How does the complaints book work at a Peruvian public office?
Every public entity in Peru has a complaints book (Libro de Reclamaciones), now mostly digital on gob.pe. Complaining is free, you must get a copy on the spot, and the entity has up to 30 business days to answer, not the 15 a shop gets. If it does not answer, you can go to the Ombudsman's Office.
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El Peruano · Peruvian State portal (gob.pe)
Checked 1 Oct 2026Next review 24 Dec 2026
What it is and what it is not
The complaints book (Libro de Reclamaciones) of Peru’s public entities is governed by Supreme Decree 007-2020-PCM, which replaced the old Supreme Decree 042-2011-PCM. Its article 4.1 defines a complaint (reclamo) as the way you express your dissatisfaction or disagreement with the entity that served you or provided a good or service.
It is not an appeal against a decision, and it is not a report against an official. If someone registers a grievance (queja) or a report (denuncia) in the book, the entity sends it to the unit that handles it under its own procedure (article 16.1).
The Presidency of the Council of Ministers also approved Technical Standard 001-2021-PCM-SGP, which develops the process. This page is based on the supreme decree.
What you can complain about
Article 4.2 gives an open list of topics:
- how professionally you were treated;
- the information you were given;
- waiting and service times;
- access to the entity’s goods and services;
- the outcome of the service or procedure;
- the entity’s trustworthiness toward the public.
The decree applies to public entities in general, and also to the Armed Forces and the National Police (article 3.1). Complaints about health services are excluded; they have their own rule (article 3.2). Entities or companies with a special complaint regime for consumers, the financial system or regulated public services apply that regime, and the decree only fills gaps (article 3.4).
Where to file
The complaints book is a digital platform reached through gob.pe, Peru’s single government portal (article 5.2). Each entity has one book, however many offices it has (article 5.5). Each entity must also keep a paper book as backup in case the platform goes down, and some entities without the technology use only the paper one (articles 5.1 and 5.3). If the problem happened at a MAC centre (a one-stop government service centre), the complaint goes to the book of the entity that runs the centre (article 5.6).
What the entity must do
- Accept your complaint even without evidence (article 15.5) and even if it is written in an Indigenous language (article 15.1).
- Charge you nothing at any point (article 15.2).
- Give you a copy immediately (article 15.6).
- Route it within 3 business days to the responsible unit or, if it belongs to another entity, to the competent one, and let you know (article 16.1).
- Answer within 30 business days, counted from the day after registration (article 14). The answer says whether the complaint is accepted or denied, with reasons. If accepted, it states corrective measures where relevant (article 16.2).
- Notify you at your address, at the office if you asked, or by email or text message if you authorized it (article 17).
Public office or shop: not the same book
| Public entity | Shop or company (consumer) | |
|---|---|---|
| Rule | Supreme Decree 007-2020-PCM | Regulation of the Consumer Protection Code’s complaints book, amended by Supreme Decree 101-2022-PCM |
| Response deadline | Up to 30 business days (art. 14) | Up to 15 business days (art. 6 of the Regulation) |
| Where | Digital platform on gob.pe; paper book as backup (art. 5) | See the consumer complaints book |
| If they do not answer | Ombudsman’s Office; the internal control office checks compliance (art. 20) | See the complaints book response deadline |
If you complain at a public office, do not count 15 days: count 30.
If they do not answer
The decree sets no fines for failing to answer. What it says is that the Comptroller General’s Office, through each entity’s internal control office (Órgano de Control Institucional), checks that entities meet the deadline, keep the process free and keep the book available (article 20). The decree does not set a procedure for you to trigger that check.
Your options:
- Complaint to the Ombudsman’s Office (Defensoría del Pueblo). It is free and needs no lawyer. According to its gob.pe page, an admitted complaint is handled within a maximum of 120 business days. More in complaining to the Ombudsman in Peru.
- Complaint about procedural defects (queja por defectos de tramitación). If you also have an application at that entity that has stalled or missed its deadlines, article 169 of the TUO of Law 27444 (Peru’s general administrative procedure law) lets you complain to the superior of the official handling it. The superior decides within three days. Supreme Decree 007-2020-PCM does not say whether this applies to an unanswered complaint: use it for the application, not as a substitute for the complaint.
