Apr
8
How to get your Peruvian DNI…
Image from RENIEC
I recently became a Peruvian citizen which has been a great experience. I thought I would follow up with my experience of getting my DNI. It is the Peruvian National Identification card. The steps to achieve this are somewhat vague. Additionally, applying in the province I live was complicated by the fact that nobody at the office knew how to handle a gringo becoming Peruvian. This coming week I will be picking it up and getting my Peruvian passport, that takes an hour or less. My nearly three years of dealing with the awesome team at DIGEMIN will be over… I am sure they will miss me!
My Story…
This means spending some quality time at RENIEC http://www.reniec.gob.pe/portal/intro.htm. It is the Peruvian agency in charge of issuing and managing one’s identity (birth, marriage, divorce, death) and obtaining certified marriage certificates. There is no hell on earth quite like RENIEC. We have one local office that serves about 200,000 people. The lines often stretch for blocks in the blazing sun. Inside there are about a dozen workers, most of whom seemed more interested in their cell phones than actually helping people. There is a whole micro economy at work outside the office, it is fascinating to see it in action. We had good luck with the line on the day we went. We were only there for about two hours.
A few tricks to avoid the lines here in Pucallpa:
- Go around 1:30 in the afternoon, a lot of people will go home and eat lunch.
- The VERY best time to go is when it is raining. Minimal lines and I love the rain.
What you need…
This is a vague area. When doing research I could not find the exact requirements, they seem to have every scenario covered with the exception of applying for your DNI as a naturalized citizen. Here is what they wanted from me:
- Receipt of payment of S/. 24.00 for inscripción DNI at the Banco de la Nación.
- A recent utility bill (copy): power, water or telephone less than 6 months old. It must have your current address listed on it.
- Copy of your Title. You get 5 certified copies at DIGEMIN for S/. 11.55 as outlined in my citizenship post.
- And my favorite: If you have a degree and want it added to your DNI, you can do that. Seems pointless but it is an option.
- One color passport size photo. Make it nice, it is yours for the next 7 years, or until you lose it.
- They may insist that you have two witnesses with you because you are over 17. After a few minutes of discussion and disagreement among the workers it was decided that I did not need the witnesses. So be prepared for that.
- You will then wait in line for hours to present your required documents. Once it is your turn they will ask you a series of questions and take complete fingerprints.
- Finally, you will be given a receipt with the estimated date to pick up your DNI. It is about 3cm x 10cm, has a bar code and an 8 digit FICHA No. It will have a hand written date to return for your DNI.
Results…
- You can check the status online using the 8 digit FICHA No at any time. https://cel.reniec.gob.pe/estadoTramite/
- I was told my DNI would be ready to pick up on 4.20 but it is already waiting for me, a full two weeks ahead of time.
As always, if you need information just leave a comment. I am always happy to help!
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