How 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.
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Congress of Peru · El Peruano · Peruvian State portal (gob.pe)
Checked 1 Oct 2026Next review 12 Dec 2026
What we read and what we did notThe fine for missing the deadline is the one in Table 4 of DS 032-2021-PCM for type B infractions, and the classification comes from Table 3 of the same decree; both were read in the official El Peruano publication hosted on gob.pe. The Complaints Book Regulation as carried in the Third Official Edition of the Consumer Code still says thirty calendar days; the fifteen-business-day deadline in force was confirmed in Ley 31435 and DS 101-2022-PCM. DS 101-2022-PCM does not say from which day to start counting (the day of logging or the next one); this page counts from the next day only to be safe.
The clock running against you
15 business days from the reclamo being registered in the book.This is a procedural deadline: miss it and you lose that route and have to start another.
Ley N.º 31435, artículos 24.1 y 152
The rule in force
Two norms say the same thing in the same words.
Ley 31435 amended article 24.1 of the Consumer Protection Code: businesses must attend to complaints and “dar respuesta a los mismos en un plazo no mayor de quince (15) días hábiles improrrogables.” The same law rewrote article 152 so that establishments answer “los reclamos y las quejas” within that deadline.
Months later, DS 101-2022-PCM brought the complaints-book regulation into line: articles 6 and 6-B set fifteen business days for the reclamo and the queja respectively.
Where the 30-day myth comes from
From a text that no longer applies. The original 2011 regulation gave “treinta (30) días calendario.” That text is still online in many copies, and plenty of news articles and company pages repeat it without a date.
Ley 31435 was published on 22 March 2022 and came into force sixty calendar days later. Since then, any reference to 30 days is out of date.
If you are not sure which box to tick, the Reclamo or queja? tool tells you in three questions.
How to count business days
- Count business days: Monday to Friday, excluding national holidays.
- The text we read does not say whether the day of logging counts; to be safe, count from the business day after you logged your sheet.
- Fifteen business days is normally three calendar weeks, a little more if a holiday falls in between.
An example, counting conservatively from the next day: you log the reclamo on a Monday. Day 1 is Tuesday. With no holidays, day 15 is a Monday three weeks later. If the provider counts from the day of logging, its deadline could fall one business day earlier.
“Improrrogable” means what it says
The word is in the statute. There is no way to request more time, not for complex cases, not because the business passed the matter to another department. If after day 15 they tell you “we are still reviewing it, we’ll get back to you in a few days,” they are already out of time.
What happens when it lapses
Missing the deadline is a breach in itself, separate from whatever prompted the reclamo. In Indecopi’s reference scale (Table 4 of DS 032-2021-PCM) it sits under breach type B, alongside not supporting the entry of the complaint and not keeping the book accessible.
That changes your position. You now have two facts: the original problem and the silence. Both can go to Indecopi, through Reclama Virtual if you want a conciliation, or through a denuncia if you want a sanction.
If you run the business
The clock starts at the moment of entry, not when the right department finds out. A system that checks the book once a week has already used up a third of the time. Answer in writing, dated, and keep the copy with the sheet: that is how you show you complied.
How long it takes
You
You log your reclamo or queja in the book and keep your dated copy
The business's deadline counts from here
The business
The business answers
Up to 15 business days, not extendable
You
If it lapses with no answer, you take it to Indecopi
No legal deadline cited on this page
These periods are counted differently, so we don't add them up.
How to file
- Note the date you logged your sheetThe clock starts when the reclamo or queja is recorded in the book. Your copy of the sheet is the proof of that date.
- Count fifteen business daysCount from the business day after you logged it, to be safe (the rule does not say). Skip Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. Write down the last day.
- If it lapses with no answer, keep the recordYour dated sheet plus the absence of a reply is the evidence. You do not need to send the business anything else.
- Take it to IndecopiThrough Reclama Virtual to conciliate, free. If you also want the missed deadline sanctioned, that is a denuncia and goes through the mesa de partes.
Want it drafted for you? Escrito listo — S/ 29 · available soon →
What people fail to ask in time
The deadline passed and nobody answered: do you know what the next step is and who hears it?
