Peru wrote a digital nomad visa into its migration law in 2023, yet the migration agency has not opened applications. As of October 30, 2026, the sources checked show no published procedure, fee, or income requirement. This guide explains what the law says, what remains unknown, and the routes remote workers can use today.
Where Peru’s Digital Nomad Visa Stands Today
Peru added a migration status called “nómada digital” through Decreto Legislativo 1582, published in the official gazette El Peruano on November 14, 2023. The decree sketches the status and leaves the details to a regulation.
- Official name: Calidad migratoria “nómada digital” (digital nomad migration status).
- Legal basis: Decreto Legislativo 1582, which amends the Decreto Legislativo 1350 migration law.
- Issuing agency: Migraciones, the Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones.
- Stay: Up to 365 days, with extensions allowed.
- Work rules: Work for a company based outside Peru is allowed. Paid work that produces Peruvian-source income is excluded.
- Application steps, fees, income threshold, insurance, documents, and processing time: Not published.
The decree says the conditions will be set in a regulation. Its final provisions say that new procedures start only after Migraciones updates its official list of procedures, known as the TUPA. Migraciones said in November 2023 that it would begin granting the status once the regulation and the TUPA procedure exist. The law firm Fragomen expected the regulation within about six months and added that it could take longer.
Almost three years later, the sources checked still show a status that cannot be filed.
- A 2025 article in the PUCP journal Agenda Internacional states that the regulation had not been published.
- News reports from July to September 2026 say the 2024 and 2025 TUPA updates left the category out.
- Decreto Legislativo 1720, published on February 7, 2026, changed other parts of the migration law, such as how foreigners are identified. The summaries checked do not mention the digital nomad status.
Many websites list a fee, an income threshold, and a processing time for the Peru visa. Their figures range from US$1,000 to US$2,500 in monthly income, from PEN 150 to US$200 in fees, and from four to ten weeks in processing time. The figures disagree with each other, and none comes from a Migraciones document. Without an official source, these numbers should be treated as unconfirmed.
The current Migraciones procedures list was not available for direct review during this check. The status above rests on the decree, the 2023 Migraciones statement, and the later sources named here. The Migraciones website remains the place to confirm any change.
Who the Visa Is Meant For
Migraciones described the status as a route for foreigners who work remotely for companies based outside Peru and want to spend time in the country. Holders would not need a work visa, because they have no Peruvian employer and earn no Peruvian-source income.
- Employees of foreign companies: The decree describes work for a company domiciled abroad, using digital tools.
- Freelancers and business owners: The wording leaves open whether people without an employer qualify. A 2025 paper in Agenda Internacional raises the same question, and the regulation will need to answer it.
- Peruvian clients: Work for clients or employers in Peru falls outside the status.
- Nationality limits: None published, because no regulation exists yet.
Freelancers and business owners should wait for the final text before assuming they qualify.
What Remote Workers Can Use Today
Three routes exist today. They differ in how long a stay can last and in what work they allow.
Tourist Entry Up to 183 Days
Tourist status suits short stays, and Migraciones has said that remote workers used it before the nomad status was created. The difference between a nomad visa and a tourist stay is explained in FlyBibe’s guide to the digital nomad visa vs tourist visa.
- Stay: Up to 183 days counted across a 365-day period, under article 29.1.h of Decreto Legislativo 1350. Border officers may grant a shorter first stay, such as 90 days. A law firm summary of Decreto Legislativo 1582 says shorter stays can be extended up to the 183-day limit.
- Work rules: The law says tourists cannot work or carry out paid activity. The sources checked contain no official statement on remote work for foreign clients during a tourist stay. Migraciones or a Peruvian immigration lawyer can answer that question.
- Entry rules: Article 24 of the Regulation of Decreto Legislativo 1350 asks for a passport valid for six months after entry. Officers can refuse entry to travelers who lack a return ticket where one applies.
- Visa needs: Citizens of some countries must apply for a tourist visa at a Peruvian consulate before travel. The foreign ministry publishes the list of countries and the steps on its official tourist visa page. Readers with non-Western passports can compare other visa options in FlyBibe’s guide.
- Border runs: The law counts the 183 days across a 365-day period, so a short trip to a neighboring country does not clear the count. FlyBibe’s explainer on visa runs shows where they do help.
