Mar
2
Obtaining Residency in Peru…
This post is out of date. I will be updating it in March of 2013. The immigration regulations have changed as of January 2013.
This is a step by step guide I prepared to help expats with the process of obtaining residency. When you are done, you will have your Carné de extranjería(CE). This is based on my personal experience and individual results may vary.
What are the benefits of having residency in Peru? In no particular order, many…
1) No more border hopping.
2) You don’t have to carry around your passport anymore! Much more convenient when making credit card purchases.
2) You can open a bank account without any hassles.
3) You can legally work.
4) You can get your driver’s license.
5) You can get the same rates on certain airlines that charge non-residents a ‘gringo’ tax. LAN Peru
I am sure there are many more, but these are the main reasons that come to mind.
Getting your CE: Married to a Peruvian
The process is not very complicated and can take as little as three weeks, or as long as a month. If it takes longer, start asking questions at Immigrations. This guide assumes you were married in Peru.
Each office has its own hours. In Lima the office opens at 8am and they do not deal with the public for foreigner issues after 1pm .
Step 1: You need a certified copy of your marriage certificate, less than a year old. It needs to be certified by RENIEC. www.reniec.gob.pe/. You need to get the original from the city hall where you were married, if it was in Peru, the cost varies, where I am it is 17 soles to get it back in a week, 27 soles to get it same day. If you are in a province, the local RENIEC office will send it to Lima for a special seal that is required, it takes about 2 weeks to get it back. If you are in a hurry, it is best to have a friend or family member take it there to get it done for you.
Step 2: Make copies of your passport, TAM, marriage certificate and your spouse’s DNI, 4 copies of each, just to be safe.
Step 3: Get carne type photos(4). You will get more taken at the immigrations office in Lima when your CE is ready.
Step 4: You can either print these from the DIGEMIN website, or sometimes they will print them for you. In my case they printed them at the office. Nothing too complicated that you can’t do it yourself. I have included the link for the PDF version since not everyone has Microsoft Word or Word Viewer.
a) Form F007
http://www.digemin.gob.pe/docs/formularios/pdf/f7.pdf
b) Form F007A
http://www.digemin.gob.pe/docs/formularios/pdf/f7a.pdf
b) Form F004
http://www.digemin.gob.pe/docs/formularios/pdf/f4.pdf
c) Carta de Garantía (Affidavit of Support) – Nothing fancy, you can find a sample on the web or do it yourself.
Step 5: Pay a fee of approximately 58.32 soles to file the form F004 and about 36 soles for form F007A(permission to sign contracts) at Banco de la Nacion. You are not filing the form at the bank, just paying the fee as immigrations does not take payments. You can do this at any branch, much better than fighting the line at the main office in Lima, can take as long as an hour. Make sure you save the receipt. You will need this when you return to Immigrations.
Step 6: Go to your local immigrations office, or if in Lima to the main office(Av. España Nº 730 – Breña – Lima). First floor, Mesa de Partes. Speak to the less than helpful person at the window in front of the stairs and they will direct you from there.
Step 7: You will present all your documents and receipts to the Immigrations official, they will process it and have you come back in a few days. You will be fingerprinted and then you will get a case number, very important to ask for this before leaving.
Step 8: Now you can go to Interpol, steps are posted here(from a guide I wrote in a post there): http://www.expatperu.com/going-to-interpol.html This step can be done at any point after you have your case number. No need to wait for the application to be completely processed. You will get a receipt to take back to Immigrations, this is required to complete the process.
Step 9: Wait. Time will vary from 1 week to 30 days. You will be contacted when your application has been processed and your CE is ALMOST ready, by email is best.
Step 10: Set an appointment to complete the process. You can call or go in person to do so.
Step 11: Return at the date and time set for your appointment. Make sure you have your passport! Go to the designated window, you will be told which one. They will collect your Interpol receipt, update some information in the computer and they will ask you to have a seat and wait for your name to be called. Directly behind you is a room where they take your CE photo, sit near it and wait to be called.
Step 12: When your name is called, you will be taken into the room to have your photo taken. They will also fingerprint you again. Wait again for the director of Immigrations.
Step 13: Receive your CE from the director and he will also stamp and sign your passport with the change in migratory change. It will be stamped ‘Inscrito como residente,’ with the date and your CE number will be written on the line in the middle. They will give you a brief lecture and some information on your rights and responsibilities as a resident. The card is good for ONE year from the date it is issued and needs to be renewed.
Congratulations, you are now a resident. There are no additional fees to pay when you get the card.
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