Carnet de Extranjeria (Foreigner ID Card)

Well, I received my Carnet Last week after three months of processing time.
The Carnet allows you to open a bank account, and is also your ID instead of your passport. With the Carnet you do NOT have to leave and return to the country every 180 days. It is very much a permanent residence card and you cannot be out of the country for too long each year.
You can obtain the carnet on the basis of 'investment' but I think that is more complicated than coming in for the Carnet as a pensionista,,,,, but technically that is called a Rentista.

ok,, you have to prove you have income of a moderate amount of $$ and the process had about 20 steps,, a petit nightmare but It can be done.....I see you live in Lima and that is where all of the offices are so you can taxi around completing all the steps and paying the fees at Banco de Nacion. No question,, It took three days of sole attention to finally complete my application And the back and forth to each office involved about 25-30 taxi rides but all is well,, I got my Carnet a week ago....

You Can Do It !

pistachio

Very interesting experience, hmmm 90 days.  I thought about the "rentista" basis, but I was informed that you have to show documentation that the funds will be automatically paid to you in Peru from abroad.  I don't want my social security payments to go to Peru, but I could set up an automatic monthly transfer of U.S. dollars from my personal bank account in the U.S. to one in Peru if they would let me open an account.  I think it is the "chicken and the egg thing", can't set this up with out the carnet and can not get the carnet with out having the account set up.  Right?  What kind of proof of the monthly payments do they want? No problem for me to transfer the minimum every month, I need the money in Peru anyway.

As an alternative, I have a small pension of about U.S.$1,000. per month that could be paid to me in Peru, I wonder if just attaching the pension statement to the application is all that is needed.

well,, yes and no!  It is not important that any $ is sent to Peru. It is only important that you prove that you have an income source. So, if you had a letter documenting that you were to receive an amount of $$ each month that would suffice. I believe the amount is $1,000 per month. Ok,, what constitutes proof? If you had a letter from the payer of the funds / fine. However this letter is probably going to be in English,,sooooooooo - you have to have a certified professional make a Legal Translation of the Document and then present that with your Carnet application [ lots of other items necessary ] The List is available on 734 Espana Av., at the Office of Migraciones.... along with a list of fees necessary to process the app. [ PS,, you will have to go to the Embassy and have your passport certified LEGAL ! and,, you have to go the US Embassy Lima website to make an appointment to do this or anything at the embassy,,,

one more thing just for you to know / The US Embassy has entered in to a relationship or agreement with Interbank where you wll fill out a form at the embassy and they will give you an Automatic Depsosit form to be filled out by Interbank for DD from Soc. You return to the Embassy the same day and submit it. Interbank on Polo Ave, 2 blocks from the Embassy is an easy walk. You would ask for a special account as I have noted / the fee total is $7.00 per month and there are no penalty fees to use it as your Lima branch even though you may live elsewhere. So,, that may or may not be for you of interest but it is something I think good to know.

Now I am getting better informed, many thanks. It seems that the easiest way for me to get a carnet is to take my SS annual statement that shows my retirement income with me to Peru, go to Digemin and get the name and phone number of an official translator, have the document translated and then submit the F007 form with SS translation and the other required documents.  Then check back with Digemin every couple of weeks for my processing date.  Hopefully,the Interpol clearance I got in May is still in their file and can be used. (That saves a week in processing) What is really great about what you said, is that I really will not have  to have my SS monthly deposits changed to Peru.  Once I get the carnet, I can open a Peruvian bank account and make transfers to that account from the U.S. bank whenever needed.

One more thing: When I submitted my F007 application form for residency based on married to a Peruvian, they did not ask that my U.S. Passport be validated. Of course, my processing did not get as far along as yours, maybe that would have been a later glich.

