Registration and numbers in Peru: carné de extranjería, CUE and RUC
After arriving with a resident visa you apply to Migraciones for the carné de extranjería, your identity card in Peru. You first need an Interpol certificate for it. The card costs S/ 24 and is valid for four years. You only need a RUC, the SUNAT tax number, once you have income in Peru, such as rent or your own work.
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If you come to Peru with a resident visa, your first number is the carné de extranjería. Under the migration law it is your official proof of identity as a foreign resident. You apply for it at Migraciones, in Peru itself, for S/ 24. You first need an Interpol certificate for it, from the Interpol office of the Peruvian police. The card is valid for four years. Other numbers only follow when you need them.
| Number or document | What for | Who issues it | Cost and term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ficha de Canje Internacional | proof that no international arrest warrant is out against you | Interpol office of the police in Lima | no more than six months old when you apply for the carné |
| Carné de extranjería | identity card, needed for bank, healthcare, driving licence, school | Migraciones | S/ 24; valid four years, children three, permanent residents five |
| CUE | your fixed foreigner number in the Migraciones register | Migraciones | stays the same on a duplicate or updated card |
| RUC | eleven-digit tax number | SUNAT | only with Peruvian income, such as rent or your own work |
| Renewing the carné | new card after four or five years | Migraciones | S/ 22.10; apply thirty days before it expires |
How do you apply for the carné de extranjería?
Online, through the Agencia Digital of Migraciones. You pay S/ 24 at the Banco de la Nación or on Págalo.pe, fill in your details, and upload the form and the Interpol certificate. According to Migraciones you must be in Peru when you apply, and the application is personal; a child comes with a parent. Once the card is ready, you book an appointment online to collect it at the office you chose when applying. Bring the passport with which you applied for your residence status.
The law says that Migraciones issues the card como consecuencia inmediata of your entry in the register of foreigners. If you have to leave Peru during the application, you first ask for permission to stay outside the country.
How do you get the Interpol certificate?
The Ficha de Canje Internacional shows that the police in other countries have no arrest warrant against you. You book an appointment online at the Interpol office of the Peruvian police; the page mentions the office in Lima (Monterrico). You pay at the Banco de la Nación, and you bring your passport with a copy of the page with your last entry stamp. The ministry page mentions S/ 31.50 and an hour's wait, but was last updated in 2021. Check the amount before you pay.
The Interpol certificate may be no more than six months old when you apply for your carné. So only get it when you are really going to submit the application. Children do not need one.
What do you have to report when something changes?
Article 47 of the regulation requires you to report changes within 30 days: your address, your marital status, your employer or school, your photo and your biometric data. Failing to do so risks a sanction. Your CUE stays the same, even if a new card is issued.
Migraciones stresses that the card and the residence status are two different things. You renew the card after four years. For many statuses the residence itself has to be extended every year or every two years, with a separate application before it expires. A rentista has a stay without an end date; see the residence routes.
When do you need a RUC?
The RUC is the SUNAT tax number, eleven digits long. SUNAT lists as reasons to register: working independently, running your own business, renting out your home or other property, or paying tax on the sale of shares or real estate. Online registration works with a DNI, the Peruvian identity document; as a foreigner you go to a SUNAT service centre with your carné de extranjería or a passport with a residence status that allows you to earn income in Peru. There you also get the Clave SOL, your password for the online services.
A foreign pension is not among the reasons SUNAT lists. You do become a tax resident if you are in Peru for more than 183 days within twelve months, from 1 January of the following year; what that means is in AOW, pension and tax.
What else do you use the carné for?
Almost everything. The free health insurance SIS Para Todos asks for a DNI or carné de extranjería; see healthcare in Peru. The Ministry of Transport wants to see it when you exchange your driving licence, and schools accept it at enrolment. In the Netherlands you deregister with the municipality; see deregistering with the municipality. What to arrange in which order is in the first weeks and in the route to Peru.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Peru or go straight to step 5.1 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Migraciones — applying for the carné de extranjería with a resident visa (S/ 24, Interpol certificate) — gob.pe
- Migraciones — renewing the carné (S/ 22.10) and how long it is valid — gob.pe
- Migraciones — renewing the card and extending the residence are two procedures (February 2026) — gob.pe
- Decreto Legislativo 1350 and its regulation — the carné as proof of identity, the CUE and the 30-day reporting duty (art. 47) — cdn.www.gob.pe
- Ministry of the Interior — applying for the Ficha de Canje Internacional (Interpol) — gob.pe
- SUNAT — registering in the RUC as an individual — gob.pe
- Ley del Impuesto a la Renta, chapter II — tax resident after more than 183 days (SUNAT) — sunat.gob.pe
- SIS — SIS Para Todos, with DNI or carné de extranjería — gob.pe
- MTC — what a foreigner needs for a Peruvian driving licence, with the carné as proof of identity — gob.pe
- MINEDU — school enrolment, with the documents foreigners can show — gob.pe
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