Here is the latest up-to-date travel advice about Peru Travel Restrictions during Covid-19, provided to you by Haku Expeditions, so your adventure to Peru can be smooth sailing through the Covid restrictions! Updated October 20th, 2022
Table of contents:
1. BEFORE TRAVEL
- What is required to get into Peru?
- Does Peru require a vaccine or a test or both to get into the country?
- Are there any other Vaccinations for Peru that are required?
- Passport validity.
- Travel Health Declaration. A MUST. Link.
- What are the mask requirements for flying into Peru?
- Is there a quarantine requirement for Peru on arrival?
- Should I worry about the Travel warnings from the State Gov site about increased crime?
2. DURING TRAVEL
- What are the requirements to travel around Peru once I arrive and how to travel safely?
- What are the mask requirements in Peru and how are they enforced?
- Will I be required to wear a mask outdoors and while traveling in busses on tours?
- Are Vaccines required to enter restaurants, public transport and for national flights?
- I don’t have a Vax card. How can I travel around Peru and eat in restaurants?
- What are the COVID restrictions with Machu Picchu?
- I heard there is a curfew in Peru, will this be an issue on my trip?
- How to travel safely during times of COVID away stay from the crowds?
3. END OF TRAVEL
- Leaving Peru and Getting back into your country.
- Where can I get a test to fly home and how long do test results take?
- How much are molecular and viral Coronavirus tests in Peru?
- Re-entry into the United States.
- Re-entry into Canada.
- What happens if I get Coronavirus while I’m in Peru and how do I get out?
1. Entry Requirements for Travel to Peru.
What is required to get into Peru?
Complete vaccine card or PCR test + Health declaration + Passport with 6 months
Does Peru require a vaccine or a test or both to get into the country?
The entry requirement to get into Peru is currently either: A complete vaccine card (with last dose 14 days earlier) or a negative PCR test (taken within 48 hours prior to boarding) or a positive PCR test from the last three months and a medical discharge from your licensed doctor. You must have one of these three things in order to enter the country of Peru. Children under 12 only need to be asymptomatic.
A complete Vax card = What ever your home country considers complete is complete.
Only Peruvians and residents need a booster dose to get in with a vax card.
Before buying flights check all of the countries where you will have a layover and all of their vaccine/testing/entry requirements. Although Peru may not require a vaccine with a negative test, or it may not require a negative test with a vaccine card, one on the countries you stop in might!
Are there any other Vaccinations for Peru that are required?
Peru does not require any other vaccines to enter. However, the yellow fever vaccine is highly recommended if you will be traveling to a destination below 2300 m/7,500 ft such as the Amazon. For those in the Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu region this vaccine is not necessary.
Passport validity:
Everyone entering Peru needs a passport with more than six-months validity remaining.
Everyone entering Peru will need to fill out a Travel Health Declaration otherwise known as the Peru Affidavit of Health and Geolocation Authorization Form.
Here is a link to the Health Affidavit which you must fill out 72 hours before your trip. This is very important to complete before you arrive at the airport! The airlines do not give you a paper health-declaration nor do they allow you to use any computers of theirs. We have had multiple people miss their flights from complications or technical issues. This can be a complicated form sometimes so please give yourself plenty of time prior to flying to fill it out. You will need to use a Peruvian number or any number with the correct number of digits. See our blog on how to fill out this form here. We suggest having all the information on hand before beginning this process which you will find in our blog.
What are the mask requirements for flying into Peru?
You will NO LONGER be required to wear a double mask or any mask on the plane. Face shields are no longer required on airplanes in Peru either.
Is there a quarantine requirement for Peru on arrival?
There is no quarantine requirement upon entry to Peru unless you are symptomatic on arrival.
Should I worry about the Travel warnings from the State Gov site about increased crime?
If you are traveling to Cusco or the Sacred Valley rest assured, this is one of the safest places to visit in South America. The local people are kind and generous. While pickpocketing can happen at any time, we are not suffering any increase in crime on travelers nor terrorism in the Sacred Valley or Cusco. Lima, however, can be dangerous and requires more attention to your trip and a few extra safety measures.
2. Peru Travel Restrictions for Covid-19 once you have Arrived in Peru.
What are the requirements to travel around Peru once I arrive and how to travel safely?
You may be required to have a complete vaccine card OR a negative PCR for some places but no longer seems to be enforced.
What are the mask requirements in Peru and how are they enforced?
You are NO LONGER officially required to wear either a K-95 mask or two regular masks in closed spaces and in public. When entering stores, banks and restaurants you will not need your mask.