ok,, glad to hear that my information was helpful. On the list of requirements there is a fee to pay for Interpol / about s/.75.00. Don't pay this one as it is not necessary for being a Rentista.....
but the other / Yes.... so pay and save the receipts to submit when necessary.
Double Check with your bank on how they initiate wire transfers.... at all that I know of you have to be in the bank of origin to make the transfer / and you can't do that if your in Peru.
eI think a possible bank could be Wells Fargo stateside but you have to check.
If all else fails you can use your debit card and pull out $200 a shot at an Interbank Global ATM.... but it costs you $204 plus any charges by your stateside bank....
I think somewhere along the line you will have DD to the Relationship I describe earlier between the Embassy, I think BoA and Interbank...
The Validation of the Passport at the Embassy on your appointment day costs about $50......You get it immediately...
that will become part of your Carnet application packet....
The translator must Must be an Approved Official Certified Translator,, so,, to make it easy....two blocks from Imigracion,,,, Edward Cruz Quevedo / Traductor Oficial / Lima / 427-3184 / [email protected] .....
Ah...Just one more thing [ feel like Columbo ] the Soc. Sec Adm. as a typical everyday procedure will send you a letter stating your benefits. This will suffice but it must be,,,,,, ok,, officially translated [ simple doc / about s/.100.00 ]. You can request one Online from the Soc. Sec website. Hindsite is 20/20 because it may be offered in Spanish from Soc Sec so if possible get one of each. And,, Likely,, you will have to have either both made official anyway.... but,,,, eventually,, your Carnet will be ready, you will wait on a few lines and leave that day with your Carnet in hand......
Just a note: If I didn't get help on these thing from anyone I'D STILL BE AT THE AIRPORT - LoL !.................pistachio

pistachio

Again, thank you very much and I think you can appreciate how hard it is to get a clear answer from the counter at Digemin about the process. Even with a Peruvian lawyer with me the process was often incompletely described, the most clear is the little piece of paper they hand out with the steps listed.  The big surprise came when they accepted my form with all the required documents and could not give me a date to return.  A couple return visits, resulted in my papers being in a file cabinet with no approval yet made, explaining that another 5-6 weeks would be needed; that is when I gave up and cancelled my application, asked for my exit form back and left the next week for the U.S. I also was very disappointed to learn that my absence from Peru would be restricted during that first 2 year period and I needed a new financial guarantee from the Peruvian wife each year.

Question:  Does the "rentista" residency have the same presence in Peru restriction during the first two years?

I will be returning again in a month or so as a tourist and I will pay the fees again and submit a new application as a "rentista"

About the SSA, following your advice, I requested a letter from them using their web site (only available in English) That will probably look more official than the annual statement as the web site says it is for purposes like this one.  I noted the translator's info and will immediately go there when I visit Digemin.  Also, I will find out if they still have my Interpol clearance on file and do I really need to get my passport validated at the embassy.

You are right about the fund transfers at U.S. banks.  I have used Wells Fargo and Bank of America from here for large sums transfered into bank accounts of my wife's family.  One thing I learned is the Xoom.com web site can send funds from your U.S. bank account to be picked up in person at most banks in Peru.  This can be done on-line once they get you set up while in the U.S.  Very detailed vetting over the telephone.  The amount is limited though.  And as you said, you can get a few hundred soles or US currency with U.S. ATM or credit cards in Peru, this is a bother and costly. BCP will spit out 700 soles per day, but I frequently found terminals that could not connect to the U.S. Banco Continental usually worked, but only 400 soles and some terminals are out in the sun, very hard to see the display.  I guess this is off topic, sorry

hi

first,, I don't think anything about Peru can be off topic here because it will help someone,, even if it simply sparks a question.

so,, that little piece of paper you mentioned outlines all of the requirements..... you just have to connect the dots with about 20 taxi rides....

I don't know what happend the first time but I know that after they accepted my application and receipts for payments I was given a doc with a website and a code to check to see if the Carnet was ready / Unfortunately,, the website did not work so I had to physically go and inquire on the third floor and wait online to see if ready or not.... and.... at one point they said,, ok ready and that was it.....

and,, I did this with the help of a friend,, did not use a Lawyer and I do not think you need one.. just someone with patience and language skills.....

ok,, plan on 'overnight' to have your doc from Soc. officially translated and then handed to you with a bright red ribbon,, kinda like winning asecond place at the Fair.. haha!

ok,, so,, as a requirement for the Carnet you have to stay in Peru for approximately 1/2 of the days.....meaning a teeny bit more than 50% of tyhe time per year but you come and go as you please...as many times as you want,,, just TOTAL not more then 50% of time away......

ok,,, and Know that you do not have to cross the frontier as you would for the extension of your Tourist Visa.... that is over once you apply.....

