How do you register a birth in Peru and get a certified copy of the birth certificate?
Registering a birth is free, even after the deadline, and the ordinary deadline is 60 calendar days from the birth. The first certified copy is also free; later copies cost S/ 10.30 online or S/ 12.00 at an office. A public office cannot demand a 'recent' birth certificate, except in procedures in the exercise of patria potestad (parental authority).
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RENIEC · El Peruano · Peruvian State portal (gob.pe)
Checked 1 Oct 2026Next review 24 Dec 2026
The clock running against you
60 calendar days from the birth.This is a procedural deadline: miss it and you lose that route and have to start another.
After this period the birth can still be registered as a late registration (art. 47), and it is still free. In remote towns, border areas, the jungle and peasant and native communities with an authorised office, Reniec may set 90 days (art. 51).
Ley N.º 26497, art. 46, as amended by Ley N.º 29462, art. 3
What the birth certificate is
In Peru the birth certificate is the acta de nacimiento, often still called a partida. It is the official record of a birth. The law makes free the certified copy used to apply for the DNI (the national ID card). Certified copies are issued by Reniec, the national identity and civil registry, or, if the record has not been digitised, by the municipality where the birth was registered.
The deadline: 60 calendar days, but the right is not lost
Ley 26497, the Reniec Organic Law, in its article 46 (as amended by Ley 29462), says births are registered within 60 calendar days of taking place. They are registered at the registry office for the place of birth or the child’s home. If the baby was born in a hospital or health centre with a civil registry office, the birth must be registered there.
In hard-to-reach places (remote towns, border areas, the jungle and its edge, and peasant and native communities with an authorised office) Reniec may set the deadline at 90 days (art. 51).
After 60 days nothing is lost: the child is registered through a late registration (inscripción extemporánea, art. 47), under the same conditions as an ordinary registration plus some extra rules. The same article says the registrar cannot ask for more documents than the law lists.
Registration is always free
Ley 29462 (art. 2) makes these free:
- birth registration in all its forms, including late registration;
- the first certified copy of the birth certificate;
- the certified copy used to apply for the DNI;
- the certificate of live birth issued by the health facility.
The law also applies to municipal civil registry offices that have not yet been integrated into Reniec.
Certified copies after the first one
The official gob.pe page, updated on 16 July 2026, says:
| Channel | Cost |
|---|---|
| Online (apps.reniec.gob.pe/actascertificadas) | S/ 10.30 |
| Reniec office or Agente Reniec kiosk | S/ 12.00 (code 06637) |
Online only works if the record is digitised in Reniec’s system. You must use a computer connected to a printer: the copy is generated only once, and opening the preview already counts as issuing it. If the record is not in the system, ask the municipality where it was registered. If it was registered at a consulate, ask the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (the foreign ministry).
A birth certificate does not ‘expire’ for public offices
You will often be asked for an ‘updated’ birth certificate, or one ‘from the last three months’. Decreto Legislativo 1246 (art. 5.1) bars public administration bodies from demanding:
- copies of a birth certificate when you show your DNI, unless proving parentage is essential and cannot be done any other way (letter b);
- copies of a birth certificate ‘issued recently or within a maximum period’ (letter c).
Decreto Legislativo 1310, published on 30 December 2016, made an exception to letter c: the ban does not apply in procedures in the exercise of patria potestad (parental authority). The rule does not list which procedures those are.
This rule binds only public bodies. A bank, a private company or a foreign consulate is not subject to it and can set its own requirements. If a public office demands a copy of your birth certificate, also see which documents public offices cannot ask you for.
Children of Peruvians born abroad
Ley 26497 (art. 51-A, added by Ley 29462) lets you register a child of Peruvians born abroad at any time before they come of age, at the nearest Peruvian consulate. According to gob.pe, consular registration is free. Children adopted abroad and children of naturalised Peruvians cannot be registered this way.
If the child already lives in Peru and was not registered at a consulate, the gob.pe page says the child can be registered here, with the same 60-day deadline. If you will use the certificate outside Peru, see how to apostille documents. If the certificate contains an error, see how to correct data at Reniec.
How to file
- Register the birth within 60 daysDo it at the hospital's civil registry office if it has one, or at a Reniec office. If there is none nearby, at your district or provincial municipality. It is free, and so is the certificate of live birth (*certificado de nacido vivo*) issued by the health facility.
- Keep the first certified copyIt is free by law. If you need another one later, first check on Reniec's website that the record has been digitised.
- Request further copies online or at an officeOnline: S/ 10.30, from a computer connected to a printer, not from a phone. At an office or Agente Reniec kiosk: S/ 12.00. Amounts from the gob.pe page updated on 16 July 2026.
- If your child was born outside Peru, go to the consulateConsular registration is free and can be done any time before the child comes of age. One or both parents do it; the foreign parent cannot do it alone.
What people fail to ask in time
Your child was born abroad and holds two nationalities: do you know what that means in Peru?
Find out before it matters →What most people believe — and what the law says
A birth certificate expires: it has to be from the last 3 or 6 months.
None of the rules we reviewed gives the birth certificate an expiry date. Decreto Legislativo 1246 (art. 5.1, letter c) also bars public offices from demanding copies 'issued recently or within a maximum period', except in procedures in the exercise of patria potestad (Decreto Legislativo 1310). That rule binds only the public administration: a bank, a company or a foreign consulate is not bound by it.
