Consumer
Consumer
Adhesion contracts and unfair terms in Peru: do I have to comply with everything I signed?
Not always. If you signed a consumer contract you could not negotiate, Peru's Consumer Code makes abusive clauses unenforceable: terms that, against good faith, put you at a disadvantage or cancel your rights. Some are always abusive (article 50), others depending on the case (article 51). The rest of the contract still stands.
✓ Verified against the official sourceBelongings stolen or damaged at a restaurant in Peru: is the restaurant liable?
Often, yes. The Civil Code extends the hotel liability rules to restaurants: if the restaurant took your coat or bag into its custody, it answers as a depositary, including for what its staff do. You must report the loss as soon as you notice it. A "we are not responsible" sign does not erase that liability.
✓ Verified against the official sourceBumped from a flight in Peru? What the airline owes you, and what not to sign
If you're denied boarding against your will because of overbooking, Andean Community Decisión 619 requires the airline to compensate, refund and assist you: the next flight with space, assistance while you wait, a minimum compensation of 25% of the value of the missed leg, in cash if you want it, and information on your rights, preferably in writing.
✓ Verified against the official sourceCan a bar, club or shop in Peru refuse you entry under "right of admission"?
Only for objective reasons — the safety of the premises, the peace of other customers or similar grounds — and only if the rule was posted before you tried to buy. Refusing entry or treating you differently because of origin, race, sex, language, religion, opinion, economic condition "or any other kind" is prohibited and is also a crime.
✓ Verified against the official sourceCan a business in Peru charge you more for paying by card than in cash?
Only if it told you before you paid, prominently, visibly and accessibly, inside the premises. Article 7 of the Consumer Code allows a different price by payment method, but a «5% más con tarjeta» that first appears at the till is not enforceable.
✓ Verified against the official sourceCan a delivery app in Peru pre-select a tip for you by default?
No. A tip that comes ticked by default is a coercive commercial method under article 56.1(b) of the Consumer Code and collides with the information duty in article 2.2. Indecopi has sanctioned both Rappi and PedidosYa for it: the first was ordered to ask you whether you want to tip, the second to strip every pre-selected option out of the app.
✓ Verified against the official sourceCan a Peruvian university withhold your certificate, degree or title over a debt?
The University Law (Law 30220) says nothing about this — and the law that protects school students (Law 26549) expressly excludes universities. The real rule is in the Consumer Protection Code: a university can withhold the document if you have a real outstanding debt (art. 74.1.e), but it cannot charge you for a service you never used, demand documents it already has, or charge a processing fee that doesn't match its real cost.
✓ Verified against the official sourceCan a private school in Peru hold your child's report card over unpaid fees?
It cannot. The law forbids conditioning the handover of the *libreta de notas*, attendance, assessment or the handling of a complaint on payment. The only thing a school may hold back is the *certificados de estudios* for unpaid years, and only if it told you so in writing before enrolment.
✓ Verified against the official sourceCan a restaurant refuse to honor an advertised happy hour, 2x1 or promotion?
No. Once the restaurant advertised the promotion, article 46 of Ley N.º 29571 makes it enforceable even if it doesn't appear on your receipt, and any restriction (hours, days, minimum purchase) had to be disclosed clearly and prominently in the same ad.
✓ Verified against the official sourceCan you transfer your plane ticket to someone else in Peru? When it's free and how it differs from postponing
Yes. Since Ley 32325, the ticket holder can endorse or transfer an air ticket to another person up to 24 hours before the flight time, at no cost, as long as the contract conditions stay the same, and the airline issues a new ticket in that person's name free of charge. Postponing the flight is a different thing with different rules.
✓ Verified against the official sourceComplaints book compliance for businesses in Peru: what the law requires
If you serve the public from premises or sell through a digital platform, you need a physical or virtual complaints book, a visible notice, a written answer to every reclamo and queja within 15 business days with no extension, and sheets kept for two years.
✓ Verified against the official sourceDo businesses in Peru have to show their prices before you buy?
Yes. Article 5 of the Consumer Code requires every business to display prices in an easily perceptible way and keep an accessible price list; pharmacies must list prices by generic name, and restaurants, bars and hotels must post their price list outside.
✓ Verified against the official sourceDo online stores in Peru need a complaints book?