plan on Max Three Months to get your Carnet from the time you submit your completed application,, it is complete when they accept it on the third floor,,

when you return when it is ready [ again the third floor / window 15 this time ] you will be processed,, printed and photographaed,, then waiting about an hour more,, you will be handed your Carnet.. laminated and all.... ha! In two years you can apply for Citizenship and dual citizenship is allowed in Peru.....

and,, I am going to suggest to you for convenience an Auto Deposit to the special type of account at Interbank,, you can find out more at the Embassy.....

alrighTTTTTTTTy thennnnnnnn........ would be happy to talk with you again......

pistachio

[Moderated: Please communicate by PM]

Hello, I received my carnet rentista about 3 years ago, so my info may or may not be 100% current.  I had social sec send a statement of earnings (or had one printed off the internet page of SS) that showed I had earning of > 1000$ a month.  I had to take that to embassy to get notarized.  There were several trips downtown, but over a period of 3 days, I recd my rentista.  Think it cost about 100$ <> including the 50$ charge of the U.S. embassy.  I did NOT have to have any funds deposited automatically into Peru bank, and still do not to this day.  If you proceed, you may open u.s. dollar account in the bank, or acct in soles, or both.  Once a year or so I wire transfer funds from u.s. stock brokerage acct (to my knowledge, banks will not wire transfer out of the country unless you are there in person) into my u.s. $ account in my peru bank.  It's just the easiest way to get funds into the country that I've found.  There is no charge for currency change, since it goes into a u.s. $ acct.  Then I can change into soles when the rate is better.  For me, it certainly was worth the hassle.

Oh, I just posted some info.  Did want to add that I never used a lawyer.  It's a pretty easy process, really.

Hello tommytomaz

thanks for this complementary info to this thread. However please note that the latter has been inactive since 2012.

Your contribution is highlty appreciated anyways

Regards
Kenjee

Dear friends, S.O.S. HELP!!!! I have been reading your posts. My story: I wanted to use our US brokerage accounts to show that we (my mother and I) have the necessary monthly income to request the rentista visa. The US bank told me that they could not provide a letter but I should use the income statements because they have legal value (but I do not know how I should get them notarized, so that is the first problem). I contacted several immigration lawyers in Lima, since I live in Venezuela and will not be able or willing to move there until I have something firm, so I need somebody there to do things for me. None of these lawyers was able to help, it seems that there were not familiar with this type of income and the documents one needs to submit in that case. After reading your post, I am thinking about resuming this process, could you recommend a lawyer? If I have the bank statements, what should I do with that? (because, as I have said, they are not notarized, I just have to download them from the Web page). I appreciate any adivice or help!!!

To represent the necessary income I used a letter that I received from Soc. Sec. that was an ordinary unnotarized document. I had to have this Officially Translated by an Official Translator as part of the Application for the Carnet de Extranjeria. It was accepted.
I think you should have your history of income from your brokerage for each month or years going back for say 2 years.
If you have these Officially Translated you probably will be ok. If your brokerage will not send you a more substantial document maybe they can include a simple letter saying based on present deposits or holdings that you generate the income as shown on the enclosed or attached Statements, I think you will have a strong package to present as part of the application.
Peru wants to know that you have that income. I don't think they will care so much how it is presented. If you have someone who speaks Native Spanish to explain at the Immigration Dept for Carnet in Lima I think you will get it attached nicely to your application. Of course you probably have more than the min 1,000 so the overage counts in your favor when you explain that you will have no problem with amounts beyond the min 1,000.
My Soc Sec. letter really was a very informal and punched out form doc from them and it simply went through...
When it is Officially Translated it is considered Legalized and they attach a medallion and a ribbon to it / very official like you just won a prize at the state fair.
Translation can cost you about 150 to 200 soles. Ready sometimes overnight. Be confident,,,, but,, your not going to get an answer that is clear from anyone. Each person you ask gives a different answer. You have to literally and physically apply so I understand that your kind on a tightrope but Be Confident and move forward. I bet you get the Carnet without a problem.

