Peru Entry Requirements for US Citizens: Visa and Passport
US citizens do not need a visa to visit Peru as tourists. You need a passport valid for six months beyond your arrival, and the immigration officer grants up to 183 days, recorded digitally rather than on a paper card. Bring proof of onward travel. No vaccine is required for entry and no insurance is required by law.
In this guide
Short answer: US citizens do not need a visa to visit Peru for tourism. You need a passport valid for at least six months beyond the day you arrive, and the immigration officer grants you a stay of up to 183 days, recorded in Peru's digital system rather than on a paper card. Carry proof of onward or return travel, because it can be asked for. No vaccination is required to enter, and Peru does not require travel insurance by law, though we tell every guest to buy one that covers altitude and evacuation.
Entry rules are set by Peru's immigration authority (Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones) and summarized for Americans by the US State Department. Both can change without notice. Everything below carries the date we checked it, and the two official pages to confirm it are linked in the facts table and the sources. Read them in the week before you fly.
Do US citizens need a visa for Peru?
No. For tourism, US passport holders enter Peru without a visa, and there is no fee at the border or the airport. You get a stamp or a digital record at immigration and nothing else to apply for. The visa-free entry covers tourism, visiting family and short unpaid activities. It does not cover work, study or anything you get paid for, which need a visa arranged before you travel.
The same is true for most of our guests from Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union and Australia, but this page is written for Americans. If your partner travels on another passport, check that country's rule separately on Migraciones' site.
Your passport
Carry a passport valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date, with at least one blank page for the stamp. Canada's official travel advice for Peru states the six-month rule in those words (updated September 11, 2026), and the US State Department lists the same requirement on its Peru page, which blocked our automated check, so confirm it there yourself. Airlines enforce passport validity at check-in in the United States, which means a passport with five months left gets you stopped in Atlanta or Miami, not in Lima.
Make two copies of the photo page. Leave one at home with someone you trust and keep one on your phone. In Peru you need the real passport for the Machu Picchu entrance (the ticket is issued in your name and checked at the gate), for the train, for hotel check-in and for the border with Bolivia. Everywhere else a photo of it on your phone is enough, and the hotel safe is where the booklet lives.
How long you can stay
Migraciones grants tourists a permit of up to 183 days, according to the agency's own guidance published through the state news service Andina. The number written against your entry is the officer's decision, not yours: many visitors receive 90 days, and the officer may ask how long you plan to stay and where. Say the real number of days and name your first hotel. Nobody on a two-week tour needs to think about this, but people combining Peru with a long stay elsewhere in South America sometimes do.
Overstaying costs money. Migraciones charges a daily fine of 0.1 percent of Peru's tax unit (the UIT) for every day beyond the permitted stay, paid before you can leave the country. Extensions are requested online through the Agencia Digital of Migraciones and cannot push the total past 183 days in a 365-day period, per secondary sources we could not confirm on the official site.
Your digital entry record (TAM virtual)
Peru no longer gives you a paper immigration card. Your entry is recorded against your passport number, and you can download a free copy of your migratory record, called the Tarjeta Andina de Migración (TAM) virtual, from the Migraciones online portal or its app, using your passport number. Hotels sometimes ask for it, and police can ask for it in document checks. It also matters for your hotel bill, as explained below.
What happens on arrival
Most Americans land at Jorge Chávez airport in Lima, where all flights have used the new passenger terminal since June 1, 2025 (state news agency Andina). The sequence is the usual one: immigration with your passport, baggage claim, customs with a declaration form if you carry more than US$10,000 in cash or restricted goods, then the arrivals hall. Ask the officer nothing unless asked, keep the family together in the same line, and have your first hotel's name ready.
Customs may ask for a return or onward ticket, per Canada's travel advice. On a package with us the flight home is your proof. Travelers on open-ended trips should carry a bus or plane ticket out of Peru, even a cheap one, because the check happens at the airline counter in the United States before it happens in Lima.
If you enter overland from Bolivia at Kasani or Desaguadero, the same rules apply at a smaller post: exit stamp from Bolivia, a few minutes on foot, entry record in Peru. Our guide to Bolivia for US travelers describes the crossing in the other direction.
Vaccines and health paperwork
Peru does not require any vaccination certificate for entry, per the US CDC's Peru page. The CDC does recommend yellow fever vaccination for travel to areas below 2,300 m (7,550 ft) in the jungle regions, including the lowland parts of the Cusco and Puno regions and the whole of Madre de Dios and Loreto, and does not recommend it for Lima, Cusco city, Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail or Lake Titicaca. In practice, a trip that stays on the highland circuit needs no yellow fever shot, and a trip that adds the Amazon does. Hepatitis A and typhoid are on the CDC's list for most travelers to Peru. See a travel clinic six weeks out, and ask about altitude medication at the same visit, since Cusco and the lake are the health question that matters most on our trips.
If you continue to Bolivia, the rules flip: Bolivia does require proof of yellow fever vaccination from arriving travelers, so plan the shot for the Bolivia leg even if Peru does not ask for it.
Travel insurance
None of the entry rules we checked requires travel insurance to enter Peru. Buy it anyway. The reasons on our trips are concrete: a helicopter or ambulance evacuation from a trek, a hospital night in Cusco for altitude illness, a missed train after a strike, and lost luggage on a domestic flight. Check three things in the policy before you pay: that it covers activities above 4,000 m (13,100 ft), that it covers medical evacuation and repatriation, and that it pays the hospital directly rather than reimbursing you later. Travel medical cover from a US credit card is usually not enough for the first two points.
