# Peru

 Country code: PE · Currency: PEN · Language: Aymara

**Pros**
- Maintaining low public debt and a highly independent central bank for monetary stability
- Competitive corporate tax rates and extensive free trade agreements with major global economies
- Abundant natural resources and a growing agro-export sector with minimal state intervention

**Cons**
- Persistent political instability and systemic corruption affecting long-term legal certainty for investors
- High levels of labor informality and burdensome regulatory requirements for formal enterprises
- Inadequate transport infrastructure and increasing security risks in specific urban and rural regions

Long story short: The Peruvian sol hasn't collapsed in twenty-five years, unheard of in South America: the central bank does its job better than the rest of the state.

Setting up a company takes patience: paperwork that drags on, corruption sniffing around public contracts and customs. Taxes stay within the regional norm.

Besides that: infrastructure holds up fine in San Isidro and Miraflores, crime is rising (extortion hitting even legit businesses) but manageable in the nice neighborhoods, food is excellent, and the scenery is breathtaking.

## Will your income be taxed?

Long story short: YES, A LOT.
Income gets *fleeced* in **Peru** (top marginal rate **30%**), but the residency test is surprisingly hands-off.

The bill is brutal for residents; the whole game is simply not to become one by accident.

**01.1 Income tax**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal income tax | 0 → 30% | progressive · 6 brackets |

| Bracket (USD) | Rate |
| --- | --- |
| 0 – 11,445 | exempt |
| 11,445 – 19,620 | 8% |
| 19,620 – 44,144 | 14% |
| 44,144 – 68,669 | 17% |
| 68,669 – 85,018 | 20% |
| 85,018 + | 30% |

**01.2 Tax residence test**

_A single active rule is enough to make you tax-resident._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 183-day rule | exists here |  |
| Economic interest | does not exist here |  |
| Family centre | does not exist here |  |
| Habitual abode | does not exist here |  |
| Extended-stay test | does not exist here |  |

## Will your wealth be taxed?

Long story short: YES, BUT LIGHTLY.
**Peru** takes a light trim on capital gains (**5%** at the top), with no annual wealth levy and no inheritance regime.

Your portfolio compounds with barely any friction; the state only shows its face when you sell. And even then, politely.

**02.1 Investment income**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital gains | 5% | flat · +25% non-domiciled individuals selling shares outside the country |
| Dividend tax | 5% | flat |
| Interest income | 5% | flat |

**02.2 Wealth & estate**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wealth tax | NONE | no annual wealth tax · no real-estate wealth tax · no net-worth assessment |
| Inheritance system | NONE | no estate tax · no heir-based duties · no succession tax framework. Wealth transfers across heir-classes are not taxed in this jurisdiction. Only standard probate / registration fees may apply. |

**02.3 Crypto**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crypto · tax regime | PROGRESSIVE | Rate: 30% · SUNAT (Tax Authority) classifies crypto-assets as intangible movable assets. While specific crypto legislation is still being finalized as of 2025, gains for individuals are currently taxed under general income rules. Most transactions occur on international exchanges and are thus treated as Foreign Source Income (Renta de Fuente Extranjera), subject to progressive rates from 8% to 30%. Habitual trading or mining is treated as Third Category (Business) income at a flat 29.5% rate. Crypto-to-crypto swaps are considered taxable events (permuta) under Peruvian law. |
| Crypto-to-crypto | TAXABLE | each swap counts as a disposal — gains realised at every trade |
| FATF travel rule | NOT SIGNED | no information-sharing obligation on VASP transfers |

## Easy to run a company there?

Long story short: NO.
Corporate tax in **Peru** is **29.5%**, no IP-box mercy, VAT at **18** on top.

Operationally, running a company here is fine; fiscally, the state helps itself to a fat slice of every unit of profit. You do the work, they skim the cream.

**03.1 Rates**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Corporate tax | 29.5% | flat · +5% indirect distribution of income construed as taxable income as a result of a tax audit · +0.4% Temporary net assets tax (TNAT) on the value of assets exceeding PEN 1 million |
| VAT standard rate | 18% | 2 distinct tiers in force |

| VAT family | Category | Rate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Food & drink | food | 18% |
| Food & drink | non-alcoholic | 18% |
| Food & drink | alcohol | 18% |
| Hospitality | hotels | 8% |
| Hospitality | restaurants | 8% |
| Hospitality | takeaway | 8% |
| Digital & telecom | digital | 18% |
| Construction | construction | 18% |

**03.2 Regime & registry**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IP Box · Patent Box | NONE | no IP regime · IP income taxed under standard corporate rules |
| Misuse of corporate assets | NO CRIMINAL | no criminal liability · In Peru, the crime of Fraudulent Administration (Article 198 of the Penal Code) requires 'prejudice' to the legal entity or third parties. For a solvent company with a sole shareholder, the owner's consent excludes criminal liability as there is no victim. The conduct is primarily addressed through tax law (reclassification as 'disguised dividends' under the Income Tax Law) and civil law, which may trigger the 'piercing of the corporate veil' (Article 40 of Decree Law 21621) to hold the owner personally liable for company debts. |
| Shareholders privacy | PRIVATE | SUNARP (Superintendencia Nacional de los Registros Públicos) |
| Directors privacy | PUBLIC PAYWALL | SUNARP (Superintendencia Nacional de los Registros Públicos) |

**03.3 Incorporation cost**

_In this country, the most standard company form is called Sociedad Anónima Cerrada (Closed Stock Corporation). The costs below are for incorporating a company in its simplest form, for reference only._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Name Reservation (SUNARP) | USD 7 |  |
| Notary Fees for Public Deed of Incorporation | USD 149 |  |
| SUNARP Public Registry Registration Fees | USD 149 |  |
| Professional Legal and Incorporation Services | USD 1,784 |  |
| Total | USD 2,087 |  |

## A good fit for a holding?

Long story short: NOT REALLY.
**Peru** is a structurally weak holding base: a measly **12** treaties and no participation exemption to soften the domestic layer.