- Overstay: Staying past the permitted days can bring a fine and a mandatory departure order. The order can carry a re-entry ban of up to five years, under articles 54, 56, and 57 of Decreto Legislativo 1350.
Tourist entry is the simplest route for stays under six months. The open question about work is the main risk.
Rentista Residency for Pensions and Permanent Income
- What it is: Residence for foreigners who receive a retirement pension or permanent income from Peru or abroad, under article 29.2.l of Decreto Legislativo 1350.
- Stay: Indefinite.
- Income threshold: Set by the Regulation. Several 2026 guides report about US$1,000 per month. The figure should be confirmed with Migraciones before anyone relies on it.
- Fit: The legal text speaks of pensions and permanent income. The law does not say whether a remote work salary counts.
- Rules for residents: Residents lose this status after more than 183 consecutive days outside Peru in a 365-day period, under article 33.
Worker Residency for Contract Work in Peru
- What it is: Residence for foreigners who do paid work in Peru as employees or independent workers, under article 29.2.h. The law ties the status to a contract, and employee contracts need approval from the Ministry of Labor.
- Stay: 365 days, with renewals possible.
- Independent workers: For a change of status, Migraciones asks for a copy of a service contract lasting one year or more.
- Fit: The status covers paid activity in Peru. A remote worker whose clients are all abroad may find the contract rules hard to meet. Some news reports describe it as the lasting option for freelancers, so an immigration lawyer can confirm whether it fits.
Tax Residency After 183 Days
Peru’s tax agency, SUNAT, treats a foreign person as domiciled once the person has lived or stayed in Peru for more than 183 days in any 12-month period.
- Day count: SUNAT counts days of physical presence, according to its Informe 133-2020.
- Not domiciled: Tax applies only to Peruvian-source income, according to SUNAT.
- Domiciled: Income from abroad can become taxable in Peru as well. A tax professional can confirm how this works for each person.
- Close to the line: A full 183-day tourist stay sits at the threshold, and extra days under a residence permit would cross it.
This section is general information and not tax advice. Home-country rules also matter, and FlyBibe covers them for US citizens, UK, Canadian, and Australian nomads.
Documents Worth Preparing Early
Residence applications in Peru rely on foreign documents, and the Regulation sets formal rules for them.
- Passport: Valid for at least six months.
- Apostille or legalization: Documents issued abroad must be apostilled or legalized under article 12 of the Regulation. FlyBibe’s guide on apostilles for visa applications explains the steps.
- Spanish translation: Documents in another language need a translation by a sworn or registered translator in Peru. A translation made abroad needs the same apostille or legalization.
- Category lists: Migraciones sets the full document list for each category in its TUPA. The common items across countries appear in FlyBibe’s documents checklist.
How to Watch for a Launch
The status can be filed only after it appears as a procedure in the TUPA, so that list is the first place to look.
- Migraciones website: The TUPA and the news section show new procedures.
- El Peruano: The official gazette publishes any decree from the Ministry of the Interior.
- Peruvian consulates: Consular staff can confirm whether the status is open.
Agents who offer to file the visa for a fee are offering something with no official procedure at the moment.
Who Should Wait and Who Should Look Elsewhere
Peru suits some readers today, and others should plan differently.
- Stays under six months: Tourist entry fits, with the work question above still open. Readers who plan a base in Cusco can find costs and altitude tips in FlyBibe’s Cusco guide.
- Retirees and pension holders: Rentista residency is built for this group.
- People with a contract for work in Peru: Worker residency fits.
- Remote workers who need a formal nomad visa now: Countries with open programs are a better match. FlyBibe’s roundup of official digital nomad visa programs is a good starting point.
Official Sources Checked
- Migraciones news item on the digital nomad status
- Decreto Legislativo 1582, El Peruano, November 14, 2023
- Decreto Legislativo 1350 and its Regulation
- Migraciones page on changing to worker residency
- SUNAT guidance on domiciled status
- Migraciones website
Plan Your Trip to Peru
Peru offers a long tourist stay and a nomad visa that may open later. Until Migraciones publishes the procedure, the routes above are the ones that work today, and each rule is worth confirming before booking. When your dates are set, search flights to Lima or Cusco on FlyBibe and compare fares for your route.
Immigration and tax rules change. This guide reflects information checked on October 30, 2026. Confirm current requirements with Migraciones, a Peruvian consulate, or a qualified immigration or tax professional before making plans.