Now, if you want to up the impression.. have the statements sent to your Stateside Lawyer who will render a summation to you in a letter accompanying his forward to you the bank documents. He can have that letter to you witnessed and notarized. You can then have all this Officially translated and then submit to the Carnet App.

pistachio

My experience is documented on this Web Site for the rentista visa. However my income is from the US government social security. I think you will have to struggle with government bureaucracy. First Peru will want proof of income not bank account balance. If you can produce an original statement from the brokerage firm showing withdrawals of $1000 each month for the previous 3 months and have that statement apostilized in the US then translated by an official translator in Lima you might have a chance. But there are several more steps required in Lima. I assume you are Venezuelan why not talk with the Peruvian Consulate in Caracas? Maybe you can get the rentista visa in Caracas. If not, enter Peru with your andian card and apply for change in status in person in Lima but figure several months and much frustration. Take the apostized income document with you or you will have nothing and probably waste time & money. Your spanish fluency is a big plus. Good Luck.

P.S I am a U S citizen and lived and worked in Venezuela for several years during the good times. It was a simple process there for me to get residence but I needed a guarantor every time I left! Peru does not do that to me but there is a restriction on how long I can be absent.

Thanks you all! First my question for Pistachio, when you say Stateside lawyer I guess you mean a lawyer in the United States_ Thank you so much for your help

Now my question for russpeters: I will not be possible to do the apostillado thing with the statements, they need to be notarized first. And since they have no signature, the cannot be notarized. That is the first problem when trying to use the statements. The bank will not give me anything else. Maybe the idea of sending them first to a US lawyer for a summation letter is good. I may try and talk to the Consulado, but I think they are not much help here. However, I will follow your recommendation and visit them. Unbeliavable that the immigration lawyers in Peru were not able to give me any advice.
For now, I am just hanging in. I do not want to leave Venezuela and it will not be easy for me.  I do not want any temporary measure like just going in with my Andean passport and then wait and see. That is not the type of immigration I am willing to do at this point in my life. If I ever decide to leave, it will be forever, and it must be on a solid ground. I will start checking into the options you both have suggested and let's see what happens. It is more than what I have had so far

You do not need a lawyer in the US you can contact a firm that handles apostiles. I used one I found on internet in Washington DC and they advertise flat rates I think I paid $120. But I had my US document mailed to them. (Social Security statement) I guess you could print your stock brokers statement and mail it to an authorized apostle in the state capitol where your bank has an office. Call the DC apostle on the phone and talk to them about what document they can handle. By the way I don't recall the name of the apostle firm I used but goggle apostle services Washington DC.

Thank you. However, as far as I understood, documents need to be notarized before the apostille. Could it be that your SS statement, since it was issued by the US, had enough legal validity and you did not need to notarize it? Do you remember any notarization  step involved in the process before the apostilla? Because my bank statements do not have any signature and not enough legal validity to carry the apostilla, at least that is what I understood.
That is why I liked Pistachio's idea about sending the statements first to a US lawyer who can write and sign a letter summarizing the information, and then this letter is notarized and apostillada.

A good point Laura. Actually I encountered two major difficulties: Social Security statement required a supervisor to stamp and sign it which I did not mention. The next obstacle was in Lima they wanted proof that the money would be received by me in Peru. I not only had to submit a copy of a recent US bank account statement showing government deposits but prove $1000 would be coming into Peru. As no Peruvian bank would open an account for a tourist, I used my credit card to withdraw funds from ATM machines in Peru thus showing history for a couple months.
Are you getting the idea that it is complicated?  There are other obstacles also. Good Luck.

Laura,  { hi Russ ],

My experience was similar but a bit different.
The Soc. Sec Letter that I used was one that I ordered online and was sent to me in the States about one month prior to my coming to Peru. It was simply a letter stating my monthly benefit. It was unsigned and just a standard simple letter they send out upon request.
I did have to have an Official Translation but the original was neither notarized or signed by anyone. It and the Off. Translation was accepted by Immigration and went in to the Application package.
At the time I made the application my benefits were being deposited to a US Stateside bank which I would withdraw from as I needed. Could not open a Peru Bank Account as you cannot without the Carnet. I did not need to show withdrawals to show that the money was coming to Peru. I only needed to show that I had the 1000 per month income.
After I got the Carnet I was able to open a bank account at INTERBANK which would take automatic deposits. It was only after I got the Carnet that the funds were coming directly to Peru.

