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Peruvian citizenship
Alongside the routes for merit and elite sport, naturalisation through years of residence leads to a Peruvian passport. VidaLibrePlan explains the time limits and requirements.
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Citizenship by merit
Peru: two new routes to a passport, for merit and for elite sport
Law 32421 of 2025 opens Peruvian nationality to people with outstanding services to Peru and to qualified athletes, in both cases after two years of residence. It takes effect the day after its implementing regulation (reglamento) appears in the official gazette El Peruano.
In the statute book, not yet in force
- Legal basis
- Law 32421, Art. 22 to 24
- Residence
- two years without interruption
- Investment and fee
- none
- Takes effect
- the day after the reglamento
Two new routes in Peruvian law
Peru has rewritten its nationality law. Law 32421, published in the official gazette El Peruano in August 2025, sets out five routes by which foreign nationals become Peruvian. Two of them are meant for people who give Peru something money cannot measure: the distinción meritoria for outstanding services to the nation, and a route for qualified athletes who want to represent Peru at official competitions.
Both routes ask for two years of uninterrupted residence in Peru, with no investment and no processing fee. The law exempts them from the fee in so many words. What counts is the difference you make in the country.
The facts from the official source
Legal basis: Ley N.° 32421, Nueva Ley de Nacionalidad (New Nationality Law, El Peruano, 15 August 2025), Art. 4, 9 to 15 and 22 to 24; in force the day after its reglamento (implementing regulation) is published (Tercera Disposición Complementaria Final). Until then, Ley N.° 26574 of 1996 applies.
Competent authority: Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones (opinion on both routes); Congress of the Republic (merit); Ministry of the Interior (athletes)
| Routes in the law | Art. 9 lists five routes to nationality by declaration of intent: naturalisation, option, dual nationality, distinción meritoria (distinction for merit) and deportista calificado (qualified athlete) Source |
|---|---|
| Entry into force | the day after the reglamento is published in El Peruano (Tercera Disposición Complementaria Final); Migraciones closed the public consultation on the draft on 24 December 2025 and published its final report on 29 December 2025 Source |
| Merit: who qualifies | foreign nationals with at least two years of uninterrupted residence in Peru immediately before the proposal and an honourable record, who have rendered outstanding service to the Peruvian nation through an activity, an art or a profession (Art. 22) Source |
| Merit: who decides | the Congress of the Republic, on a reasoned request from the government and with a favourable opinion from Migraciones (Art. 4 c, Art. 22); the government makes the proposal with the person's consent and evidence of their services, and the law provides for no application of your own Source |
| Athletes: who qualifies | foreign athletes holding deportista calificado status who want to represent Peru at official sporting events, after at least two years of uninterrupted residence immediately before the application and meeting the general requirements of Art. 11; the athlete applies in person (Art. 23, 24) Source |
| Athletes: who decides | the government through the Ministry of the Interior, on a proposal from the Instituto Peruano del Deporte (IPD) and the Ministry of Education, with a favourable opinion from Migraciones (Art. 24) Source |
| Investment and fees | no investment; both routes are expressly exempt from the processing fee (Art. 15); you need lawful income that covers your living costs in Peru, as the reglamento will specify (Art. 11 g) Source |
| General requirements | full legal capacity, Spanish or another official language, knowledge of history, geography, the constitution, culture and civics, valid resident status, no criminal record in Peru or abroad, an INTERPOL certificate, apostilled or legalised documents with translation, a valid passport from your country of origin; the application must be made in person (Art. 11) Source |
| Discretion | every grant is a sovereign act of the state and may be refused on grounds of public interest (Art. 13) Source |
| Duration and completion | no more than 18 months, extendable by 6 months in exceptional cases (Art. 14); completed with a certificate and an oath at a ceremony, followed by 60 calendar days to obtain the DNI identity card (Art. 30) Source |
| Current citizenship | no renunciation required, the law asks for a valid passport from your country of origin (Art. 11 k); in Peru, dual nationals enter, stay and leave as Peruvians (Art. 21) Source |
| Family | the grant covers only the person and does not pass to children (Art. 10); spouses acquire nationality by option after four years of uninterrupted marriage with residence status in Peru (Art. 19); children born in Peru are Peruvian by birth (Art. 7 a) Source |
| Power to amend | Law 32743 (El Peruano, 22 October 2026) empowers the government for 90 calendar days to amend Law 32421 by Decreto Legislativo (legislative decree) to tighten vetting, controls and fraud prevention Source |
| Until entry into force | Law 26574 applies: Congress grants nationality by Resolución Legislativa, on a proposal from the government, to foreign residents of Peru who have rendered special services to the nation (Art. 3 No. 2) Source |
Services to the nation: Congress decides
The distinción meritoria is an honour, and you do not apply for it yourself. The government puts your name forward to Congress with a statement of reasons, you give your consent and document your services, and Migraciones issues a favourable opinion. Congress then grants nationality.
