Peru · Citizenship by naturalisation
Peruvian Naturalisation
Reformed
Last verified July 2026
Ley 26574, which requires 2 years, remains in force until the reglamento of Ley 32421/2025 is published. That regulation will raise the residence requirement to 5 years and add an income test.
Peru is, for now, one of the fastest naturalisations in the Americas. Two continuous years of legal residence and you can apply. Marriage to a Peruvian, or having a Peruvian-born child, opens faster or optional routes. The urgency is real. Ley 32421 of 2025 has been signed and will raise the requirement to five years, plus a minimum-income test, as soon as its regulation is published. The two-year window is closing, not opening.
The facts
- Total landed cost
- Nominal state fees. No investment gate.
- Route type
- By residence
- Timeline
- 2–3 years (2 continuous years of legal residence under the current Ley 26574. The 2025 reform will move this to 5 years once its regulation is published.)
- Physical presence
- Two continuous years of legal residence in Peru.
- Family
- SpouseChildren (via their own status)
- Permanent residency
- Resident visa under Decreto Legislativo 1350, then permanent residence. Investor resident capital runs around S/ 500,000.
- Citizenship
- 2 years of legal residence under Ley 26574, currently in force. A foreigner married to a Peruvian can naturalise by opción after 2 years of marriage plus 2 years of residence.
- Language test
- Spanish, plus a knowledge-of-Peru test in practice.
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- 2 continuous years of legal residence, under the current lawover 18lawful profession, trade or businessgood conduct and moral solvencyknowledge of Spanish and of Peru
What can go wrong
- The 2-year timeline is the rule currently in force. It applies only until the reglamento of Ley 32421/2025 is published. After that, the requirement becomes 5 years plus an income test. Treat 2026 as a closing window, not a stable offer.
- Naturalisation requires genuine, continuous, legal residence, not visa runs. MIGRACIONES scrutinises both your presence in the country and the source of your funds.
- Marriage gives nationality by opción, not an instant grant. It still requires 2 years of marriage and 2 years of residence.