Another part of the Application for the Carnet was a background check with Interpol. When making the application there is a list of steps and there are many. I remember going to many offices to pay fees. One of the fees was to pay for the Background Check.

So, from the tone in your letters it seems that you want total assurance that your application will result in getting the Carnet before you even apply. I don't think that it is going to happen that way. You like everyone who applies is anxious during the time the application is submitted and then finally told that it was passed. When it has passed you get your picture taken and wait around for almost a day and when your name is called they hand you the Carnet.

If anything, I think possibly your special circumstance might delay your Carnet but Not deny it. I really think that it will go through without a hitch. I don't think that your funding is So Unusual and has never been seen by Immigration before although it may not be the most typical. I have found that Offices in the Gov't structure are difficult and bureaucratic and complex and confusing and generally inefficient but Always Reasonable. The usual government worker is likely not authorized to make a decisions outside of the usual and typical apps so you might have to go up the ladder to a Supervisor. On the point of INCOME, you really have it so reasonably you won't be denied the Carnet.

Of course, you could marry a Citizen,,,,,,,,,,,,,wait,, no,, arrgh!  Ok,, no,, just submit your app,, I think the odds are 14:1 in favor that you get your Carnet in three months like everyone else. The fact is Peru gives the Carnet freely to those who ask and apply, they want you here a lot more than they don't want you here, as long as you qualify. On income, you qualify, so I feel it will work out.

While your application is active the time period to renew your Tourist Visa is suspended. You do not have to be concerned about border crossing and returning to re up your Visa days.

There are some people who do not want the Carnet and simply cross a border and return every 90 days to extend their visa. There are some who do not cross the border in the time period and know that at some point they will pay a fee of about a dollar for each day overstayed. Some people do this for extended lengths of time and never get the carnet.

Thank you for help. I am taking note of all this. Yes, it is complex. I guess when one is under pressure, one takes on the challenge and complete the steps. This is last resort for me. Thanks a lot.

Thank you Pistachio, also very helpful. It seems to me that, as in all our LA countries, things are not that standardized. Your experience is different from Russpeters´. I may have an advantage, since I have been born and raised in Venezuela (my parents are European) so I have a high tolerance for burocracy and things like that. I am accostumed. However, if I am in a foreign country, I will not have the right to do what I do in my own: complain, complain, complain, cry, beg, critize the government (yes, we can still do that in public without getting arrested for that). Thank you very much for your help. I am taking note of all your recommendations.

Pistachio, sorry, just a question about this " crossing the border". Let's say that my 3 months are about to expire. I cross the border ( I do not have to go all the way to my country of origin, right? Any country will work), and return after what, are one or two days enough? And then again I can stay for 3 months. Is this how it works?

First,,, well, yelling and jumping up and down,, [ ha! Volleyball ] complaining and all of that are allowed here in Peru. But, you may find there is not so much to complain about....

The place of "Last resorts" is a difficult place to be. People handle pressure differently, sometimes feeling trapped can have you giving up your best reasoning. Take a step back and breath..... all of this will work out....

The Visa renewal by border crossing is simple. When you cross a border and return, your passport is date stamped. It is from that date that your renewed, extending your Visa for three months

***Note***, When You First Arrive in Peru, you can ask at entry for 180 and it will be granted / you can say your visiting relatives or volunteering or on an extended vacation... but,,, you have to ask / otherwise you get 90 days...

ok....you can cross and return IMMEDIATELY.... it is the date stamp that counts.......

So,, if you take a bus,, you cross and return your good......

and,, you cross Any international border,, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile or Switzerland,,, doesn't matter... and No,, you Do Not have to return to anywhere, Origin, No... just any .... ANY border.....

simply... Leave Peru and return...

if you overextend you would pay about a dollar for every day overstayed... you if you missed by a week,, upon your border crossing return you would pay about $7.......

clear ?

Yes, Pistachio, thanks a lot. Yeah, the last resort thing does not sound very promising. These last past weeks I have done that, taken a step back. Thanks!

I can tell you this,,,, There is no reason why you cannot make a successful transition to where you want to go. If that is Peru,, I know you can do this...if you want to......

you can leave that thought open and take longer to make that or any  other decision...

