Rules for overlanding in Peru

An Italian licence covers a stay of up to 6 months, and an International Driving Permit on the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna Convention model is recognised. Check what applies to the licence you hold.

Third-party liability cover is compulsory. Short-term cover can be bought on arrival at the border, at Tacna or at Tumbes; the premium depends on the vehicle's value, the risks covered and how long you need it.

A carnet de passages en douane is required, and temporary import of a vehicle lasts a maximum of 12 months.

The limit is 0.05%. Above it you are treated as drunk and face a fine of 3,700 PEN, a 12-month licence suspension and seizure of the vehicle. Drivers involved in a crash are tested, and a positive breath test is followed by a blood sample.

A protective helmet and a reflective jacket are compulsory for motorcyclists and their passengers, and both must carry the motorcycle's registration number.

Seatbelts are compulsory on every seat fitted with one; there are no rules on child restraints. Lights must be on at all times outside built-up areas, and at night inside them.

A warning triangle must be carried and used in a crash or breakdown. A first-aid kit is compulsory on all trucks and buses, and a fire extinguisher on all tourist coaches, whether registered in Peru or abroad.

Using the road network can be risky: it is in a precarious state and the vehicles on it are poorly maintained. The ministry strongly recommends driving in daylight only, avoiding secondary rural roads at night, and checking road conditions before setting off — in the rainy season (January to March) and in the Andean and Amazon regions they are often cut by landslides.

Drive on the right and overtake on the left. Give way to vehicles coming from the right, and traffic entering a roundabout gives way to traffic already in it. Horns are banned in built-up areas except in an emergency.

Always travel with a valid identity document, because law enforcement carries out frequent checks.

Tourists get no special treatment. Even personal-use quantities are an offence, and someone recognised as a user is normally placed in a rehabilitation centre for some months. A quantity that amounts to "presumed trafficking" brings 6 years and 8 months to 18 years in prison. Never carry parcels or gifts for anyone without checking the contents.

Importing drones and radio-controlled devices needs a special permit from the Peruvian Ministry of Communications. Contact the authorities first or the equipment can be seized on arrival.

Ecuadorian border authorities may still make entry overland from Peru or Colombia conditional, with some exceptions, on an apostilled Spanish-language criminal record certificate covering the last 5 years; if the certificate is not available, the traveller can submit to a check against the national SIMIEC database. The ministry advises maximum caution when crossing borders into and out of Peru and Colombia, preferring the air route, which it considers much safer.

There are no currency restrictions on entry. Euros are changed only at some bank branches and at a poor rate, while the US dollar is accepted almost everywhere. Change money only at banks or exchange bureaux to avoid counterfeit notes from street changers.

A passport valid for at least 6 months on arrival is required, and border authorities ask for the passport and a round-trip ticket; with under 6 months' validity entry is refused. Citizens of Schengen-area states need no visa for tourism: the maximum stay is 90 days within a period of 183 days, and a longer stay needs a visa from a Peruvian consulate. Overstaying brings a fine, paid on leaving the country, of 0.1% of the Unidad Impositiva Tributaria (UIT) for each day over the limit, currently 5.15 soles a day, and the authorities may order a forced return to the country of departure with a ban on entering Peru for between 5 and 15 years.

To protect tourists, the Peruvian government has issued new rules on aggravated theft, with penalties of 20 to 25 years in prison, and life if the crime causes death or permanent incapacity. A tourist who is attacked or robbed has to stay in Peru until the trial in a case of flagrant crime, and trials take quite a long time.

A foreign tourist's vehicle can enter Peru with a Libreta de Paso por Aduanas (a carnet-style document) or with a Certificado de Internación Temporal (CIT) issued by Peruvian customs; either one is authorised for as long as the immigration authority grants the traveller's tourist stay. Peruvian residents living abroad get a default of up to 90 calendar days when no stay period has been set. (SUNAT — Asistente Aduanero: Vehículos para turismo)

A foreign-plated vehicle needs a SOAT traffic-accident insurance policy valid for the whole time it stays in Peru. (SUNAT — Asistente Aduanero: Vehículos para turismo)

Peru's Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC), through its civil aviation directorate (DGAC), announced in a press release of 8 June 2026 a virtual system for the accreditation of remotely piloted aircraft (RPAS) pilots. After completing the course at the Civil Aviation Instruction Centre (CIAC) and requesting the exam from the MTC, users take the theory exam on an online platform and, on passing, can download the temporary electronic accreditation. The release says the tool is aimed at all persons who operate drones in the country, in both recreational and professional activities. It does not say whether accreditation is mandatory or mention visitors bringing a drone from abroad. (Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones del Perú (MTC) — Nota de prensa: MTC reduce a minutos la acreditación de pilotos de drones con nuevo sistema virtual (08/06/2026))

By Ministerial Resolution No. 362-2022-MTC/01.03 of 30 April 2022, Peru's Ministry of Transport and Communications granted Starlink Perú S.R.L. a single concession for public telecommunications services for 20 years, covering the whole national territory. (Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones del Perú — Resolución Ministerial N° 362-2022-MTC/01.03 (El Peruano, 5 de mayo de 2022))