Yes. Since 11 November 2025, Ley 32495 requires every e-commerce platform to have a complaints book and to display a permanent, visible link to it.
✓ Verified against the official sourceDoes a shop in Peru have to give you a receipt, even for a small purchase?
Yes. Anyone selling goods or services must issue a comprobante de pago; only for sales to final consumers of S/ 5.00 or less is issuing optional, and even then, if you ask for it, they must give it. Not issuing is a tax infraction punished with temporary closure of the premises.
✓ Verified against the official sourceForeign object, wrong order or excessive delay at a restaurant in Peru: what can you claim?
A hair or foreign object in your food, a dish other than the one you ordered, or an unreasonable wait are, legally, a failure of service idoneidad (articles 18 and 19 of Ley N.º 29571): you can demand it be fixed on the spot and, if it isn't, file a complaint with the restaurant and then with Indecopi.
✓ Verified against the official sourceHow do you complain about your mobile or internet provider in Peru, and do you keep paying meanwhile?
You file the reclamo with the operator first (it must answer within 3, 15 or 20 business days depending on the subject); if it rules against you, you appeal to Osiptel's TRASU within 15 business days. While the claim is pending the operator cannot cut your service for non-payment or demand the disputed amount.
✓ Verified against the official sourceHow do you dispute an electricity or water bill in Peru, and can they cut you off while you do?
You file the *reclamo* with the company, not with the regulator: your electricity distributor or your water utility. It is free, they cannot demand the disputed amount first, and they cannot cut you off over it while the claim is open; you appeal in 15 business days to JARU (electricity) or TRASS (water).
✓ Verified against the official sourceHow long does a bank in Peru have to answer your complaint, and where do you go next?
A bank, caja or finance company must resolve your reclamo within no more than 15 business days under the SBS Complaints Management Regulation. If it does not answer or rules against you, you can go to Indecopi, which keeps consumer-protection jurisdiction, or to the SBS.
✓ Verified against the official sourceHow long does a business in Peru have to answer a complaints-book entry?
Fifteen business days, with no extension possible, for both reclamos and quejas. The 30-day figure still floating around was the original 2011 text and stopped applying in 2022.
✓ Verified against the official sourceHow much can Indecopi fine a business? Minor, serious and very serious infractions
Peru's Consumer Code sets three bands: minor infractions get a warning or a fine of up to 50 UIT, serious ones a fine of up to 150 UIT, and very serious ones a fine of up to 450 UIT. A warning is not a fourth tier: it is the floor of the minor band.
✓ Verified against the official sourceIn Peru, can a debt collector call you at 10pm, phone your boss, or post a notice on your door?
No. Article 62 of the Consumer Code prohibits calls and visits between 20.00 and 07.00 and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, telling third parties outside the debt that you are in arrears, posting collection notices at your home, and sending documents that look like court papers; Indecopi enforces it.
✓ Verified against the official sourceIn Peru, can a shop charge you more at the till than the price on the shelf?
No. The displayed price is the price. Peru's Consumer Code requires the displayed price to be the total, taxes and charges included, and forbids charging any sum on top of it unless it is a separate, additional service such as delivery or installation.
✓ Verified against the official sourceIn Peru, can a shop round up the price or keep your change because there is «no sencillo»?
No. Article 44 of the Consumer Code prohibits rounding prices to the consumer's detriment unless you expressly accept it at the moment of payment. Without your explicit yes, the change is yours down to the last céntimo.
✓ Verified against the official sourceInternational purchases (Shein, AliExpress, Amazon): order held at customs, lost, or damaged
Up to US$ 200 you pay no customs duties at all; between US$ 200 and US$ 2,000 you pay 4% ad valorem plus 18% IGV. If the package is lost or arrives damaged, the claim almost always goes to the seller or platform, not to Customs.
✓ Verified against the official sourceInterprovincial bus travel in Peru: cancellations, rebooking, and mandatory passenger insurance
An interprovincial bus must carry valid SOAT insurance (a CAT certificate won't do — that only covers provincial or urban transport). You can change your travel date with no penalty by giving the company at least 24 hours' notice and paying only the cost of issuing the new ticket; any ticket clause that blocks or restricts that further is void. If there's an accident and the bus had no valid SOAT, the company faces immediate sanctions, with no grace period to fix it.
