Peru visa & currency information

Passport and visa

There is no visa required for Peru or Bolivia for UK nationals (and most other countries), providing you hold a valid UK passport and staying in Peru/ Bolivia no more than three months. On entry you’ll receive a tourist stamp valid for 30 days, or a 90-day stamp if you say you’re planning on staying longer than a month. For other nationalities, please check with your embassy or consulate of the country where your passport was issued. All travellers to Peru/Bolivia must hold a passport valid for 6 months after date of return. For more information, check out the UK Passport Information site: http://www.ukpi.org

Flying via or to the USA

Please be aware that if you're flying to Peru via the US you'll need to fill out a visa waiver, available through the following weblink: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. It takes about 15 minutes to fill out the form and we recommend you do this at least two weeks before departure. Without an approved visa waiver you could be denied entry into the US and therefore denied boarding your flight(s).

Money matters

The Peruvian currency is the Peruvian Nueva Sol (PEN. The exchange rate 1 PEN is roughly £0.20 (November 2009). The currency in Bolivia is the Boliviano (BOB), roughly £0.08.
US dollars are widely accepted in Peru, so it’s a good idea to carry some change and small denomination notes ($10, $20) with you. Take note; the bills need to be undamaged, clean and unwritten. They’re very strict about this.

Credit cards are also widely accepted, mostly Visa but increasingly MasterCard, Amex and Diners Club. Expect to pay 8-10% commission on credit card transactions. It’s usually better to withdraw some cash and use that for payments. You can use your credit card to withdraw cash, but Banco Latino, Banco de Credito and Banco Wiese machines also accept debit cards with Cirrus logo). ATMs have both US$ and local currency.

Peru visa and currency - ATMS accept most cards

Travellers cheques can be cashed at most banks but it’s slow, a waste of the commission and you won’t get a very good rate. You can also exchange money with the money exchangers on the street or at the Casas de Cambio. Make sure you double check the rates on a calculator. Cash euros are accepted in the larger towns and cities but you won’t get a very good rate. Use your larger bank notes whenever you can and make sure you carry enough small change and notes in case they don’t have enough change.

Tipping: service is included in the more expensive restaurants. In the cheaper restaurants service isn’t included but tipping isn’t customary. Rounding off the bill is enough. It’s not customary to tip taxi drivers but make sure you agree on a reasonable price beforehand. On the treks you’re expected to tip the guide/porter/cook etc.