Overall6/10Easier visas than about 55% of cities
Good to know
Good to Know
- Don't count on getting 183 days automatically — the legal maximum is 183 days/year, but border officers almost always stamp (digitally log) only 90 days by default, sometimes less on a first entry.
- Peru no longer stamps passports at most entry points — your authorized stay length exists only in the digital Migraciones system, so verify it online (or ask the officer directly) right after you arrive, since there's no physical record to check later.
- If you're not from Bolivia, Colombia, or Ecuador, you generally cannot extend a tourist stay from inside Peru — your only options if you need more time are to leave and re-enter, or overstay and pay the modest daily fine.
- A Peru digital nomad visa exists on paper but isn't actually operational yet — most remote workers currently just use the standard tourist entry, though this technically doesn't authorize paid work.
- Keep proof of onward/return travel handy — it's not always asked for, but airlines and immigration can request it.
- Peru announced a Digital Nomad Visa back in November 2023, but as of 2026 it still cannot be applied for anywhere — it exists in law (Decreto Legislativo 1582) but has never been added to Migraciones' official TUPA procedures list, so there's no application form, fee, or document checklist yet.
- Most nomads currently just enter Arequipa/Peru as tourists, which can grant stays of up to 183 days — unusually long compared to many countries — but this status technically doesn't authorize any paid work, even fully remote work for a foreign employer.
- If you're serious about a longer-term legal base, the Rentista visa (built for passive income like pensions, dividends, or rental income) is currently the more realistic path to residency than waiting on the digital nomad visa.
- Spending more than 183 days in Peru in a rolling 12-month period can trigger Peruvian tax residency and worldwide-income taxation, though the change in tax status typically only takes effect the following January 1 — get personalized advice from a tax professional if you're near that threshold.
Visa Free Entry
- Baseline Rule
- Peru operates a broad unilateral/bilateral visa-waiver policy. Citizens of the US, Canada, UK, all EU/Schengen states, Australia, Japan, South Korea, most Latin American countries, and 100+ other nationalities can enter Peru for tourism without applying for a visa in advance.
- Overstay Fine
- PEN 5.35
Approximately 0.1% of Peru's annual Tax Unit (UIT) per day of overstay, payable in cash at a Migraciones counter or bank before departure.
- Days Calculation
- Days are tracked on a rolling 365-day basis from first entry, not a calendar year — all days physically present in Peru across multiple visits count cumulatively toward the 183-day cap.
- Work Restriction
- Tourist status legally prohibits any paid work or income from a Peruvian source, including unpaid volunteer work in some interpretations — remote work for a foreign employer/clients is a legal gray area commonly used by nomads but not an officially sanctioned category.
- Extension Process
- Tourist-stay extensions from within Peru are, since August 2021, only available to citizens of Andean Community countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador), who can request an online extension up to a combined maximum of 180 days per year. All other nationalities generally cannot extend a tourist stay from inside the country and must either exit and re-enter, or overstay and pay the fine.
- Legal Maximum Stay
- Peru's Foreigner Law (Decreto Legislativo 1582, published November 2023) sets a legal maximum tourist stay of 183 days within any rolling 365-day period.
- Entry Documentation
- Since 2023, Peru no longer stamps passports for most air and some land entries. Entry and authorized stay length are recorded digitally via the Tarjeta Andina de Migración (TAM Virtual), verifiable on the Migraciones website — travelers should check their own record after entry to confirm exactly how many days they were granted.
- Official Source Link
- https://www.gob.pe/institucion/migraciones/campañas/64003-informacion-fundamental-para-turistas-en-peru
- Practical Stay Granted
- In practice, despite the 183-day legal ceiling, immigration officers at the border almost always grant only 90 days on entry, with discretion to grant less (e.g. 30 days) or occasionally more. Multiple immigration-law and expat-focused sources note this is a common source of confusion for travelers who assume they'll automatically get 183 days.
