Changes in the turist visa rules in Peru

Just a little update on the visa procedure in Peru...

Starting somewhere at the end of 2008, turist visas will be granted for up to 183 days when entering the country. Considering this doesn't cost anything more than 30 days, you'd be better off asking for 183 days upfront.

Increasing your days allowance isn't possible anymore, so you don't need to go to the Minsterio de Relaciones Exteriores, av. España, to update your visa. You will be fined a US$1/day fee when leaving the country though, for the amount of days that you used in excess of your authorized stay.
So if you intend to stay in Peru for 10 days, but you have plans to possibly delay the return date, don't hesitate to ask for 183 days upfront, they won't molest you with that.
If you have a 30 days visa and enter on the 1st of January 2009, and intend to change your plans and stay up to the 20th of February, you will have to pay a US$21 fee. This is fined when you leave the country (usually tourists do this going through the airport). Together with the US$30.5 airport fee, this means you *have to take US$50.5 with you when leaving Perú (don't forget you'll also have to pay the taxi to get there). Make it US$75 to be on the safe side.

When filling your visa sheet in the plane (if you are coming by plane), don't fill the things you don't know (like the amount of money you intend to spend or the address you're going to stay at - apart from mentioning in which city and giving the name of an hotel). If they need you to fill these fields, they'll ask you at the customs desk, don't worry.

When getting to Peru by plane (and in 2008), you might have had to queue for up to 50 minutes to pass through the customs desk (I've had anything between 0 and 50 minutes queue in my 5-times entrance in Peru this year)., no matter  at what time you actually get there. Well, the beginning of US national holidays makes it slightly worst. Hopefully this waiting time will be drastically cut in 2009 with the introduction of a dozen new customs desk (they are there, almost ready, since the end of September 2008, but unused so far).

There are bathrooms before and after the customs queue, but you can't just leave the queue to pay them a visit, so plan ahead ;-)

Once you passed the customs desk, you can go get your luggage. You will (generally) be asked for your luggage ticket, which they should have stuck to your plane ticket at departure time.
Once you have your luggage, you have to pass through the SUNAT (VAT=IGV authority in Peru) to check your luggage. You have to provide them the second form you have received in the plane. There are people able to pre-check your form before you get to the end of the queue (and start pissing people off because you get denied because your form isn't complete).
Once you have given your form to the SUNAT officer, you will be asked to press a green button. The result is either a red or a green light being lit. Generally, you get green, but if you get red, you will be asked to go on the side and get your luggage checked by a SUNAT officer (they scan it and eventually ask you to open it if it's suspicious). The whole process generally takes no longer than 10 minutes (including the queue at its worst state *and* the luggage check).

Even if you get the green light at the SUNAT check, you might *still* be asked to follow an officer for a body-check (a big scan machine, no touching involved) and they will ask you to sign a paper and apply your thumb signature saying you accept to go through the scan (they are not particularly explicit on what happens if you don't accept).

Once you are *finally* out of the whole process since getting down the plane (the fastest I've been was 10 minutes for the whole thing), you get to the international arrivals exit, where a crowd of people awaits other people. If you didn't get a taxi booked to come and get you (some hotels offer the service for free), you have to choose your destiny:

1. ask an official taxi (I think the only official taxi company there at the time of writing is Taxi Green Aeropuerto), which show clearly the fee to get to any Lima district (for example 45 soles to Miraflores)

2. choose an independent taxi driver, which will charge you less (up to 25 soles to Miraflores), but as they say you don't have the security of getting a long-term company taking care of you, and sometimes you get into *very* crappy taxis that way

Although rather adventurous, I like to take the official taxi there, mostly because when I get down the plane from a 13h flight from Madrid, the last I want is to be discussing the price and watching the road to check the taxi driver is not taking me to a remote and unsecure location.

Welcome to Lima!