the time you were granted.

The UIT is a reference value the Peruvian government sets each year, so the fine changes with it. In a December 2025 notice, Migraciones gave the UIT for that year as S/ 5,350, which works out to S/ 5.35 per day of overstay. Check the current UIT before you calculate, because the figure is updated annually.

The embassy adds the part that matters most for your travel plans: Peruvian immigration does not allow you to leave Peru until all immigration matters, including fines and overstays, are resolved. An unpaid overstay can therefore hold you up at the airport on the day of your flight.

A small daily fine can look harmless, but it is still a breach of Peru's migratory rules and it is recorded. If you are planning to come back, or to apply for residence later, a clean record is worth more than a few extra days.

Get your entry and exit recorded

Migraciones stresses that you must pass through an immigration control post every time you leave Peru, including when you cross by land to a neighbouring country. It warns that if you skip the control, you break the migratory rules and will not be able to enter Peru again or board a flight from Peruvian territory.

The same logic applies on the way in. Use an official border crossing with a Migraciones post, and make sure your entry is actually registered. Without a record of entry, leaving becomes complicated, because immigration needs to confirm when and where you came in.

Lost or replaced passport during your stay

Your entry is tied to the passport you used at the border. The US Embassy in Lima explains that if your passport is lost, stolen or renewed while you are in Peru, the new passport will not carry your entry record. Before you can pass through Peruvian immigration on departure, you have to take the new passport to Migraciones headquarters in Brena, Lima, pay a small fee and have the entry transferred. The embassy lists the address and opening hours on its travel information page.

Migraciones also tells tourists who lose a passport to go to their nearest consulate for a replacement or an emergency travel document. For Americans, that means the US Embassy in Lima.

Where you stay is reported too

Since December 10, 2024, hotels, hostels and anyone renting a house, apartment or room to a foreigner, including through platforms such as Airbnb, must register foreign guests on a Migraciones platform before providing the service. Migraciones says this comes from Supreme Decree No. 011-2024-IN. As a guest, expect to be asked for your passport at check-in. That is the host meeting a legal obligation, not an unusual request.

Signing documents as a tourist

Tourist status is meant for visiting. Migraciones notes that if you entered as a tourist and need to sign commercial, financial, private or public documents in Peru, for example during a property or business transaction, you should request a special permit to sign documents through its Agencia Digital. Plan for this if your trip has a paperwork purpose.

A short checklist

• Passport with at least six months of validity on arrival.
• Proof of onward or return travel.
• Note the number of days the officer grants, then confirm it on the TAM Virtual.
• Set a reminder well before your last authorized day.
• Leave through an official control post and keep your passport consistent with your entry record.
• If you overstay, expect to pay the daily fine before you can depart.

Common questions

Do US citizens need a visa to visit Peru as tourists? No. Americans enter as tourists without a visa. You need a passport valid for six months and proof of return or onward travel, according to the US Embassy in Lima.

Is it 90 days or 183 days? Migraciones can grant tourists up to 183 days, but the officer sets your stay at entry and the US Embassy says it is usually 90 days. The number recorded for you, shown on the TAM Virtual, is the one that applies.

Can I extend my tourist stay in Peru? Not on a US passport. The US Embassy states that extensions are not available. The online extension offered by Migraciones is for citizens of Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador under the Andean migratory statute.

How much is the overstay fine? Migraciones charges 0.1 percent of the UIT for each day of overstay. With the UIT of S/ 5,350 that Migraciones cited in December 2025, that was S/ 5.35 per day. The UIT is updated every year.

Can I leave Peru without paying an overstay fine? No. The US Embassy says Peruvian immigration does not permit departure until all immigration matters, including fines and overstays, are resolved.