Find out before it matters →What most people believe — and what the law says
They have 30 days to reply.
It was 30 calendar days in the original 2011 text. Ley 31435, in force since May 2022, cut it to fifteen business days with no extension, and DS 101-2022-PCM brought the regulation into line.
It's 15 calendar days.
Business days. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays do not count. In practice fifteen business days is about three calendar weeks.
The company can ask for more time if the case is complex.
The statute says «improrrogables». There is no mechanism to extend the deadline, whatever the complexity.
Only reclamos have a deadline, not quejas.
Article 152 of the Code, as amended by Ley 31435, requires an answer to «los reclamos y las quejas» within the article 24.1 deadline. Both get fifteen business days.
If they don't answer, all I can do is complain again.
Missing the deadline is a sanctionable breach on its own, separate from the original problem. You now have two facts to report, not one.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly does the fifteen-business-day clock start running?
It is measured from when the reclamo or queja was logged in the book, not from when the responsible department finds out about it. DS 101-2022-PCM sets fifteen business days, but the text we read does not say whether day one is the day of logging or the next business day. To be safe, count from the next day and do not wait until the last moment. Your dated copy of the sheet is the proof of when it was logged.
What proof do I need to keep if the deadline passes with no answer?
Your complaints-book sheet showing the registration date, plus the absence of a reply within fifteen business days, is enough. You do not need to send the business anything else before complaining to Indecopi.
Who do I complain to if the business misses the deadline, and what's the difference between conciliating and filing a denuncia?
You can use Indecopi's Reclama Virtual for a free conciliation with the business. If you also want the missed deadline sanctioned as an infraction, that is a separate denuncia filed through the mesa de partes.
Does the clock keep running even if the business says it's still reviewing my case?
Yes. The law says «improrrogable» (not extendable), so a message saying «we're still reviewing it» after day 15 does not pause the clock or excuse the delay: the business is already in breach, sanctionable under Table 4 of DS 032-2021-PCM.
What the fine is
| Conduct | Severity | Range | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not answering the reclamo or queja within the legal deadline — micro business DS 032-2021-PCM, Table 4, breach type B | variable | 0.5 – 1 UIT S/ 2,750.00 – S/ 5,500.00 $795 – $1,591 | Indecopi |
| Not answering the reclamo or queja within the legal deadline — small business DS 032-2021-PCM, Table 4, breach type B | variable | 1 – 2.5 UIT S/ 5,500.00 – S/ 13,750.00 $1,591 – $3,977 | Indecopi |
| Not answering the reclamo or queja within the legal deadline — medium or large business DS 032-2021-PCM, Table 4, breach type B | variable | 2.5 – 5 UIT S/ 13,750.00 – S/ 27,500.00 $3,977 – $7,955 | Indecopi |
Fines are set in UIT. When the UIT moves, every fine moves with it. UIT 2026 = S/ 5,500 (Decreto Supremo N.º 301-2025-EF). Reference conversion only. The debt is owed in soles.FX rate as of2026-10-12: US$ 1 = S/ 3.457.
The exact law
Ley N.º 31435Articles 24.1 and 152read
Amends the Consumer Protection Code — fifteen business days, not extendable
«...dar respuesta a los mismos en un plazo no mayor de quince (15) días hábiles improrrogables.»
Decreto Supremo N.º 101-2022-PCMArticles 6 and 6-B of the Regulationread
Aligns the Complaints Book Regulation with the fifteen-business-day deadline for reclamos and quejas
«La queja que se registre en el Libro de Reclamaciones determina la obligación del proveedor de cumplir con atenderla y darle respuesta en un plazo no mayor a quince (15) días hábiles»
Decreto Supremo N.º 011-2011-PCMArticle 6 (original text)read
Complaints Book Regulation — original 2011 text, source of the thirty-day figure
«treinta (30) días calendario»
Decreto Supremo N.º 032-2021-PCMTable 4read
Indecopi fine methodology — reference scale by breach type and company size
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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
- Know how far the fine goes