We are a travel agency, and we do not sell or hold passenger insurance. The policy is between you and your insurer, and we ask for the policy number before a trek.
The hotel tax break for foreign tourists
One rule in your favor. Peru treats hotel and lodging services sold to non-resident foreigners as exports, which means hotels do not charge the 18 percent sales tax (IGV) on your room for stays of up to 60 days per entry, under Legislative Decree 919 and its regulations. To apply it, the hotel needs a copy of your passport and your TAM record. That is why the front desk asks for both at check-in, and why a printed quote with and without IGV can differ. The hotels on our packages apply it as a matter of course.
Coca leaves, souvenirs and going home
Coca tea and coca leaves are legal and everywhere in the highlands, and they help with altitude. Do not bring leaves or tea bags back into the United States: coca is a controlled substance under US law regardless of what Peru allows, and US customs seizes it. The same goes for anything made from protected animals and for pre-Columbian objects, which Peru forbids exporting. Alpaca sweaters, textiles, silver and ceramics are fine.
Before you book
The practical checklist is short: passport with six months and a blank page, a return ticket, a travel clinic visit for the jungle leg if any, and an insurance policy that covers altitude. Everything else about entering Peru takes care of itself at the airport. Once that is settled, the real planning is where to go and in what order, and our Peru tours from Cusco hub lays out every trip by length and region. For the health side of the altitude, read the Cusco altitude guide, and for the order of a first trip, the Peru itinerary guide.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Tourist visa for US citizens | not required |
| Passport validity | at least 6 months beyond arrival, 1 blank page |
| Maximum stay | up to 183 days, set by the officer at entry (often 90) |
| Overstay fine | 0.1 percent of the UIT per day |
| Entry card | digital record, with the TAM virtual downloadable from the Migraciones portal using your passport number |
| Proof of onward travel | customs may ask for a return or onward ticket |
| Vaccination required for entry | none |
| Cash declaration | above US$10,000 or equivalent, on arrival and departure |
| Travel insurance | not required by law, strongly recommended with altitude and evacuation cover |
| IGV on hotel bills | not charged to non-resident foreigners for stays up to 60 days per entry, with passport and TAM |
Sources
- US State Department, Peru International Travel Information (entry and exit requirements)
- Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones, official portal
- Andina (state news agency), Migraciones recommendations for foreign visitors: 183-day permit, overstay fine, TAM virtual (June 8, 2024)
- Government of Canada, Travel advice and advisories for Peru (updated September 11, 2026)
- US CDC, Peru traveler health page (vaccines, yellow fever areas)
- Andina, Jorge Chávez International Airport's new terminal begins operations (June 1, 2025)
- SUNAT, Decreto Legislativo 919 (hotel services to non-residents treated as exports, up to 60 days)
Questions people ask
Do US citizens need a visa for Peru?
No. US passport holders enter Peru for tourism without a visa and without a fee. You need a passport valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date, and the immigration officer records a stay of up to 183 days against your passport number. Work, study and paid activities are different and need a visa arranged in advance.
How long can a US citizen stay in Peru?
Up to 183 days as a tourist, according to Migraciones, with the exact number decided by the officer when you enter. Many travelers receive 90 days. Overstaying costs a daily fine of 0.1 percent of Peru's tax unit, paid before you leave, so check the days granted on your TAM virtual record if you plan a long stay.
Do I need travel insurance for Peru?
Not to enter: none of the official entry rules we checked requires it. We still ask every guest to carry a policy that covers activities above 4,000 m (13,100 ft), medical evacuation and direct payment to hospitals. Altitude illness, trek evacuations and strike-related missed trains are the real claims on a Peru trip, and a credit card policy rarely covers the first two.
What is the TAM virtual?
The Tarjeta Andina de Migración virtual is the digital record of your entry to Peru, which replaced the paper card. Download it free from the Migraciones portal with your passport number. Hotels ask for it, together with your passport, to leave the 18 percent IGV off your room bill under the rule for foreign tourists, and police can ask for it in document checks.
Do I need a yellow fever vaccine for Peru?
Not for entry, per the US CDC. The vaccine is recommended if you travel below 2,300 m (7,550 ft) in the jungle regions, such as Madre de Dios, Loreto or the lowland parts of Cusco and Puno, and not recommended for Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu or Lake Titicaca. If you continue to Bolivia, that country requires the certificate, so plan the shot for that leg.
Does my passport need six months of validity for Peru?
Yes. Canada's official advice for Peru states the passport must be valid for at least six months after your arrival date, and the US State Department lists the same rule. The check usually happens at the airline counter in the United States, not in Lima, so renew early. Keep a blank page for the stamp and a photo of the data page on your phone.
Can I bring coca tea home from Peru?
No. Coca leaves and coca tea bags are legal in Peru and useful at altitude, but coca is a controlled substance in the United States and customs seizes it on arrival. Drink it in Cusco and leave it there. Pre-Columbian objects and products from protected animals are also barred from export by Peru. Alpaca textiles, silver and ceramics are fine.
This guide was last reviewed in October 2026. Prices, rules and timetables are quoted with the date we checked them.