Do you need a visa to study in Peru?
You will not need to apply for a visa to study in Peru. All US passport holders can get a visa stamp to stay in Peru for 30, 60, 90, or 180 days. It is up to the immigration officer in the airport to decide how long you will get your visa for. Be nice to this person!
More than likely he or she will ask you how long you are staying and normally they give out the visa for the amount of time longer than the length of stay. So, as you are staying for about 5 weeks, you would receive the 60 days visa. However, this is not always true. Occasionally they will give you a visa for less days than you need. This really isn’t a big deal, but let USIL and Cristian, the Site Director, know if this happens right away. They will help you go to the immigration office where you can apply for a longer visa.
This isn’t hard, but does cost $20-$50 US Dollars. Even if you don’t extend your visa the penalty when leaving is that you must pay $1 US Dollar, for every day you stayed past the length of your visa. So, if your visa was for 90 days and you stayed for 100, you would owe them $10 US Dollars.
IMPORTANT: CISabroad will only advise students on visa procedures for travel requirements for your CISabroad program only. CISabroad is not responsible for advising students on visa issues if they plan to travel internationally before or after the program dates.
These instructions are intended for US passport holders. International students must also be aware of additional documentation and/or processing time needed for their visas. Please contact your Program Coordinator to discuss your visa.