Inheriting property in Peru from a foreigner who lived abroad: which law applies and how it is processed

The rule: the last domicile decides, not where the property is

Many people assume that property in Peru is inherited under Peruvian law. The Civil Code says otherwise. Article 2100 states:

“La sucesión se rige, cualquiera que sea el lugar de situación de los bienes, por la ley del último domicilio del causante.” (Succession is governed by the law of the deceased’s last domicile, wherever the property is located.)

If the deceased was a foreigner whose last domicile was outside Peru, that country’s law decides who inherits, in what shares, and whether anything like a forced share exists. Peru’s forced-heirship rules do not apply just because the apartment is in Lima. If instead they lived in Peru, Peruvian law applies; we cover that on the forced heirship page.

What does not change: article 660 says that “desde el momento de la muerte de una persona, los bienes, derechos y obligaciones que constituyen la herencia se trasmiten a sus sucesores” (the estate passes to the successors at the moment of death). What remains is proving to Peruvian authorities who those successors are.

The article 2101 exception is narrow

Article 2101 says:

“La ley peruana rige la sucesión de los bienes situados en la República si, conforme a la ley del domicilio del causante, ellos deben pasar a un Estado extranjero o a sus instituciones.” (Peruvian law governs the succession to property located in Peru if, under the law of the deceased’s domicile, it must pass to a foreign State or its institutions.)

This is not a general “Peruvian law for Peruvian property” rule. It only applies when the foreign law sends the property to a foreign State or its institutions. In that case, the property located in Peru is governed by Peruvian law.

Who has jurisdiction in Peru?

Notaries. Under article 38 of Ley 26662 (as worded by Ley 30007), a notarial intestate succession is filed “ante el notario del lugar del último domicilio del causante” (with the notary of the place of the deceased’s last domicile). If that domicile was abroad, the rule names no Peruvian notary. Our reading is that the Peruvian notarial route does not fit this case; the law does not say so in those words.

Judges. Article 19 of the Código Procesal Civil gives succession matters to the “Juez del lugar en donde el causante tuvo su último domicilio en el país” (the judge of the place in Peru where the deceased had their last domicile). For someone who was never domiciled in Peru, that article gives no answer.

The Civil Code does set two rules on international jurisdiction:

“Los tribunales peruanos tienen competencia para conocer de los juicios originados por el ejercicio de acciones de contenido patrimonial aun contra personas domiciliadas en país extranjero, en los casos siguientes: 1.- Cuando se ventilen acciones relativas a derechos reales sobre bienes situados en la República. Tratándose de predios dicha competencia es exclusiva.” (Article 2058: Peruvian courts have jurisdiction over property-rights claims on assets located in Peru, even against people domiciled abroad; for real estate that jurisdiction is exclusive.)

Article 2061 gives Peruvian courts jurisdiction over a “universalidad de bienes” (a universality of assets, such as an estate) when Peruvian law is the applicable law. Since the applicable law here is usually the foreign one, that rule normally does not come into play, except in the article 2101 case.

Recognising a foreign declaration of heirs

The declaration of heirs is usually made in the country of last domicile. For a foreign judgment to have effect in Peru, article 2102 says:

“Las sentencias pronunciadas por tribunales extranjeros tienen en la República la fuerza que les conceden los tratados respectivos. Si no hay tratado con el país en el que se pronunció la sentencia, tiene ésta la misma fuerza que en aquel país se da a las sentencias pronunciadas por los tribunales peruanos.” (Foreign judgments have the force in Peru that treaties give them; without a treaty, the same force that country gives to Peruvian judgments.)

Article 2104 sets the requirements for recognition (exequátur). Among them: that the judgments “no resuelvan sobre asuntos de competencia peruana exclusiva” (do not decide matters of exclusive Peruvian jurisdiction), that the judgment is final, that it is not contrary to public order, and that reciprocity is proven. Article 838 of the Código Procesal Civil presumes reciprocity; whoever denies it must prove it.

Where and how. Article 749 of the Código Procesal Civil lists “reconocimiento de resoluciones judiciales y laudos expedidos en el extranjero” as a non-contentious proceeding, and article 837 sends it to “la Sala Civil de turno de la Corte Superior en cuya competencia territorial tiene su domicilio la persona contra quien se pretende hacer valer” (the duty civil chamber of the Superior Court where the person it is raised against is domiciled). Civil Code article 2107 requires a full copy of the judgment, “debidamente legalizada y traducida oficialmente al castellano” (duly legalised and officially translated into Spanish).

A point to check with a lawyer. Article 2058 makes Peruvian jurisdiction over property rights in Peruvian real estate exclusive, and article 2104(1) refuses recognition to judgments on matters of exclusive Peruvian jurisdiction. Our reading is that a ruling that only names the heirs differs from a ruling that allocates a Peruvian property, and that the second may have trouble being recognised. We did not review case law on this.

Is exequátur always required?

Article 2108 contains an exception:

“Las sentencias extranjeras que versen sobre asuntos no contenciosos de jurisdicción facultativa no requieren de exequátur.” (Foreign judgments on non-contentious matters of voluntary jurisdiction do not require exequátur.)

And article 2109 says that legalised foreign judgments have the evidential value of a public instrument in Peru, without exequátur. An uncontested declaration of heirs might fall under the article 2108 exception, but we did not verify whether Sunarp registers it that way or whether courts treat it as “jurisdicción facultativa”. If a foreign notary rather than a judge made the declaration, we also found no rule on how it is treated. Either way, ask before paying for the procedure.

Registering with Sunarp

Civil Code article 2041 says the Intestate Succession Register must record “las actas notariales y las resoluciones judiciales ejecutoriadas que declaran a los herederos del causante” (notarial deeds and final court decisions declaring the heirs). When the process is a Peruvian notarial one, article 44 of Ley 26662 requires the notary to send copies to that register and to the registers where the deceased had registered assets. We did not read the Sunarp regulations on how a recognised foreign title is registered, so we do not tell you exactly which documents the registrar asks for.

Once the heirs are on record, dividing the property is a separate step: see how an inherited property is divided. How Peruvian intestate succession works is on intestate succession.

What this page does not cover

We do not cover taxes (in Peru or in the country of domicile), the validity in Peru of a will made abroad, apostille or consular legalisation, Sunarp’s rules for foreign titles, the treaties Peru has with each country, or case law on exequátur in inheritance matters. Nor do we cover bank accounts, shares or vehicles: only the general rule and real estate.