Will I be required to wear a mask outdoors and while traveling in busses on tours?
NO longer officially required to wear masks even while outdoors. Like in most places worldwide you will see people fully masked, double masked, with a mask under their chin, without a mask and with mask in hand. Some stores you enter you will find all employees will be masked while others no one will be wearing a mask.
If you are looking for a mask-free vacation, inquire with your travel agency about the possibility of a private tour where you can enjoy activities where you can be mask free and travel in a private car where you breathe freely.
Are Vaccines required to enter restaurants, public transport and for national flights?
Yes, the vax card is officially required to enter “closed spaces” such as restaurants and stores. It is also required to travel on public transport such as interprovincial busses and on the train to Machu Picchu and on national flights around Peru. (A negative PCR is also valid for transport)
However, as of October we have not once been asked for the vaccine card to enter banks, malls and other official places where it was commonly asked.
I don’t have a Vax card. How can I travel around Peru and eat in restaurants?
Although officially required, most local restaurants, bodegas, cafes and stores are not asking for proof-of-vaccination in the Cusco, Sacred Valley region. You will be asked for it upon entering banks and chain restaurants such as Starbucks and some large chain grocery stores. Most of Cusco and the Sacred Valley are mom and pop shops where you can enter freely.
Traveling on a public interprovincial bus is unlikely if you have booked a private tour or are using private taxis. You may use a PCR test if you plan to use a public bus or fly on a national flight.
While traveling to Machu Picchu on the train you can use a negative PCR test instead of the vax card. See more info on this below.
What are the COVID restrictions with Machu Picchu?
Machu Picchu is not requiring the vax card or masks.
You are no longer required to use a mask on the train to Machu Picchu nor provide a VAX card or PCR test.
I heard there is a curfew in Peru, will this be an issue on my trip?
UPDATE as of January 27th: there is no longer a curfew in Peru
How to travel safely during times of COVID and stay away from the crowds?
For those looking to have a trip where you will not be in contact with large groups of people you will want to inquire about private custom tours. This will keep you in contact with one guide and one driver for the majority of your trip vs large group tours where you will have a different guide and driver daily, along with sharing a bus with many different tourist from around the world. You will also want to avoid the most sought out tours and ask for something off the beaten path. For instance the coveted “Inca Trail Trek” allows 500 people on the trail daily. You will share bathrooms and kitchen tents with many people on a daily basis. Recently 100 people were infected on the Inca Trail with Covid due to this style of group tour in a heavily crowed area. Instead of the marketed “Inca Trail” you can choose many other Inca Trails in Peru to Hike where you will be far from the crowds. Alternatively you can skip the Inca trails altogether and head out to the Ausangate area with pristine glacial lakes, herds of alpacas and hot springs.
3. Peru Travel Restrictions in times of Covid-19 to leave Peru and return home.
Leaving Peru and Getting back into your country:
All travelers leaving Peru will need to fill out the health affidavit once again before flying. Remember that flying nationally you will need either the vaccine card or a negative PCR test.
Where can I get a coronavirus test to fly home and how long do test results take?
Due to the amount of tourism in Peru there are many places where you can get tested. Almost all labs in Peru provide PCR and Antigen tests. Results can be as quick as 15 minutes and as long as 24 hours. If you are traveling without the help of a trusted tour agency you will want to inquire with a lab in your last destination as to prices and time frames of Corona virus testing. Some labs only do PCR tests M-F during certain time frames. If you are traveling with the help of a tour agency, speak with them about where and when you will get tested and ask how long test results will take. You will want to know when you need to be tested and what kind of test so they can provide the correct information to you.
Many countries have different requirements for what needs to be on the Covid-19 test in order to be accepted on arrival. (Address and name of lab, name of traveler, document number etc.) Check these details before purchasing any test.
How much are molecular and viral Covid-19 tests in Peru.
The antigen viral test in Peru will run between 90-150 soles. The results are often back between 15 minutes and 2 hours. You can have these emailed to you but you will want to have the phone number of the lab on hand as they often forget.
The Molecular PCR test in Peru runs between 350-450 soles per test. This test takes a bit longer and may be returned in as little as a few hours to 24 hours.
For entry into the United States:
All US nationals are no longer required to provide a vax card or covid test to enter the country. Non-residents are still required to provide a vax card.
See the US embassy site for more information and to stay up to date.
For any other questions or inquiries please email us at info@hakuexpeditions.com