✓ Verified against the official sourceIs there a 'right of withdrawal' for online purchases in Peru? What the law actually says
Peru does not have an automatic right of withdrawal that lets you return any online purchase just because you changed your mind. What does exist is the 'right to restitution' under Article 59 of the Consumer Protection Code, and the article itself ties it to one situation only: the provider engaged in one of the aggressive or deceptive practices listed in Article 58, under any form of contracting, e-commerce included. If that's your case, you have 7 calendar days to demand a refund. The coercive methods in Article 56 — including the dark patterns banned since 2026 — are reported to Indecopi, but they do not by themselves open this restitution route.
✓ Verified against the official sourceLegal warranty on products in Peru: your rights even without a warranty slip
When you buy a product in Peru, the law protects your right to a product that is fit for its purpose, whether or not you have a warranty paper: with no explicit warranty, the implicit warranty binds the provider (Ley 29571, Art. 21.1). Article 97 lists the cases for repair, replacement or refund.
✓ Verified against the official sourceLost or damaged luggage on a flight in Peru? Deadlines to complain and what the airline pays
The airline is liable for baggage it loses, damages or delays, but you must protest in writing: on domestic flights, 5 business days (Ley 27261); on international flights, 7 days for damage and 21 for delay (Montreal Convention), which lets you treat the bag as lost after 21 days. Limits: 17 SDR per kilo on domestic flights and 1,519 SDR per passenger on international ones.
✓ Verified against the official sourceMinimum spend, cover charge, corkage, bread, water and "table service": can a restaurant in Peru charge you for them?
It depends on whether you were told first. A separate service, like corkage or a cover charge, must be disclosed in advance and accepted by you. Bread or water you did not ask for cannot be charged. A separate "table service" line outside the menu price is banned.
✓ Verified against the official sourcePrivate parking lots in Peru: who is liable if your car is stolen or damaged?
Since 2009 (Ley N.° 29461), the parking lot operator — or, for a complementary parking service such as one at a mall or restaurant, the property owner and the administrator, jointly and severally — is liable by law for the loss of the vehicle or its accessories, whether the parking is paid or free. A 'we are not responsible' sign is void by operation of law and does not remove that liability. What the law does not automatically cover are personal items you left inside the car without notice, or necessarily any damage caused by a third party.
✓ Verified against the official sourceRecargo al consumo: the Peruvian restaurant service charge, explained properly
It is not compulsory for the restaurant to charge it, and no law requires 100% of it to reach the staff. It is a voluntary charge of up to 13%, agreed with the workers, and enforceable against you only if you were told about it before you ordered.
✓ Verified against the official sourceReclamo, queja or denuncia: which one do you file in Peru?
A reclamo is about the product or service; a queja is about how you were treated; a denuncia is a formal filing before Indecopi that opens a sanctioning procedure. Only a reclamo opens the door to a consumer case on the substance.
✓ Verified against the official sourceRestaurant reservation deposits, no-shows and cancelled events in Peru: can they charge you?
Sometimes. If your deposit worked as arras and you fail to show up through your own fault, the restaurant can keep it; if the restaurant is the one that fails, you can demand double. You must be told the conditions before you pay, and a judge can reduce a manifestly excessive penalty.
✓ Verified against the official sourceRestaurants, bars and cafés: your rights as a customer in Peru
Prices must be visible before you walk in, no separate charges may be added outside the final price, and the only surcharge allowed is the recargo al consumo (up to 13%), and only if you were told beforehand. Tips are always voluntary, you can demand a receipt, and the complaints book is mandatory.
✓ Verified against the official sourceReturns and Exchanges in Physical Stores in Peru: Legal Right or Store Policy?
No Peruvian law requires a physical store to accept a return or exchange just because you changed your mind — that is a voluntary commercial policy each business sets on its own. What is an unwaivable legal right is the legal warranty (Ley 29571, arts. 18-20): if the product is defective or unfit for its purpose, you're entitled to repair, replacement, or a refund, and no 'no returns, no exchanges' sign can take that away.
✓ Verified against the official sourceSOAT, an AFOCAT's CAT or the Compensation Fund: who pays you after a traffic accident in Peru?