The law draws the circle wide: anyone who has served the Peruvian nation in an outstanding way through an activity, an art or a profession, and who brings an honourable record, can be considered. That might be an entrepreneur who has built something in Peru, a doctor, a scientist or an artist whose work leaves its mark on the country.
Elite sport: the athletes' application
For athletes, the route is more tangible. If you hold deportista calificado status and want to represent Peru at official sporting events, you file the application yourself after two years of residence. The Instituto Peruano del Deporte and the Ministry of Education make the proposal, Migraciones gives its opinion, and the government grants nationality through the Ministry of the Interior. For federations and clubs, this is a clear path to have a talent compete for Peru for good.
What both routes require
Beyond the two years, the general rules of Art. 11 apply: valid resident status, Spanish or another official language of Peru, knowledge of history, geography, the constitution and culture, lawful income to support yourself, no criminal record in Peru or abroad, and certified documents. You make the application in person. You do not have to give up your current citizenship; the law actually requires a valid passport from your country of origin.
Where Peru stands today
Law 32421 comes into force the day after its reglamento is published in El Peruano. Migraciones closed the public consultation on the draft in December 2025. In October 2026, Congress used Law 32743 to give the government 90 days to amend the law by Decreto Legislativo and tighten vetting and fraud prevention. The details may therefore still shift before the start.
Until then, Law 26574 applies. It too allows Congress to grant nationality for special services, on a proposal from the government. And if you already live in Peru, the standard naturalisation after two years of residence, which Migraciones continues to apply, gets you the passport today.
Who Peru suits
Peru suits you if you live there or are moving there anyway and make things happen in the country: as an entrepreneur, researcher, artist or athlete. You need the two years of residence in any case, and citizenship turns a renewable residence permit into a right to Peru, without giving up the passport you hold today.
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Questions about Peru
Can I already apply for Peruvian citizenship by merit?
The two new routes under Law 32421 apply from the day after its reglamento is published in El Peruano. Until then, Law 26574 applies, and it too allows Congress to grant nationality for special services to the nation, on a proposal from the government. If you live in Peru, naturalisation after two years of residence, which Migraciones applies today, is your route in the meantime.
Can I put myself forward for the distinción meritoria?
No. The government files a reasoned request with Congress, with your consent and evidence of your services, and Migraciones gives its opinion. Congress makes the decision. You need two years of uninterrupted residence in Peru, an honourable record and outstanding services to the nation.
What applies to athletes?
If you hold deportista calificado status and want to represent Peru at official competitions, you apply yourself after two years of uninterrupted residence. The Instituto Peruano del Deporte and the Ministry of Education make the proposal, Migraciones gives its opinion, and the government grants nationality through the Ministry of the Interior.
What does the route cost?
The law requires no investment and expressly exempts both routes from the processing fee. You show lawful income that covers your living costs in Peru; the reglamento sets the exact threshold.
Do I have to give up my current citizenship?
Law 32421 requires no renunciation. On the contrary, it asks for a valid passport from your country of origin. In Peru you act as a Peruvian. Whether your home country allows you to hold a second citizenship depends on its own law.
Can my family come with me?
The grant applies to you alone. Your spouse acquires nationality by option after four years of uninterrupted marriage with residence status in Peru, and children apply in their own right through one of the routes the law provides. Children born in Peru are Peruvian by birth.
Official sources
- El Peruano: Ley N.° 32421, Nueva Ley de Nacionalidad (15 August 2025)
- El Peruano: Ley N.° 32743, delegation of legislative powers (22 October 2026)
- Congreso de la República: Ley N.° 26574, Ley de Nacionalidad (1996)
- Migraciones: final report on the public consultation on the reglamento of Law 32421 (29 December 2025)
- Migraciones: the main changes in the new nationality law (16 August 2025)
- Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones
Your second passport begins with a decision.
You have worked hard to build a life full of possibilities. Now it is about expanding them, for you and for your family. Talk to Daniel Taborek about your budget, your family and the route to your second citizenship. Find out which passport should enrich your future.