Who is Peruvian, and how do you renounce or recover Peruvian nationality?
You are Peruvian by birth, by naturalization or by option. Taking another nationality does not cost you the Peruvian one: only an express renunciation before a Peruvian authority does. If you were Peruvian by birth and renounced, you can recover it with a written application, in Peru or at a Peruvian diplomatic mission.
VerificationPartly verifiedSee the sources ↓
- 16sources cited
- 16read at the official source
- 3official institutions
Constitutional Court · Migraciones · El Peruano
Checked 11 Oct 2026Next review 11 Jan 2027
What is still unverifiedWe read Law 26574 in the text Migraciones publishes on migraciones.gob.pe. That text notes only one amendment, to article 7 by Law 27532 (2001): it does not include Law 30941 or Law 31295, which we read separately in El Peruano. We did not confirm whether there were other amendments; in particular, we do not know whether article 2, numeral 3, which still says «durante su minoría de edad» (while a minor), was amended after the 2018 reform of article 52 of the Constitution by Law 30738. We also read the regulation (Supreme Decree 004-97-IN) in the Migraciones text, which is not up to date: it still names the former Dirección General de Migraciones y Naturalización (DIGEMIN), and its article 28 still asks for one year of residence in Peru to recover nationality, a requirement Law 31295 no longer mentions. That Migraciones (the Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones) handles these procedures today is our reading; we did not read it in a norm. We could not open the gob.pe pages for renunciation and recovery, so this page gives no fees, deadlines or document lists. We read the Constitution in the Constitutional Court's text (2021); Congress's official list of constitutional reforms, checked up to Law 32265 (March 2025), shows no change to articles 52 and 53 and lists no reform from 2026. On Law 32421: on 30 September 2026 this site checked in El Peruano that its regulation had not been published; on 11 October 2026 we found no report that it has been, but we did not repeat that check in El Peruano. As the regulation's publication date we use its signing date (23 May 1997), because the text we read does not give the publication date; the date for Law 26574 (11 January 1996) comes from this site's naturalization page.
Three ways to be Peruvian
The Constitution (article 52) and Law 26574, the Nationality Law (Ley de Nacionalidad), recognize three routes:
| Route | Who | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | Anyone born in Peruvian territory | Constitution, art. 52; Law 26574, art. 2 |
| Birth | Anyone born abroad to a Peruvian father or mother, registered in the corresponding registry as the law provides | Constitution, art. 52; Law 26574, art. 2 |
| Birth | Abandoned minors living in Peru whose parents are unknown | Law 26574, art. 2 |
| Naturalization | A foreigner with two consecutive years of legal residence who meets the other requirements | Law 26574, art. 3.1 |
| Naturalization | A resident foreigner granted the honour by Congress for distinguished service, through a legislative resolution | Law 26574, art. 3.2 |
| Naturalization | A qualified athlete of foreign origin living in Peru who wants to represent the country; the Executive may grant nationality by supreme resolution | Law 26574, art. 3.3 (Law 30941) |
| Option | Someone born outside Peru to foreign parents, living in Peru since age five, who states their wish on reaching adulthood | Law 26574, art. 4.1 |
| Option | A foreigner married to a Peruvian and living in Peru in that condition for at least two years | Law 26574, art. 4.2 |
| Option | Someone born abroad to a Peruvian father or mother who, from adulthood, states their wish | Law 26574, art. 4.3 |
The Constitution adds that people who acquire nationality by naturalization or option are Peruvian «siempre que tengan residencia en el Perú» (provided they reside in Peru). Requirements and the procedure for naturalization and for the marriage option are on naturalization and citizenship by marriage.
Born abroad: registration and the third generation
Since the 2018 reform (Law 30738), article 52 of the Constitution says people born abroad to a Peruvian father or mother are Peruvian by birth if they are «inscritos en el registro correspondiente, conforme a ley» (registered in the corresponding registry, as the law provides). The text of Law 26574 that Migraciones publishes still requires registration at the consulate «durante su minoría de edad» (while a minor), and limits this right to descendants «hasta la tercera generación» (up to the third generation). We did not confirm whether that article of the law was amended after 2018.
For adults, the law offers another route: the option in article 4, numeral 3. How to register a minor is on consular registration of a child born abroad.
A second nationality does not take away the Peruvian one
The rule is written twice:
- The Constitution (article 53): Peruvian nationality «no se pierde, salvo por renuncia expresa ante autoridad peruana» (is not lost, except by express renunciation before a Peruvian authority).
- Law 26574 (article 9): Peruvians by birth who take another country’s nationality «no pierden su nacionalidad» (do not lose their nationality), unless they expressly renounce it.
If you hold two nationalities, you exercise the rights and duties of the nationality of the country where you are domiciled (article 10). Peruvians by birth with dual nationality keep the exclusive rights the Constitution gives them; naturalized Peruvians do not acquire those exclusive rights (article 11). More practical detail on dual nationality.
The law does provide that a naturalization is approved or cancelled by supreme resolution (article 6). That article does not list the grounds, and we did not review them.