If the vehicle had SOAT, the insurer pays. If it had a CAT, the AFOCAT that issued it pays, but a CAT is only valid in the province or region where that AFOCAT is authorised. If the vehicle was never identified and fled, you apply to the MTC Compensation Fund within one year.
✓ Verified against the official sourceThe libro de reclamaciones: who must have one and what it costs not to
Every commercial establishment open to the public — and since November 2025, every e-commerce platform — must have a complaints book, display the notice, and answer within 15 business days with no extensions.
✓ Verified against the official sourceUnfair airline terms in Peru: what has Indecopi already sanctioned?
Between December 2024 and January 2025, Indecopi's Consumer Protection Chamber upheld as abusive several clauses in the terms and conditions of LATAM Airlines Perú, Sky Airline Perú and Star Up: changing the trip for reasons other than force majeure, capping baggage liability at what an insurance policy covers, or refusing liability for what staff tell you. You can cite those decisions in your complaint.
✓ Verified against the official sourceVehicle Insurance vs. SOAT in Peru: What Each Covers and Who to Claim From
SOAT is mandatory, covers only people (death, disability, medical expenses) regardless of fault, with low legal caps set in UIT. Voluntary vehicle insurance (seguro vehicular) also covers your own car and damage to third parties, and by law your insurer must rule on your claim within a maximum of 30 days. They complement each other; one does not replace the other.
✓ Verified against the official sourceWhat are you owed when your flight is delayed or cancelled in Peru?
Under Andean Community Decisión 619, a delay over 2 hours earns you a snack and a free call; over 4 hours, a meal as well; over 6 hours for reasons attributable to the airline, a minimum compensation of 25% of the value of the affected segment, plus a hotel if you must stay overnight, transfer costs, or a refund, at your choice.
✓ Verified against the official sourceWhat if a business in Peru refuses to give you the complaints book?
Refusing to hand over the sheet or not displaying the notice is a sanctionable breach in itself, and having no book or refusing to attend to you is a more serious one. Document the moment and take it to Indecopi: that fact alone carries a fine, on top of your original problem.
✓ Verified against the official sourceWhat is the UIT, and how much is it worth in 2026?
The UIT (Unidad Impositiva Tributaria) is the reference unit almost every Peruvian fine, fee and threshold is written in. For 2026 it is S/ 5,500, set by Supreme Decree 301-2025-EF of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
✓ Verified against the official sourceWho gets priority service in Peru, and does it apply on the phone too?
Pregnant women, children, older adults and people with disabilities are entitled to priority service "en todos los sistemas de atención" the business has — not just at one signposted counter, but in every channel, including phone and online.
✓ Verified against the official sourceYour account got blocked or suspended on an app or platform: what the company can do and what you can do
The company can only suspend you for objective, reasonable causes. A clause that lets it block you "whenever it wants" or without prior notice is, unless a sector-specific rule allows it expressly, an absolutely void abusive clause under Peru's Consumer Protection Code — void even if you clicked "I agree."
Partly verifiedAdventure tours in Peru: who is liable if there's an accident?
In a dune-buggy case in Huacachina, Indecopi sanctioned, at first instance, both companies behind the tour, including the one that said it was only an agent and intermediary, for not taking the necessary safety measures (article 25 of the Consumer Code). For the Commission, invoking intermediary status is not enough on its own.
Partly verifiedBuying a used car in Peru: what to check and what warranties apply
Before buying, verify at SUNARP that the seller is the registered owner and the vehicle has no liens or embargoes, check for unpaid traffic tickets and valid SOAT insurance, and sign a written sales contract; the legal warranty only applies if you buy from a dealership or habitual seller, not from a private individual.
Partly verifiedBuying from informal sellers or on social media in Peru: what protection do you actually have?
It depends on whether the seller counts as 'habitual' under Law 29571. If they sell only occasionally, Indecopi likely has no jurisdiction, and your real options are a police/prosecutor fraud report or small claims court.
Partly verifiedCrypto and informal investment scams in Peru: who to report to
In most cases there is no regulator that will accept your complaint: Indecopi, SBS, and SMV do not supervise cryptocurrencies or informal investment schemes, and the only real path is usually a criminal fraud complaint filed with the Fiscalía.
