Peru citizenship by naturalization: requirements in 2026

Two years in the country instead of five, until the new law's regulations come out. Peru has already passed Law 32421, which makes the road to a passport two and a half times longer, but the old rules apply until its regulations are published. Which residence permits lead to citizenship, fees in soles and dollars, the exam and the pitfalls.

Peru is still one of the few countries in Latin America where you can apply for citizenship after just two years of legal residence. Brazil's standard wait is four years, Colombia's five. But that window is closing: Law No. 32421, published on 15 August 2025, raises the naturalization requirement to five years, and for spouses of Peruvians from two to four years of marriage.

The new law takes effect the day after its regulations are published, the government decree that spells out the procedure. Migraciones (Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones, Peru's national immigration authority) held an early public consultation (Consulta Pública Temprana) on the future regulations in October 2025, yet the regulations have not appeared on official portals. The procedure page on the government portal gob.pe still describes the old conditions, and under the law's transitional provisions applications filed before it takes effect are decided under the old rules.

Below: which residence permits actually lead to a passport, what the fees are, what the exam asks and why the retiree status that foreigners love can turn into a dead end. Two units you will need throughout. The sol (PEN) is Peru's currency; dollar figures use a rate of about 3.44 soles per dollar, where the Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCRP) rate has held in 2026. The UIT (Unidad Impositiva Tributaria, tax reference unit) is the unit that income thresholds, fines and deductions are pegged to: in 2026 one UIT is PEN 5,500, about $1,605.

Who can get Peruvian citizenship and after how many years

The rules come from the 1993 Constitution and Nationality Law No. 26574 of 1996. Migraciones takes the applications, but every naturalization is signed off by the President through a Resolución Suprema, a supreme resolution the head of state issues at their discretion.

Parents of a child born in Peru can obtain residency as family members of a citizen (familiar residente). Law 26574 gives them no shortcut to naturalization, though: the standard two years and 10 UIT income still apply. Spanish nationals can apply under the Peru-Spain dual nationality treaty, but they too need two years of residency.

What the new nationality law 32421 changes

Migraciones was blunt about the rationale: the old two years of residence or marriage were shorter than in neighbouring countries, which, by the agency's count, ask for five to ten years. The main changes:

• naturalization: at least 5 years of continuous residence immediately before applying instead of 2, plus lawful income of at least 10 UIT a year with taxes paid;
• marriage: 4 years of continuous marriage before applying instead of 2, and mandatory residency;
• for everyone: a check of language skills and knowledge of history, geography, the Constitution, culture and current affairs, an INTERPOL background check and a valid passport from the country of origin;
• processing: up to 18 months, extendable by another 6;
• filing in person only, as now, with no proxy; the exception is people with disabilities;
• the power to refuse anyone the state considers a threat to internal order.

The practical takeaway is simple. If you already live in Peru on a residence permit, count the months to two years and prepare your documents early: an application filed before the law takes effect stays under the old regime. If you are only planning the move, budget for five years. By the time you clock up two, the regulations may well be out.

Do Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Kazakhs need a visa for Peru

For a first scouting trip most readers do not. According to the visa requirements table of Peru's Foreign Ministry (Cancillería) for 2026:

• Russian citizens: visa-free for up to 90 days in every 180;
• Ukrainian citizens: visa-free for up to 90 days in every 180;
• Belarusian citizens: visa-free for up to 90 days, extendable once for the same period within 365 days;
• Kazakh citizens: a tourist visa from a Peruvian consulate is required.

Visa-free entry makes you a tourist, and time as a tourist does not count towards the two years. Only residence backed by a Carné de Extranjería, the plastic ID card for foreign residents, counts. Nor does the PTP (Permiso Temporal de Permanencia, temporary stay permit): it is a permit, not a resident immigration category, and it does not come with a resident ID card.

Which Peru residency to start with

Residency in Peru is called calidad migratoria residente, the resident immigration category. The resident visa is approved online while the applicant is outside Peru, which is an explicit Migraciones condition. Once approved, you enter on the visa, collect your Carné de Extranjería (about $10) and renew your residence once a year: the fee is about $10, filed 30 days before expiry. The card itself is valid for 4 years, or 5 for permanent residents.

The main trap is rentista status. Retirees and people living off rental income choose it because it does not require working in Peru. But Law 26574 requires a candidate to regularly practise a profession, trade or business, and the Migraciones document list for naturalization covers only four categories: employee, independent professional, investor and member of the clergy. Rentistas are not among them. On top of that, the minimum income for the rentista visa is, on an annual basis, below the citizenship threshold. Anyone taking this route should plan a change of category or their own business in Peru well ahead. How will Migraciones view your case? Ask an expert.

Investor residency costs more but leads straight to naturalization. When applying for citizenship, the investor shows the registration of the investment with SUNARP (Superintendencia Nacional de los Registros Públicos, the company and property registry), the company's annual return and last three monthly tax returns, and proof of no arrears on taxes or contributions to EsSalud (the state health insurer). A shell company will not pass.