Cross-border dividends get clipped at every step of the journey. Keep walking.

**04.1 Substance & exemptions**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Territorial · individuals | WORLDWIDE | worldwide income taxation regardless of source |
| Territorial · corporates | WORLDWIDE | worldwide corporate taxation |
| Participation exemption | NONE | no dividend participation exemption regime |
| CFC rules | APPLY | Peru enforces CFC regulations to prevent tax deferral on passive income from foreign entities where residents hold at least 50% control. These rules apply when the foreign company is located in a tax haven or a jurisdiction with low or no taxation. |

**04.2 Withholding tax · non-resident**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WHT · dividends | 5% | non-resident outbound |
| WHT · interest | 30% | non-resident outbound |
| WHT · royalties | 30% | non-resident outbound |
| Tax-haven WHT | NONE | no punitive rate on record |

**04.3 Treaty network**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Treaties signed | 10 | active |
| Treaties pending | 2 | in negotiation |

## Easy to come and go?

Long story short: SOME.
**Peru** taxes your worldwide income while you're resident, but at least the exit is free: *no exit tax* on the way out.

Leaving costs you paperwork, not money; your unrealised gains walk out the door with you, untouched.

**05.1 Exit & dual nationality**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exit tax | NONE | no triggers active · residence change tax-free · no deemed-disposal mechanism |
| Dual citizenship | ALLOWED | naturalised citizens may keep their existing nationality |

**05.2 Citizenship paths**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Residence | 2 years | available path to naturalisation |
| Marriage | 2 years | available path to naturalisation |
| Birth | jus soli | available path to naturalisation |
| Descent | — | not available |
| Investment | — | not available |

## Is your money watched?

Long story short: PARTLY.
**Peru** plays along with *some* of the exchange machinery (typically CRS, MLI, MAAC), so a slice of your financial life gets shipped to treaty partners. Corporate registries stay *non-public*, so ownership stays opaque.

Half-watched: they see some of the money, none of the structure.

**Multilateral reporting frameworks — 2/9 active · 4 pending**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CRS | Signed | 2022 |
| CARF | None | — |
| FATCA | None | — |
| MLI | Signed | 2025 |
| BEPS | Signed | — |
| MAAC | In force | 2018 |
| GLOBAL FORUM | Signed | — |
| EOIR | In force | — |
| CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE | None | — |

## Is it blacklisted?

Long story short: NO.
**Peru** sits on no major blacklist, though it's *outside* the FATF club.

Some counterparties will run a bit of extra due diligence out of habit, but there's no formal stigma: you won't get hassled for dealing with it.

**Blacklist exposure — Clear everywhere**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EMBARGO | Clear | un / us / eu sanctions |
| FATF | Clear | grey / black list |
| EU | Clear | non-cooperative list |
| FRANCE | Clear | ETNC list |
| SPAIN | Clear | tax-haven list |
| PORTUGAL | Clear | favourable regimes |
| BRAZIL | Clear | low-tax list |

## Do you feel free there?

Long story short: NO.
Press freedom in **Peru** is *locked down* (RSF rank **\#130**). Independent media and civic space operate under pressure (when they operate at all), and that kind of grip usually spills over into economic life too.

Small mercy: crypto isn't formally banned.

**08.1 Press freedom**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Press freedom · RSF index | 130/180 | score 42 · ↓ 5 ranks year-on-year |

Central bank digital currency

    Program Status Cross-border Sources     Peru CBDC

The Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCRP) is developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC),

Central Reserve Bank of Peru

   RESEARCH   —   [announce →](https://www.bcrp.gob.pe/docs/Transparencia/Notas-Informativas/2025/nota-informativa-2025-03-18.pdf "Announcement")

 programs 1

## Connected to the world?

Long story short: POORLY CONNECTED.
The two rails that matter are both dead in **Peru**. *Stripe* won't onboard you, so card payments mean a foreign structure or a local processor with its own rules. *Amazon* doesn't deliver either.

Some secondary services run (**5/11**), but for an online business this is swimming against the current.

**Accept payments — 3/6 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stripe | Not available | card payments |
| PayPal | Available | wallet payments |
| Adyen | Available | enterprise psp |
| Mollie | Not available | eu payments |
| GoCardless | Not available | direct debit |
| Paddle | Available | merchant of record |

**Bank and move money — 1/3 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wise | Available | multi-currency |
| Revolut | Not available | personal banking |
| Revolut Business | Not available | business banking |

**Buy and sell on Amazon — 1/2 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amazon | Not available | consumer delivery |
| Amazon Seller | Available | marketplace selling |

  SEE ALSO## Other jurisdictions worth comparing

Picked by similarity of strategic profile to Peru. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.

  PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.

 [   Cambodia KH  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/kh) [   New Caledonia NC  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/nc) [   Cape Verde CV  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/cv)

  NOTABLY MORE FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, higher total score.

 [   Albania AL  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/al) [   Kosovo XK  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/xk) [   Serbia RS  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/rs)

  NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.

 [   Guinea-Bissau GW  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/gw) [   Argentina AR  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/ar) [   Tanzania TZ  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/tz)