Venezuelan nationals must obtain visas and will count toward foreign worker limits

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Peru has begun requiring Venezuelan nationals to obtain a visa before entering the country.

What does the change mean? Venezuelan nationals must obtain a tourist, business or humanitarian visa in order to enter Peru. Visas-on-arrival are no longer available for Venezuelan nationals, and Peruvian authorities are no longer accepting Venezuelan ID cards instead of passports as sufficient documentation to enter the country.

• Implementation time frame: Immediate and ongoing. The change took effect June 15.
• Visas/permits affected: Tourist, business and humanitarian visas.
• Who is affected: Venezuelan nationals traveling to Peru.
• Impact on processing times: The process of obtaining a visa prior to travel can take up to 15 days.

Additional information: Several Latin American countries have loosened entry requirements for nationals of Venezuela because of Venezuela’s current economic and political situation. Peru had been permitting Venezuelan nationals to use Venezuelan ID cards as the basis for obtaining visas-on-arrival in Peru. That is no longer an option, however, after Peru imposed the visa requirement and stopped accepting ID cards as the basis for entry. Peruvian officials also implemented a law that requires companies to include Venezuelan nationals when calculating the maximum number of foreign nationals a company can employ, i.e., no more than 20 percent of the total number of employees and no more than 30 percent of a company’s remunerations. Previously, Venezuelan nationals were exempt from these calculations.

Analysis & Comments: Employers should make sure Venezuelan national employees or business visitors obtain the required visa before traveling to Peru. They may need to adjust time lines because of the time it takes to obtain a visa. Employers also must be sure they are including Venezuelan nationals when calculating the maximum number of foreign workers they can employ and the total pay they are permitted to provide their foreign workforce.

Source: Deloitte LLP. Deloitte LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC303675 and its registered office at 1 New Street Square, London EC4A 3HQ, United Kingdom.