The thought of feeling TRAPPED is false....... it is a delusion... your free to act, be and go to whatever you choose.......


you are empowered to decide ........

remember / thought precedes Action !

Hello everyone

i was reading the posts at this matter, and i think i can help.

Im an Immigration lawyer, currently working at Immigration Peru.

you can contact me, Hope to hear from you soon

Sara

another thing you need to know is that the immigration TUPA has been changed and a lot of  unnecesary requirements have been deleted.

one of the most  important changes is that you wont have to cross the border to regularize your immigration status, you can do that from lima.

another one is that if you re asking for the spouse visa, you no longer need your spouse  to guarantee your financial support yearly !

there are other good news coming up soon !!!

greetings Sara,

What are the provisions for an Investment Visa?

and

How many grounds for the Carnet are there? I know of two; Rentista and Investment. Are there others?

thanks.........

Sara, I would like to know if rental incomes from overseas properties would qualify for the residency visa? I like to talk to you more about on a private chat.

Another little-known advantage of the Carnet de Extranjeria is that it provides visa free / passport free entry into several of the other MERCOSUR countries. You can travel to Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Argentina without anything other than the Carnet. That said, I would advise anyone to always carry their passport in the event they should require Consular assistance while travelling.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

Are you sure James? Your carnet will have your country of citizenship listed on it. If you have a passport from a country that allows visa free entry to Brazil only then you will be allowed to enter Brazil. If you have a Carnet from Ecuador and your passport is Canadian, I don't think you will be allowed in Brazil visa free. Only by being the citizen of Brazil, you will be allowed to enter Brazil visa free. My friend is also a Canadian and was not allowed to enter Brazil with a Carnet from Ecuador since Brazil requires a visa from Canadians. He had to go to Brazilian embassy to get a tourist visa to enter Brazil. They told him he cannot enter Brazil with a Carnet and Cedula from Ecuador. The country of citizenship should also be Ecuador on the Carnet and Cedula.

Been doing this for a very long time now, so yeah I'm sure. It's all part of the MERCOSUR/MERCOSUL Agreement.... see the following link:

http://www.brasil.gov.br/turismo/2012/0 … sul-com-rg

The fact that you're a permanent resident of a MERCOSUL country, in many cases trumps your citizenship, so you don't need either a passport or visa, just the ID.
Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

Applicable MERCOSUR regulation re travel:    http://www.colombianosune.com/sites/def … rcosur.pdf

That is very strange James. I remember my Canadian friend going to Brazil embassy because he was refused entry to Brazil once based on Ecuadorian Carnet. He was going back to Canada from Ecuador and he wanted a stop over in Brazil but the Immigration at Sao Paulo airport refused his entry and told him to get a visa to Brazil next time. That was just six months ago. Don't know what would have change in six months.

re-read my previous posting, I've included the legislation....   in a link

http://baexpats.org/topic/8407-travelli … ge__st__20http://www.allchile.net/chileforum/viewtopic.php?t=9900

James, please have a look at these links where people had the same type of experiences as my friend had in trying to enter Brazil with an Ecuador carnet. He was denied. In links above, US passports and other some others had problems but Brazil requires visas from both US and Canadian passports. A German passport holder with an Ecuadorian carnet can enter Brazil visa free since German passports are allowed to enter Brazil visa free anyways.

Thanks James, I did read the legislation link you posted but I believe you have to be also a citizen of that country whose Carnet you have to enter visa free in any Mercosur country. I know he was very upset when they had denied him entry in Brazil since he was also told that he would be able to enter any Mercosur country without a passport with only a Carnet but apparently as per the Brazilian immigration and the Brazilian embassy, he had to become a citizen of Ecuador first to enter Brazil visa free. The links I posted shows the experiences of several nationalities who had similar experiences like my friend did. Anyways, when in doubt consult the embassy of the country you are heading to.

No, several of the countries accept Carnet de Estrangeira or Cédula de Identidade Estrangeiro. It is not necessary that you be a citizen of the country in which you have permanent residency. I've had numerous expat friends who have travelled from Brazil to other MERCOSUR countries using only their Cédula. One of them who is, in fact, a Federal Officer with ICE - Dept. of Homeland Security, who wanted to check it out himself just to be sure. He has been to both Peru and Colombia using only his Cédula. He wasn't even asked for his passport in either country.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team