Worker residency is the most common route, but it ties you to an employer. Quotas on foreign staff come from Legislative Decree 689 on hiring foreign workers. For citizenship, a worker brings a contract running at least another year, the last three payslips and last year's income certificate.

Permanent residency (calidad migratoria permanente) becomes available after 3 consecutive years as a worker, investor, researcher or member of the clergy. You do not need it for citizenship: you can apply with ordinary residency. That makes Peru softer than Paraguay and Ecuador, where permanent status comes first. Programmes in other countries are gathered in our residency section, and everyday life in the capital is covered in our guide to Lima.

How to get Peruvian citizenship: step by step

1. Residency and the foreigner ID card. Resident visa approved from abroad, entry, Carné de Extranjería, annual renewals without gaps.
2. Two years without long trips. Under the immigration regulations, a resident loses status after more than 183 consecutive days abroad within 365 days. When you apply, Migraciones reviews your last two years of residence. The exception is a special absence permit from Migraciones.
3. Income of at least 10 UIT. About $16,100 gross a year, or roughly $1,335 a month, backed by last year's tax documents.
4. Documents. The PA-Nacionalidad application form, a copy of your passport, a sworn statement on health, address and no criminal record in Peru or abroad, the INTERPOL record check known as Ficha de Canje Internacional (issued by the OCN INTERPOL Lima bureau, no older than 6 months, about $10), and an apostilled birth certificate. Foreign documents are translated into Spanish by a sworn or certified translator in Peru.
5. Payment and filing. The fee of about $90 is paid under code 07564 at the state-owned Banco de la Nación or on the pagalo.pe online payment portal. The application goes through the Agencia Digital de Migraciones, the agency's online account. The procedure is personal: the regulations do not allow a proxy.
6. Exam. If the file is in order, the applicant is called before the Comisión de Evaluación (evaluation board) on the last working day of the month.
7. Decision. The file goes through the lawyers at Migraciones and the Interior Ministry, then the draft Resolución Suprema goes to the President.
8. Title and oath. The applicant signs the título de naturalización (naturalization certificate) and gives fingerprints, the Interior Minister signs it, and then comes a ceremony with an oath. The Carné de Extranjería is cancelled, and you must have no tax arrears by that point.
9. DNI and passport. With the certificate you go to RENIEC (Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil, the identity and civil registry) for a DNI, the national identity card: about $10 at a discounted price until 31 December 2026, valid for 10 years. Migraciones issues the passport: about $40, also valid for 10 years.

The regulations allow 30 working days for a decision, but the clock stops during background checks, the Interior Ministry's review, the President's review and the summons to sign. Silence from the agency counts as a refusal, not an approval. In practice the process takes a year, a year and a half or longer. One applicant, Belgian entrepreneur Gael De Lichtervelde, applied for naturalization in March 2024 and waited almost two years; he said he could go nine months without a single email from the agency.

What the Peruvian citizenship test asks

The exam is written and in Spanish. There is no official syllabus on gob.pe, but in January 2026 the test made the news when two footballers from Lima club Universitario sat it: Argentine Matías Di Benedetto and Paraguayan Williams Riveros. The questions are drawn from these topics:

• Inca rulers and pre-Inca cultures, archaeological sites;
• natural regions, rivers and lakes;
• national heroes, independence and the War of the Pacific;
• national symbols, Peruvian artists, typical dishes and fruits;
• 20th and 21st century presidents, members of Congress and ministers;
• how the state is organised, the nationality law and the role of Migraciones;
• international agreements, including MERCOSUR and the Andean Community.

Add to that verses of the national anthem and a grasp of current politics. Failing is a real possibility: both footballers failed at the first attempt, and Di Benedetto passed on his second try at the end of January 2026. This is not set out officially, but in practice you get up to three attempts.

The regulations describe no separate interview: the board examines the applicant, and Spanish is tested by the exam itself. Under Law 32421, language, culture and current affairs become explicitly listed parts of the assessment. The journey ends with a ceremony at which new citizens swear loyalty to the nation and respect for the Constitution and the laws. In September 2026, 25 people born in six countries, including Russia, received their certificates at such a ceremony in Lima.

How much Peruvian citizenship costs

Government fees in Peru are modest: the real money goes into the income and investment you have to show, not the charges. The naturalization fee was cut in October 2023 by a new TUPA (Texto Único de Procedimientos Administrativos, the official schedule of procedures and fees): about $90 instead of the previous $155, which INDECOPI (the competition and consumer protection agency) had ruled an unlawful barrier.

Worked example for one person: resident visa, ID card, two renewals, INTERPOL check, application, DNI and passport come to about $200. Add apostilles, translations and police certificates from your home country. The big cost lies elsewhere: two years of living in Peru and income of at least $16,100 a year, or $145,500 in a company for an investor.