- If the problem is an illegal requirement or fee, a complaint will not remove it. That is what a bureaucratic barrier complaint to Indecopi is for, and the general steps are in what to do if you are refused a government procedure.
How long it takes
You
You register the complaint on the digital platform or in the paper book, and get a copy
Copy on the spot, under the rule
The entity
The officer in charge checks whether it is a complaint and whether the entity is competent, and routes it
Up to 3 business days, counted inside the response period
Source: Decreto Supremo N.º 007-2020-PCM, Artículo 16, numeral 16.1
You
If details are missing, you are asked to complete them
2 business days; meanwhile, the response period is paused
Source: Decreto Supremo N.º 007-2020-PCM, Artículo 16, numeral 16.1
The entity
The entity answers: it accepts or denies the complaint
Up to 30 business days from the day after registration
The entity
You are notified of the answer
Same day as the answer, if you authorized email or text message
You and the Ombudsman's Office
If they do not answer, you file a complaint with the Ombudsman's Office
Up to 120 business days of handling from when the complaint is admitted
Source: Página oficial de servicio — Defensoría del Pueblo, Ficha de servicio
These periods are counted differently, so we don't add them up.
The bars are to scale with each other; the longest is 120 business days.
The routing step runs inside the response period, so these periods are not added up. A shop's or company's complaints book has a different deadline.
How to file
- Ask them to fix the problem on the spotThe entity must try to solve the incident immediately (article 12). Even if it does, you can still register the complaint.
- Register the complaint on the digital platformYou choose the entity and the office, describe what happened and can attach files. If the platform is down or the entity lacks the technology, use the paper book.
- Keep the copy and the codeThe entity must give you a copy of the registration immediately. Note the date: the 30 business days count from the next day.
- If 30 business days pass with no answer, go to the OmbudsmanA complaint to the Ombudsman's Office (Defensoría del Pueblo) is free and needs no lawyer. You can file it online, by mail, by phone or in person.
What people fail to ask in time
Is your complaint against the water or power company rather than a government office?
Find out before it matters →What most people believe — and what the law says
A public entity has 15 business days to answer, just like a shop.
Public entities follow Supreme Decree 007-2020-PCM, whose article 14 allows up to 30 business days. The 15 business days belong to the consumer complaints book (Supreme Decree 101-2022-PCM).
If I bring no evidence, they can refuse my complaint.
Article 15.5 says registration cannot be refused because the complaint comes without supporting documents. You can attach them, but they are optional.
If the problem was fixed at the counter, I can no longer complain.
Article 15.1 gives you the right to register the complaint whether or not the entity solved the incident.
Complaining at a government office costs money.
Article 15.2 says registration and the whole complaint process are free.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the complaints book to challenge a decision that refused my application?
It is not the right route. A complaint expresses your dissatisfaction or disagreement with the service or with what you received (article 4.1 of Supreme Decree 007-2020-PCM). To challenge a written decision there are administrative appeals, explained on the page about refused procedures.
What happens if they ask me to complete my complaint?
You get a single 2-business-day period to add missing or illegible details, and the response period is paused meanwhile. If you do not, the complaint is closed, but you can file it again with complete information (article 16.1).
Can I use it to complain about care at a public hospital or health centre?
No. Article 3.2 excludes complaints about health services, which follow Supreme Decree 002-2019-SA or the rule that replaces it.
How will I receive the answer?
At the address you gave, or at the entity's office if you asked for that; in that case you have 30 business days to collect it. If you authorized email or text message, it arrives the same day. If you gave an address outside Peru, they send it to the email you provided (article 17).
The exact law
Decreto Supremo N.º 007-2020-PCMArtículo 14read
Rules for handling complaints in public entities — response deadline
«El plazo máximo de atención y respuesta de los reclamos es de treinta (30) días hábiles, contados desde el día siguiente de su registro en el Libro de Reclamaciones en su versión física o digital.»
↳Artículo 16, numeral 16.1read
Routing the complaint, and the deadline to complete missing details
«El Responsable del proceso de gestión de reclamos cuenta con un plazo no mayor a tres (3) días hábiles, contados a partir del día siguiente de presentado el reclamo, para efectuar las siguientes acciones»
↳Artículo 17read
Notification of the answer
«En caso la persona haya autorizado se le notifique mediante correo electrónico o a través del servicio de mensajes cortos (SMS), esta se dará de manera automática el mismo día de expedida la respuesta.»