If I did not register my child within 60 days, I now have to pay.
Ley 29462 (art. 2, letter a) makes birth registration free 'in all its forms', and that includes late registration.
The first copy of the birth certificate costs the same as any other.
The first certified copy is free (Ley 29462, art. 2, letter b). The copy used to apply for the DNI is also free (letter c). Fees apply to later copies.
Any public office can ask for my birth certificate even if I show my DNI.
Decreto Legislativo 1246 (art. 5.1, letter b) forbids it when you show your DNI, unless proving parentage is essential to the procedure and cannot be done any other way.
Frequently asked questions
My baby was born in a hospital. Where do I register the birth?
If that hospital or health centre has a civil registry office, the birth must be registered there (Ley 26497, art. 46, as amended by Ley 29462). Otherwise it is registered at the registry office for the place of birth or the child's home. If there is no Reniec office nearby, you can do it at your district or provincial municipality.
How much does a certified copy cost after the first one?
According to the gob.pe page updated on 16 July 2026, S/ 10.30 online and S/ 12.00 at a Reniec office or Agente Reniec kiosk (payment code 06637). The online copy can be generated only once and is printed on the spot. If you request a minor's certificate online, one parent must pay for and request it with their own DNI.
What if my birth certificate is not in Reniec's system?
Reniec can only issue a copy if the record has been digitised. If it has not, the gob.pe page says to ask the municipality where the birth was registered. If the birth was registered at a consulate, the copy is requested from the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores.
My child was born in another country. How do I register them as Peruvian?
If you are Peruvian by birth, you can register the child free of charge at the Peruvian consulate in the country of birth, at any time before the child comes of age (Ley 26497, art. 51-A). If the child already lives in Peru and was not registered at a consulate, the gob.pe page says the child can be registered here, with the same 60-day deadline as a birth in Peru.
The exact law
Ley N.º 29462Artículo 2read
Law making birth registration, the first certified copy of the birth certificate and the certificate of live birth free of charge
«Se establece la gratuidad de los siguientes trámites: a. Inscripción de nacimiento en todas sus modalidades. b. Expedición de la primera copia certificada del acta de nacimiento, bajo responsabilidad.»
↳Artículo 3 (modifica el artículo 46 de la Ley N.º 26497)read
Ordinary deadline to register a birth — Reniec Organic Law
«Las inscripciones de los nacimientos se llevarán a cabo dentro de los sesenta (60) días calendario de producidos los mismos, en las oficinas registrales bajo cuyas jurisdicciones se produjeron los nacimientos o en aquellas que correspondan al lugar donde domicilia el niño.»
↳Artículo 3 (modifica el artículo 47 de la Ley N.º 26497)read
Registering minors after the legal deadline — Reniec Organic Law
«El registrador no puede solicitar mayor documentación que la establecida en el presente artículo.»
↳Artículo 3 (modifica el artículo 51 de la Ley N.º 26497)read
90-day deadline in hard-to-reach areas — Reniec Organic Law
«…la inscripción de los nacimientos ordinarios se realice en dichas localidades en un plazo de noventa (90) días calendario de ocurrido el alumbramiento.»
↳Artículo 4 (incorpora el artículo 51-A a la Ley N.º 26497)read
Registering children of Peruvians born abroad — Reniec Organic Law
«La inscripción de los nacimientos de hijos de peruanos ocurridos en el exterior se efectúa en cualquier momento, hasta antes del cumplimiento de la mayoría de edad, en las oficinas registrales consulares del Perú más cercanas o de más fácil acceso a la jurisdicción en la que se produjo el nacimiento.»
Decreto Legislativo N.º 1246Artículo 5, numeral 5.1, literales b) y c)read
Administrative simplification measures — bars public offices from demanding birth certificates
«c) Copias de Partida de Nacimiento o Certificado de Defunción emitidas en fecha reciente o dentro de un periodo máximo.»
Página oficial de trámite — Presidencia del Consejo de Ministros (gob.pe)Ficha de trámiteread
Registrar a un recién nacido en la municipalidad (Registering a newborn at the municipality)
«Este procedimiento es gratuito y permite que tu hijo disfrute de todos los beneficios de ser un ciudadano peruano, como obtener su DNI o acceder a programas sociales.»
Página oficial de trámite — ReniecFicha de trámiteread
Solicitar copia certificada de acta o partida en Reniec (Requesting a certified copy from Reniec)
«Realiza el pago de S/10.30 a través de Yape, agente BCP, Banco de la Nación o la plataforma Págalo.pe.»
Página oficial de trámite — Ministerio de Relaciones ExterioresFicha de trámiteread
Registrar el nacimiento de peruanos menores de edad nacidos en el extranjero (Registering Peruvian minors born abroad)
«puedes inscribirlos gratuitamente en el Registro de Nacimientos de la Oficina Consular del país donde nacieron, para otorgarles la nacionalidad peruana.»
Decreto Legislativo N.º 1310Cuarta Disposición Complementaria Finalread
Exception: the ban in article 5.1(c) of Decreto Legislativo 1246 does not apply in procedures in the exercise of patria potestad
«La prohibición establecida en el literal c) del numeral 5.1 del artículo 5 del Decreto Legislativo Nº 1246 no es aplicable en los procedimientos en ejercicio de la patria potestad.»
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What this page already lets you do
- Name the rule that protects you
- Copy the exact article and send it
- Follow the steps, in order