Overland Peru Travel

peru page

At the border

Correct as of: 23 September 2010

Required Paperwork

• Passport of registered owner (original and 1 copy).
• Drivers license of registered owner (original and 1 copy).
• Original vehicle registration (original and 1 copy).

Process at border

• The owner of the vehicle gains entry at immigration (migración), by getting a tourist card, getting it stamped by the police and finally a stamp in their Passport.
• The owner must show the new passport stamp, drivers license and the original vehicle registration to customs (aduana).
• The owner is issued a temporary import permit for the vehicle.

Cost of entry

Free.

Permitted length of stay

90 days.

Extension of stay

Unknown.
Describe the process to extend the permitted length of entry for the vehicle, if possible.

Storing a vehicle and temporarily leaving the country

(unknown)
Describe if/how a vehicle can be stored, and for how long.
Also mention if the owner / temporary importer can leave the country while the vehicle is in storage.

Exiting with a vehicle

• The registered owner must get the Police at the border to stamp their tourist card, clearing them to leave Peru.
• The registered owner can then be stamped out of Peru at immigration.
• The registered owner presents the temporary import paper to customs.

Overland Essentials

Vehicle Insurance

Insurance requirements

Insurance is mandatory in Peru, however it's difficult to purchase because the vehicle will not be in the Peruvian computer system. Many people simply show the police SOAT insurance (Seguro Obligatorio Automóviles Transito) from another country (i.e. Ecuador or Colombia)

Cost of insurance

Unknown.
State the price of insurance and a time period.

Where to purchase insurance

Unknown.
Describe where insurance can be purchased.

Driving license

Technically an International Driving Permit is required.
In reality, showing a license from anywhere in the world seems to be good enough.

Driving side of road

Right.
Right hand drive vehicles are permitted without problem.

Mandatory items in vehicle

None.

Roads

General Road quality

Roads in Peru vary greatly. Major highways are often paved and very good quality. Lesser roads are gravel and vary from good to horrendous. If you choose a back-road through the mountains, be prepared for extremely narrow, windy, bumpy, dusty gravel tracks.

Road signs

Road signs do exist, but are far from common. Most towns have at least one sign stating the name of the town and distances to the next towns. Road hazards are often un-signed.

Toll roads

Tolls are very infrequent on some highways, and sometimes only for Northbound traffic. When they are uncounted, expect to pay something like USD $2 for at least 100km.

Bribery

Police bribery is common in Peru. The Police will try many different tactics to get money from you, including your lack of insurance (they know it's near impossible to buy).
See the bribery tips page for advice.

Checkpoints

Police checkpoints are very common in Bolivia, where the Police are trying to stop the spread of stolen vehicles. Where a barrier blocks the road you will be asked to go inside and present your Passport, Vehicle registration, drivers license and the temporary import permit you were issued at the border. They may also ask if you have the Mandatory items with you. It is extremely common to encounter bribery at these checkpoints. They will ask for money in a variety of ways, usually in a friendly, non-threatening way. See the bribery tips page for advice.

Traveling with pets

Unknown.
List the entry requirements and anything else required to travel with a pet.