How much is an electoral fine in Peru, and what happens if you don't pay?

How much the fine is

Ley 28859 sets the fines according to how INEI, the national statistics institute, classifies the district shown on your DNI:

The amounts are a share of the UIT, a reference unit explained in what is the UIT. The JNE (Jurado Nacional de Elecciones, the electoral authority) published these same percentages with the amounts in soles for the 2026 general election, using the 2026 UIT. If you were called as a polling-station member (miembro de mesa), did not show up and also did not vote, you get both fines. If you miss both rounds, you are fined twice.

The disputed point: does an unpaid fine block your paperwork?

Here the law and the official pages say different things. We give you both versions with their sources.

What the laws say. Article 29 of Ley 26497 required the DNI, “to have legal effect”, to be accompanied by proof of voting (constancia de sufragio) or an excuse. Reniec’s registration regulation repeated that requirement in its article 89. There were two changes:

1. In 2006, article 1 of Ley 28859 cancelled article 89 of the regulation.
2. In 2023, Ley 31909 repealed article 29 of Ley 26497: “Se deroga el artículo 29 de la Ley 26497”. The same law amended article 390 of the Organic Elections Law “to eliminate the requirement of proof of voting”.

We found no other law in force that requires your electoral fines to be paid before you can complete a procedure.

What the JNE and gob.pe say. The JNE’s press note of 9 April 2026 says that people who do not pay “will be barred from carrying out any administrative procedure, as established by Ley N° 28859”. The gob.pe page for checking fines, last updated on 24 November 2022, says that if you do not pay you cannot register civil-status events, take part in judicial or administrative proceedings, carry out notarial acts, sign contracts, be appointed as a public official, or get a driving licence.

We do not settle this contradiction for you. If an office refuses you a procedure because of an electoral fine, ask in writing which law in force they rely on. If it is a public office, you can file a complaint with the Ombudsman.

Coercive collection is in the law

Even if a fine should not block your paperwork, it does not go away. Article 5 of Ley 28859 and article 251 of the Organic Elections Law allow the JNE to collect fines through coercive collection (cobranza coactiva). The JNE’s official excuse page mentions a seizure order (embargo) as part of that procedure.

Excuse and justification

If you had a reason for not voting or not showing up at your polling station, you can ask to be released from the fine. You apply online through the JNE’s online excuse system and, as an exception, at its offices. You can apply from the day after the election until the JNE issues the seizure order in the coercive collection procedure.

The fee is S/ 25.90, code 01465, according to the page updated on 17 April 2026. If you have both omissions in the same election, you pay one fee. Among the cases with no fee are disasters, errors in the voter roll, failures by the electoral bodies, disability, prison and electoral duty.

Peruvians abroad

Article 4 of Ley 28859 says Peruvians abroad are not fined for not voting, though they are fined for missing polling-station duty. The Organic Elections Law text that the JNE publishes still says in article 240 that they must pay the fine. Confirm your case with the JNE or your consulate.

Past amnesties

Ley 31909 forgave the fines from the 2021 elections and forgave or reduced those from the 2022 regional and municipal elections, depending on the district. People who had already paid get no refund.