Página oficial de servicio — Defensoría del PuebloFicha de servicioread
Filing a complaint with the Ombudsman's Office
«En el caso de una queja, desde el momento en que es admitida, la gestión se realizará en el plazo máximo de 120 días hábiles»
Decreto Supremo N.º 007-2020-PCMArtículo 4, numeral 4.1read
What a complaint to a public entity is
«El reclamo es el mecanismo de participación de la ciudadanía a través del cual las personas, expresan su insatisfacción o disconformidad ante la entidad de la Administración Pública que lo atendió o le prestó un bien o servicio.»
↳Artículo 4, numeral 4.2read
Topics a complaint can cover
«De manera enunciativa, el reclamo puede versar sobre los siguientes aspectos: (i) trato profesional durante la atención; (ii) información (iii) tiempo de atención, (iv) acceso a la prestación de los bienes y servicios (v) resultado de la gestión o atención, (vi) confianza de la entidad ante las personas»
↳Artículo 3, numerales 3.1, 3.2 y 3.4read
Which entities it covers and which complaints are excluded
«Se encuentran fuera del alcance de la presente norma los reclamos que se deriven de los servicios de salud que se sujetan a las disposiciones del Decreto Supremo N° 002-2019-SA o norma que la sustituya.»
↳Artículo 5read
The complaints book: digital platform on gob.pe and paper version
«El acceso al Libro de Reclamaciones en su versión digital, se realiza a través de la Plataforma Digital Única del Estado para orientación al ciudadano, denominada Plataforma GOB.PE (www.gob.pe).»
↳Artículo 15read
Registering the complaint: free, immediate copy, no evidence required
«El registro del reclamo, y en general todo el proceso de gestión del reclamo, es de carácter gratuito y no genera costo alguno a la persona que lo presente.»
↳Artículo 16, numeral 16.2read
The answer: accepted or denied
«La respuesta determina si el reclamo es aceptado o denegado»
↳Artículo 20read
Role of the Comptroller General's Office
«La Contraloría General de la República a través del Órgano de Control Institucional de cada entidad de la Administración Pública, es la competente para verificar que las entidades cumplan con garantizar la disponibilidad y acceso al Libro de Reclamaciones»
↳Artículo 12read
Handling incidents before the complaint is registered
«corresponde a las entidades de la Administración Pública procurar su solución, de forma inmediata y de manera previa al registro del reclamo.»
Resolución de Secretaría de Gestión Pública N.º 001-2021-PCM/SGPArtículo 1read
Approves Technical Standard 001-2021-PCM-SGP on complaint handling in the public administration
«Apruébese la Norma Técnica N° 001-2021-PCM-SGP, Norma Técnica para la Gestión de Reclamos en las entidades y empresas de la Administración Pública»
Decreto Supremo N.º 101-2022-PCMArtículo 6 del Reglamento del Libro de Reclamaciones del Código de Protección y Defensa del Consumidorread
Consumer complaints book: fifteen-business-day deadline
«El reclamo que se registre en el Libro de Reclamaciones determina la obligación del proveedor de cumplir con atenderlo y darle respuesta en un plazo no mayor a quince (15) días hábiles»
Decreto Supremo N.º 004-2019-JUSArtículo 169, numerales 169.1 y 169.2 (TUO de la Ley N.º 27444)read
Complaint about procedural defects
«En cualquier momento, los administrados pueden formular queja contra los defectos de tramitación y, en especial, los que supongan paralización, infracción de los plazos establecidos legalmente, incumplimiento de los deberes funcionales u omisión de trámites»
Decreto Supremo N.º 007-2020-PCMÚnica Disposición Complementaria Derogatoriaread
Repeals Supreme Decree 042-2011-PCM, the previous public-sector complaints book regime
«Derógase el Decreto Supremo N° 042-2011-PCM, Obligación de las Entidades del Sector Público de contar con un Libro de Reclamaciones, una vez implementadas las disposiciones del presente decreto supremo»
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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