Partly verifiedDelivery apps in Peru (Rappi, PedidosYa): order not delivered, damaged, or double-charged
Rappi, PedidosYa and similar apps have no law of their own in Peru, but since 2025 Indecopi has been sanctioning them as responsible parties — alongside the store — when an order never arrives, arrives damaged or incomplete, or the app refuses to refund you.
Partly verifiedFaulty electricity or water meter: who has to prove what
You can request a meter test (contraste) as part of your complaint to the electric utility or the water company. For water, if the utility runs the test it bears the cost; for electricity, OSINERGMIN's guide puts tests similar to the contraste at the distributor's cost but does not say who pays for the formal contraste, so ask and get the answer in writing.
Partly verifiedHow do you file a complaint with Indecopi? Reclamo vs. denuncia, step by step
There are two tracks and they are not interchangeable: a reclamo (free, via Reclama Virtual) asks Indecopi to broker a settlement with the business; a denuncia (via Mesa de Partes Virtual, with a filing fee) opens a sanctioning procedure that can end in a fine. Indecopi puts it plainly: «Un reclamo no es una denuncia».
Partly verifiedMisleading advertising in Peru: what you can claim
Peruvian law prohibits advertising that misleads consumers (Ley 29571, Arts. 3 and 13; Legislative Decree 1044, Art. 8). Advertisers must be able to prove their objective claims, and fines go up to 700 UIT.
Partly verifiedNumber Portability in Peru: Deadlines and What Can Go Wrong
OSIPTEL requires mobile number portability to be completed within a maximum of 24 hours from the moment you file the request; an unpaid, already-due balance on your last bill can legally block it.
Partly verifiedPower or water shutoff without notice in Peru: what must the utility do before cutting you off?
For electricity, no primary rule we could verify forces the company to warn you a fixed number of days before cutting you off for unpaid bills; your real protection is the right to pay off the debt and stop the cutoff up to the moment it happens. For water, Sunass reportedly requires 48 hours' notice, but mainly for scheduled maintenance cuts, not necessarily for unpaid-bill cutoffs.
Partly verifiedShort-weighted at a market or corner shop in Peru: what can you do?
You can complain. Scales used in trade are under INACAL's metrological control, and the seller is responsible for keeping theirs working properly. Your district municipality controls weights and measures, and Indecopi can sanction a seller who gives you less than you paid for. Write it in the complaints book first.
Partly verifiedSOAT: Peru's Mandatory Car Insurance — What It Covers and What Happens Without It
SOAT covers death, disability and medical expenses for people (occupants and pedestrians) hurt in a traffic accident, regardless of fault. It does NOT cover vehicle damage. Driving without it is a fine of 12% of one UIT plus the vehicle being held. If the at-fault vehicle was not identified and fled, the victim can claim from the Compensation Fund.
Partly verifiedStatute of limitations on civil debts in Peru: when can you raise it if you are sued over an old debt?
An ordinary civil debt becomes unenforceable in court after 10 years from when it fell due, but the debt itself doesn't vanish automatically — you must actively raise the statute of limitations if you're sued.
Partly verifiedTaxi and Ride-Hailing Apps in Peru (Uber, Cabify, inDrive): Passenger Rights
Peru has no single law governing Uber, Cabify or inDrive: oversight is split between the MTC, ATU, municipalities and Indecopi, and that fragmentation leaves real protection gaps for passengers.
Partly verifiedTimeshares, tour packages and travel agencies in Peru: what rights do you have?
We found no Peruvian law written specifically for timeshares. The general Consumer Code applies: if you were pushed into signing, or lured with a fake prize, you have seven calendar days to ask for your money back. Travel agencies must be listed in an official directory and cannot sell to you on the street.
Partly verifiedTraffic tickets in Peru: how to appeal and what happens if you don't pay
You can file a written objection or reconsideration appeal within short deadlines (5 to 15 business days depending on the municipality or ATU). If you accept the infraction, the ordinary rule (article 336 of the National Traffic Regulation) lets you pay 17% or 33% of the fine; on top of that, a 90-calendar-day exceptional regime (D.S. 017-2026-MTC; by our count, until 23 November 2026) cuts many fines by 90%, so you pay 10% and get no points, except for excluded codes such as M.1, M.2, M.3 or M.28. If you don't pay, the agency can start coercive collection, place a lien on your vehicle, and add points that can lead to license suspension.