Can you keep Russian, Ukrainian or Kazakh citizenship

As far as Peru is concerned, yes. Article 53 of the Constitution says Peruvian nationality is lost only by express renunciation before a Peruvian authority, and Law 26574 does not require naturalizing foreigners to give up their original citizenship. Peru's Foreign Ministry states plainly that the country allows dual and multiple nationality. There is one limit: a naturalized Peruvian does not gain the rights reserved for Peruvians by birth, such as the right to run for president.

The complications come from the other side:

• Russia allows a second citizenship but requires you to notify the Interior Ministry within 60 days; late notice means a fine, concealment a criminal case.
• Ukraine has allowed multiple citizenship since 16 January 2026 only with countries on a Cabinet list, and Peru is not on it, even after the list was expanded in 2026.
• Kazakhstan prohibits dual citizenship: you must report the new one and surrender your Kazakh passport within 30 days.

Country-by-country rules are in our guide to dual citizenship in 2026.

What a Peruvian passport gives you

In 2026 the Peruvian passport opens 141 destinations visa-free or with a visa on arrival. The Russian passport opens 114, the Belarusian 78 and the Kazakh 77. For Ukrainians it adds almost nothing in mobility terms: the Ukrainian passport opens 142 destinations.

• Europe. Since 15 March 2016 Peruvians have travelled visa-free to 30 European countries, including the Schengen area, for up to 90 days in any 180. Once the EU launches ETIAS, its electronic travel authorisation, Peruvians will need it too; see our piece on the ETIAS delay.
• The UK and Russia. No visa needed; the UK requires an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), and Russia has been visa-free under an agreement in force since 21 June 2011.
• Japan. Since 1 July 2025 Japan has again let Peruvians in visa-free for up to 90 days, provided they hold an electronic passport with a chip. The waiver runs until 30 June 2028 and can be renewed.
• Where you need a visa. The US, Canada and Mexico are not on the Peruvian Foreign Ministry's list of countries that waive visas for Peruvians.
• Andean Community. Peru belongs to the CAN (Comunidad Andina, Andean Community) with Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador: you can travel there on your national ID card, and the Andean Migration Statute (Decision 878) makes residency easier.
• MERCOSUR. Peru is part of the MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market) residence agreement: Peruvian citizens get simplified residency in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and other participating countries.

A Peruvian passport does not waive the US visa and gives no right to live in the EU. Its value lies in South America, where it makes moving between neighbouring countries far simpler. The full picture is in our 2026 passport ranking.

What taxes a Peruvian resident pays

A foreigner becomes tax resident (domiciliado) after more than 183 days in Peru within any 12-month period; the new status applies from 1 January of the following year. Residents are taxed on worldwide income. Non-residents pay only on Peruvian-source income, and on salaries at a flat 30% with no deductions (Peru's Income Tax Law).

The first 7 UIT of employment income (PEN 38,500, about $11,300) are deducted. Dividends are taxed at 5%, and income from rent, interest and property sales at an effective 5%.

Worked example: an employee earning exactly the naturalization threshold of PEN 55,000 a year deducts 7 UIT and pays 8% on PEN 16,500, which is PEN 1,320, about $390 a year. Residents add foreign income to employment income and apply the same scale. How to square a move with your tax status back home is covered in our section on taxes and residency.

Peru vs Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador and Colombia

Two years is still one of the shortest waits in the region. But every country has its catch, and the waiting time is not the only thing worth comparing.

If you want the strongest passport, Brazil and Argentina open almost 30 more destinations. If speed matters, Peru is unbeatable for now: the new Law 32421 extends the period to five years, but it takes effect only once its regulation is issued. More on choosing in our roundup of the best countries for citizenship in 2026.

Pitfalls and who Peru is not for

• The two-year window. Law 32421 has already passed, and once its regulations are published the wait rises to five years. Only applications filed earlier are protected.
• Rentistas and family members. They are missing from the naturalization categories, and the rentista visa asks for less than the citizenship income threshold.
• Travel. More than 183 consecutive days abroad within a year and your resident status is gone, along with the time you have built up.
• Presidential discretion. Even a perfect file is a request, not a right: the Resolución Suprema is signed at the head of state's discretion, and silence from the agency counts as a refusal.
• Timing. The 30 working days in the regulations turn into a year and a half or more in practice.
• Shifting requirements. In 2023 INDECOPI ruled the INTERPOL check and the health declaration unlawful barriers, yet since 14 June 2024 Migraciones has required them again under a court order. Murblz specialists check the document list right before filing.
• Taxes. Two years of living in Peru will almost certainly make you tax resident, liable on worldwide income.

Who it is not for: anyone who wants a passport without moving; people living on passive income with no plan to work or run a business in Peru; Kazakh citizens not ready to give up Kazakh citizenship; anyone who needs visa-free access to the US.

How we can help

We guide you from choosing a residency category to filing for citizenship, and work out in advance whether you can make it under the two-year rules. Legal representation before Migraciones and other Peruvian authorities is handled by Murblz specialists together with partners licensed in Peru.

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