Is a will made abroad valid in Peru?

What this page answers: the form

A will can fail for two different reasons. Its form (who it was made before, with which formalities) or its content (who gets what, and whether it respects the law that governs the estate). This page covers only the form of a will made outside Peru. Which law decides who inherits and how much is explained on the forced heirship page.

The Civil Code’s general rule on the form of any legal act is article 2094:

“La forma de los actos jurídicos y de los instrumentos se rige por la ley del lugar en que se otorgan o por la ley que regula la relación jurídica objeto del acto. Cuando los instrumentos son otorgados ante funcionarios diplomáticos o consulares del Perú, se observarán las solemnidades establecidas por la ley peruana.”

(The form of an act follows the law of the place where it is made, or the law that governs the relationship. Documents made before Peruvian diplomats or consuls follow Peruvian formalities.)

For wills, the Code adds two articles of its own: 721 and 722.

A will made under the other country’s law

Article 722 is the core rule:

“Son válidos en el Perú en cuanto a su forma, los testamentos otorgados en otro país por los peruanos o los extranjeros, ante los funcionarios autorizados para ello y según las formalidades establecidas por la ley del respectivo país, salvo los testamentos mancomunado y verbal y las modalidades testamentarias incompatibles con la ley peruana.”

(Wills made in another country, by Peruvians or foreigners, before authorized officials and following that country’s formalities, are valid in Peru as to their form, except joint wills, oral wills and types of will incompatible with Peruvian law.)

What that means for you:

• Nationality does not matter. The rule covers Peruvians and foreigners alike.
• The will must have been made before the authorized official, with the formalities that country’s law requires.
• There are three exclusions: joint wills, oral wills, and types of will that are incompatible with Peruvian law.

What Peru rejects even if the other country allows it

A joint will (testamento mancomunado) is one made by two or more people in the same document, such as a couple signing one will for both of them. Peru’s Civil Code rejects it outright in article 814:

“Es nulo el testamento otorgado en común por dos o más personas.”

(A will made jointly by two or more people is void.)

An oral will does not qualify either, even if it is valid where it was made.

The third exclusion, “types of will incompatible with Peruvian law”, has no list in article 722. If a foreign will uses a form that does not exist in Peru, get legal advice before starting any paperwork.

Peruvians abroad: making a will before the consul

If you are Peruvian and live or are staying abroad, you do not need to travel home to make a will. Article 721 says:

“Los peruanos que residen o se hallen en el extranjero pueden otorgar testamento ante el agente consular del Perú, por escritura pública o cerrado, según lo dispuesto en los Artículos 696º a 703º, respectivamente. En estos casos aquél cumplirá la función de notario público. Puede también otorgar testamento ológrafo, que será válido en el Perú, aunque la ley del respectivo país no admita esta clase de testamento.”

(Peruvians living or staying abroad may make a will before the Peruvian consul, as a public-deed or sealed will. The consul acts as a notary. They may also make a handwritten will, which is valid in Peru even if the local law does not allow that kind of will.)

Three points follow:

1. The consul acts as a notary. You can make a public-deed will (por escritura pública) or a sealed will (cerrado) before the consul, with the same formalities as before a notary in Peru. Article 2094 confirms that Peruvian formalities apply before Peruvian consular officials.
2. A handwritten will counts even if the host country rejects it. If you are Peruvian and write your will by hand, it is valid in Peru even if the law where you are does not allow that kind of will.
3. The formalities for each type are the Civil Code’s. They are explained in types of will in Peru, including what happens to a handwritten will after death.

How to register it with Sunarp

Sunarp’s Reglamento de Inscripciones de los Registros de Testamentos y de Sucesiones Intestadas has rules for both cases.

Which office. You do not have to find the office for the last address. Article 5 says:

“Tratándose de testamento otorgado en el extranjero ante funcionario consular o de acuerdo al régimen legal extranjero, podrá inscribirse en el Registro de Testamentos de cualquiera de las Oficinas Registrales del país.”

(A will made abroad, before a consul or under foreign law, may be registered at any registry office in the country.)

If it was made before a Peruvian consul

Article 16 asks for the consular copy and legalization of the consul’s signature:

“Para la inscripción del testamento por escritura pública o testamento cerrado, se deberá presentar el parte consular que contenga la fecha de su otorgamiento, la constancia de encontrarse suscrito por los comparecientes y autorizado por el funcionario consular que realizó el acto, rubricado en cada una de sus fojas y expedido con su sello y firma, con la mención de la fecha que se emite. Además se deberá legalizar la firma del funcionario consular en el área de legalizaciones del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores.”

(You file the consular copy with the date, proof of signature and authorization, initialed on each page, with the consul’s seal and signature and date of issue. The consul’s signature must be legalized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.)

If it was made before a foreign authority

Article 17 asks for three things:

“La inscripción del testamento otorgado fuera del territorio nacional conforme a régimen legal extranjero, se efectuará en mérito al título o instrumento que contiene las disposiciones testamentarias con las formalidades extrínsecas que acrediten su autenticidad en el Perú, conforme a las normas y convenios internacionales sobre la materia. Asimismo, deberá adjuntarse el acta de defunción o el documento que haga sus veces emitido por la autoridad competente del país extranjero. En caso que el testamento se encuentre en un idioma extranjero, deberá adjuntarse traducción oficial expedida por un traductor público juramentado.”

(A will made under foreign law is registered with the document containing it and the formalities proving its authenticity in Peru, under international rules and treaties; plus the death certificate or equivalent; plus an official translation if it is in another language.)

• The document with proof of authenticity. In practice, the apostille or the chain of legalizations (see below). How the apostille works is on the apostille page.
• The death certificate or its foreign equivalent. Because article 17 requires it, this registration happens after the person has died. That follows from the article; it does not say it in those words.
• An official translation by a sworn public translator (traductor público juramentado), if the will is not in Spanish.

What the registrar checks

Article 27 sets out what Sunarp reviews in a will made under foreign law:

“Corresponde al Registrador calificar las formalidades extrínsecas del testamento otorgado en el exterior bajo régimen legal extranjero que permitan acreditar la autenticidad del mismo, sea a través de la apostilla o la correspondiente cadena de legalizaciones. Asimismo, debe evaluar que las modalidades testamentarias sean compatibles con la ley peruana. […]”

(The registrar checks the external formalities that prove the will is authentic, through the apostille or the chain of legalizations, and whether the type of will is compatible with Peruvian law.)

The same article adds that when the registrar has no way of knowing the foreign law, they “excepcionalmente podrá requerir documentos que permitan acreditar la existencia y sentido de la ley extranjera” (may, as an exception, ask for documents proving the foreign law exists and what it says), and must tell you which ones. If you get that request, ask them to name the exact document they need.

What this page does not cover

• Which law governs the estate (who inherits, how much, forced heirship). See forced heirship.
• How to find out whether someone left a registered will: the Registro de Testamentos.
• Fees and processing times at Sunarp, the consulate or the Foreign Ministry. We do not cite them because we did not read them in a norm for this topic.
• Probating a handwritten will made abroad through the courts or a notary. Part of this is in types of will in Peru; for a real case, see a lawyer.
• Foreign court decisions on the estate (for example, a declaration of heirs issued in another country). That is a separate topic from the will itself.