- Digital Nomad Visa Status
- A digital nomad visa category was created in law by Decreto Legislativo 1582 in November 2023, but as of the most recent checks the implementing administrative regulations still have not been published, so the visa remains unavailable in practice — tourist entry is currently the only real route for nomads.
- Andean Community Extension Fee
- PEN 21
Applies only to Bolivia/Colombia/Ecuador nationals extending their stay online through Migraciones.
- Change Of Immigration Status Fee
- PEN 163
Fee to switch from tourist status to a resident category (worker, student, family, investor, etc.) — required for anyone planning to stay long-term or work legally.
Passport And Entry Requirements
- Passport valid for at least 6 months beyond arrival date (strictly enforced, including by airlines).
- Proof of onward/return travel may be requested by immigration or airlines, though not always checked.
- Immigration officers may (rarely) ask for proof of funds to cover the stay.
Digital Nomad Visa And Tax
- Legal Basis
- Decreto Legislativo No. 1582, Article 29.1(i) ('Nómada Digital'), part of Peru's updated Foreigner Law.
- Renewal Path
- Not applicable; visa is not yet issuable.
- Visa Ease Tier
- moderate
- Application Path
- None currently available — the category exists in law only and cannot be filed for until it appears in Migraciones' TUPA administrative procedures.
- Visa Ease Tier Rationale
- Peru offers an unusually generous baseline tourist stay of up to 183 days and a low-threshold Rentista visa path to residency, but the announced Digital Nomad Visa remains unimplemented years after being legislated, leaving no dedicated legal remote-work status and requiring reliance on the tourist stamp or Rentista visa instead.
- Digital Nomad Visa Status
- Not operational as of mid-2026. Peru created a 'Nómada Digital' residence category via Legislative Decree 1582 (announced November 2023), but it has never been added to Migraciones' official procedures manual (the TUPA), so there is no way to file an application, no published fee, and no confirmed document list.
Tax Notes
- Rates
- Progressive personal income tax rates apply, generally ranging from about 8% up to a top marginal rate of 30%, plus non-resident Peru-source income is taxed at a flat 30% (5% for dividends).
- Tax Base
- Domiciled (resident) individuals are taxed on worldwide income; non-domiciled individuals are taxed only on Peru-source income.
- Special Nomad Regime
- No special tax regime or tax break exists for digital nomads or foreign remote-work income; ordinary domicile/183-day rules apply, and Peru's enforcement/exchange-of-information capacity is described by tax advisors as weaker than in some other jurisdictions, though worldwide taxation is still the legal standard once domiciled.
- Tax Residency Trigger
- A foreigner becomes tax-'domiciled' in Peru after being physically present for more than 183 calendar days within any rolling 12-month period.
- Effective Date Of Status Change
- Domiciled tax status generally only takes legal effect starting January 1 of the following fiscal year, not immediately upon crossing day 183.
Intended Features If Activated
- Work Restriction
- Would allow remote work for foreign employers/clients only; would not permit working for a Peruvian company or earning Peru-source income.
- Planned Stay Length
- Up to 365 days with an option to renew (renewal terms not yet specified).
- Income Requirement Status
- Unconfirmed and inconsistent across sources — some estimate around $1,000/month, others cite $2,500/month; treat any specific figure as speculative until Migraciones publishes official rules.
Estimated Income Figures Speculative
PEN
PEN
Practical Current Alternatives
- Rentista Visa
- The most accessible real long-term residence option for nomads with qualifying income: requires proof of at least $1,000 USD/month in passive income (pension, annuity, dividends, rental income, etc.), received through a recognized Peruvian financial institution, with an additional roughly $500/month per dependent.
- Tourist Entry
- Most digital nomads simply enter as tourists; immigration officers can grant stays of up to 183 days, extendable at Migraciones offices, though this status does not legally authorize any paid work, remote or otherwise.
- Rentista Income Requirement
- PEN 3,402
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this visas research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.gob.pe
More About Arequipa
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.