Healthcare in Peru: EsSalud, SIS and what a newcomer can take out
Peru has no healthcare treaty with the Netherlands, so the CAK arranges nothing for you. If you are employed, you are insured with EsSalud. Otherwise, with a carné de extranjería you can join the SIS, the public scheme of the Ministry of Health. The voluntary EsSalud insurance takes no new members until the end of 2027.
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Peru is not among the CAK treaty countries. The CAK then writes: the Netherlands has no agreements with your country of residence about your medical care, so you take out insurance there yourself, for yourself and your family. Peru has no social security treaty with the Netherlands either; the Cancillería lists Argentina, Canada, Chile, South Korea, Ecuador, Spain and Uruguay. If you live in Peru, you choose between EsSalud, the SIS or a policy of your own.
| Insurance | For whom | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| EsSalud Seguro Regular | employees, with partner and children | 9% of wages, paid by the employer |
| EsSalud Seguro Potestativo | residents without employer insurance, Peruvian or foreign | monthly premium; no new members until 31 December 2027 |
| SIS Para Todos | anyone living in Peru without other health insurance | free, in public healthcare facilities |
| SIS Independiente, single | people without other insurance who can pay a premium | S/ 39 a month |
| SIS Independiente, family | holder with partner or children | S/ 78 (one), S/ 94 (two), S/ 115 (three or more) |
| SIS Independiente from 60 | new contracts | S/ 58 a month |
What does the lack of a treaty mean?
There is no CAK arrangement that covers you in Peru, not even with a Dutch pension; a treaty insurance through the CAK only exists for the treaty countries. So arrange the transition from your Dutch health insurance yourself, so that there is no gap; see cancelling your health insurance without a gap and the CAK insurance with early retirement.
How does EsSalud work?
EsSalud is the social health insurance for employees. If you work for a Peruvian employer, the Seguro Regular is mandatory. The employer pays 9% of your wages, calculated on at least the minimum wage of S/ 1,130. Your partner and your children can be covered as well. More about work is in working in Peru.
For those not insured through an employer, EsSalud had the Seguro Potestativo. It is open to anyone living in Peru, Peruvian or foreigner, with no age limit.
On 18 September 2026 EsSalud stopped new enrolments in the Seguro Potestativo until 31 December 2027. Those who already have a contract keep their cover. As a newcomer, do not count on this insurance; look at the SIS or a policy of your own.
Can you join the SIS?
The SIS, the Seguro Integral de Salud, falls under the Ministry of Health. According to the SIS, SIS Para Todos is meant for anyone living in Peru who has no other health insurance, regardless of income. You are insured free of charge in the public healthcare facilities of the ministry and the regions. You sign up with a DNI or carné de extranjería, online, via WhatsApp or at an SIS office. The SIS assigns you a health centre near your address. The page states that the supplementary cover is valid until 31 December 2026; check what applies after that.
The SIS Independiente is an insurance with a monthly premium for people without other insurance. The SIS mentions cover for more than 12,000 diagnoses, including several types of cancer, with medicines, tests, operations and emergency transport. You pay S/ 39 a month on your own, or S/ 58 if you take out a new contract from age sixty. Here too you need a DNI or carné de extranjería.
If you take out another insurance covering the same basic package, your SIS Para Todos lapses.
What do you do in the period before your carné?
The SIS asks for a DNI or carné de extranjería. As a tourist, or as long as your carné has not arrived, you cannot sign up. Take out travel or international health insurance for that period. How to get your carné is in registration and numbers.
If you bring your medicines, arrange the paperwork in advance; see medicines across the border. When to arrange the insurance in your move is in the route to Peru.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.2: 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 1.2 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.
- CAK — the treaty countries for healthcare; Peru is not among them — hetcak.nl
- Cancillería — Peru's social security treaties (Argentina, Canada, Chile, South Korea, Ecuador, Spain, Uruguay) — gob.pe
- EsSalud — the Seguro Regular for employees and their family — gob.pe
- EsSalud — the contribution of 9% of wages, paid by the employer — gob.pe
- EsSalud — the Seguro Potestativo, also for foreign residents — gob.pe
- EsSalud — no new enrolments for the Seguro Potestativo until 31 December 2027 (18 September 2026) — gob.pe
- SIS — SIS Para Todos, free for people living in Peru without other insurance — gob.pe
- SIS — the conditions of SIS Para Todos (DNI or carné de extranjería) — gob.pe
- SIS — the SIS Independiente, with a monthly premium — gob.pe
- SIS — the SIS Independiente premiums per household — gob.pe
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