Partly verifiedTrain to Machu Picchu: can you change the date, give the ticket to someone else, or complain if they cancel?
A tourist train is domestic transport, so article 66.7 of Peru's Consumer Code lets you postpone the trip or transfer the ticket to another identified person, giving at least 24 hours' notice and paying only the actual cost of the new ticket. If the service fails, complain in the libro de reclamaciones, then to Indecopi.
Partly verifiedUnauthorized recurring charges and subscriptions in Peru: what you can do
You can demand cancellation, file a complaint with the provider and with Indecopi, and dispute the charge as an 'unrecognized operation' with your bank within your statement's review period; since 2026 even foreign platforms with no office in Peru must offer a complaint channel.
Partly verifiedWhat are your rights flying in Peru with a disability or reduced mobility?
The airline must give you priority or assistance at boarding, also for your companion or certified assistance dog, and priority attention if you're denied boarding or the flight is delayed or cancelled (Decisión 619). The airport must have ramps, signage, adapted toilets and other accessibility measures (Ositrán's User Regulation).
Partly verifiedWhat happens if a bank or insurer doesn't pay an SBS fine?
The supervised entity has 5 days from notification to pay. If it doesn't, the fine is adjusted for inflation plus legal interest, and the SBS starts coercive collection, which can end in seizure of bank accounts, assets, or receivables. No installment plan is provided for in the sanctions regulation.
Partly verifiedWhat happens if a clinic doesn't pay a SUSALUD fine?
The clinic has 15 business days from the moment the fine becomes final to pay. If it doesn't, legal interest starts accruing automatically and SUSALUD's own administration office can start coercive collection with bank and asset seizures under Peru's general Law 26979.
Partly verifiedWhat happens if a company doesn't pay a Sunat fine?
Unlike Indecopi and Sunafil, Sunat doesn't collect under Law No. 26979 — it has its own coercive-collection procedure inside the Tax Code. If the debt becomes collectible and you miss the 7-business-day window after the coercive-collection order is notified, the enforcement officer can freeze your accounts, seize assets, or intervene in the business's cash flow, with moratory interest running from the original due date.
Partly verifiedWhat happens if a company doesn't pay an Indecopi fine?
Indecopi doesn't need to sue you in court: Law No. 26979 gives it its own coercive-collection power (ejecución coactiva). Once the fine becomes final and you don't pay within 7 business days of notice, Indecopi can freeze your bank accounts, place liens on your assets, seize a share of your business's daily income, or auction off your property — none of it needs a judge's prior approval.
Partly verifiedWhat happens if a company doesn't pay an OSINERGMIN fine?
If the fine becomes final and stays unpaid, OSINERGMIN refers it to its own Coercive Enforcement Officer, who applies Law N.° 26979 and can freeze bank accounts, seize property, or garnish income.
Partly verifiedWhat happens if a company doesn't pay an OSIPTEL fine?
OSIPTEL can launch coercive collection and seize the company's assets or bank accounts; since 2026, filing a lawsuit no longer pauses that collection unless the company also posts a bank guarantee.
Partly verifiedWhat is the TUUA airport fee in Peru, and who sets what you pay?
The TUUA is Peru's airport use fee (Tarifa Unificada de Uso de Aeropuerto). At Lima's Jorge Chávez airport, the origin TUUA, domestic and international, is set in the concession contract. The transfer TUUA was set by Ositrán: up to USD 10.05 (international to international) and USD 6.32 (domestic to domestic) per passenger, in force until 31 December 2030.
Partly verifiedWhat rights do you have as a guest in a hotel or hostal in Peru?
Peru's lodging regulation requires hotels and hostales to display their rates and the start and end time of the hotel day at reception and in the rooms. You must be entered in the guest register, and documents are required for a minor. What you bring into the hotel and its safekeeping are governed by the Civil Code.
Partly verifiedWhere do you complain at a Peruvian airport? Airline, airport operator, Indecopi or Ositrán
It depends on who failed. Flight problems (delay, cancellation, overbooking, luggage, ticket transfer) go to the airline and, if it doesn't fix them, to Indecopi. Terminal problems (facilities, services, accessibility) go to the airport operator, and its answer is appealed to Ositrán's Tribunal. Ositrán does not handle problems with your airline.