How renunciation works
Renunciation must be express and made before a Peruvian authority. The 1996 law defines the competent authority: in Peru, the Naturalization Directorate of the former Dirección General de Migraciones y Naturalización; abroad, Peruvian consular offices. Our reading is that in Peru this function now belongs to the Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones.
The regulation (article 11) says the same for people who acquired Peruvian nationality: if they live in Peru, they renounce before the migration authority; if they live abroad, before the consulates.
We could not open the official gob.pe pages with the current fee and documents. Ask Migraciones or your consulate for them before filing anything.
How recovery works
Article 8 of Law 26574, as worded by Law 31295 (July 2021), says Peruvians by birth who expressly renounced «tienen el derecho de recuperarla» (have the right to recover it) if they meet two requirements:
- Expressly state their wish to recover it, by written application filed before the competent authority in Peru or at Peruvian diplomatic missions abroad.
- Have good conduct and moral standing, under the requirements set by the regulation.
| Topic | Before Law 31295 | Since Law 31295 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Residence in Peru | At least one year | No longer in article 8 |
| Work or activity | Practising a profession, trade or business, or showing you soon will | No longer in article 8 |
| Express wish | Yes | Yes, by written application, in Peru or at a diplomatic mission |
| Good conduct and moral standing | Yes | Yes, under the regulation |
Applications already in progress when Law 31295 took effect were brought under it at once (sole transitory complementary provision).
The text of the regulation that Migraciones publishes is not up to date: its article 28 still asks for one year of residence. Our reading is that the law, which no longer requires it, prevails.
According to the regulation, recovery is granted by a ministerial resolution signed by the Minister of the Interior, followed by a title of recovery of nationality (article 30). The right to recover belongs to Peruvians by birth: article 8 does not mention naturalized Peruvians.
What is coming: Law 32421
The New Nationality Law (Law 32421) was published in August 2025, but it only takes effect once its regulation is published. It would change the requirements for renunciation and recovery. We explain it under “Changes on the way”; until it is in force, Law 26574 applies.
How to file
- Work out how you are PeruvianBy birth (born in Peru, or born abroad and registered), by naturalization, or by option. It matters: only a Peruvian by birth can recover nationality after renouncing it.
- If you are thinking of renouncing, think firstRenunciation is the only way to lose Peruvian nationality. It must be express and made before a Peruvian authority: in Peru, the migration authority; abroad, the Peruvian consular offices. Ask Migraciones or your consulate for the current requirements and fee.
- To recover it, file a written applicationState expressly that you wish to recover Peruvian nationality. You can file before the competent authority in Peru or at a Peruvian diplomatic mission abroad. Be ready to show good conduct and moral standing, as the regulation requires.
- Wait for the resolution and the titleIf approved, the Ministry of the Interior issues a ministerial resolution and a title of recovery of nationality is issued, which you sign with your fingerprint.
Possible changes ahead
None of this is law in force yet. What this page explains is what applies today; this is what could change it.
Published, not yet in force
Ley N.º 32421, Nueva Ley de Nacionalidad
- Where it stands
- Published in El Peruano on 15 August 2025. Not yet in force: it takes effect once its regulation is published. On 30 September 2026 this site checked in El Peruano that the regulation had not been published; on 11 October 2026 we found no report that it has been.
- What it would change
- To renounce, it would require an express written statement before the competent authority, and the State would try to make sure the renunciation comes after obtaining another nationality (article 25). No third parties or attorneys would be accepted, except in the cases provided for persons with disabilities (article 27). To recover nationality it would require a written application, payment of the processing fee, the birth record proving Peruvian nationality by birth, and a valid passport of the other nationality (article 29). It would keep the third-generation limit for people born abroad (article 7). It would also repeal Law 26574.
- How it would take effect
- It takes effect the day after its regulation is published in El Peruano (final complementary provision, third). Applications for obtaining or recovering nationality filed before then follow the rules in force when they were filed (sole transitory complementary provision).
- When
- No date set. The regulation has not been published, as of the last check noted under status.
«Los peruanos por nacimiento pueden renunciar a su nacionalidad»What people fail to ask in time
Was your child born abroad and not yet registered at the consulate?
Find out before it matters →What most people believe — and what the law says
If I naturalize in another country, I lose Peruvian nationality.
No. The Constitution (article 53) and Law 26574 (article 9) say that a Peruvian by birth who takes another nationality keeps the Peruvian one, unless they expressly renounce it before a Peruvian authority.
Once you renounce Peruvian nationality, there is no way back.
If you were Peruvian by birth, the law gives you the right to recover it (article 8 of Law 26574, as worded by Law 31295).
To recover nationality I have to live in Peru for a year first.
That requirement was in the earlier wording of article 8. The current wording, from Law 31295 (2021), asks for two things only: a written statement of your wish to recover it, and good conduct and moral standing. You can file in Peru or at a Peruvian diplomatic mission abroad.
If my father or mother is Peruvian, I am Peruvian even if I was never registered.
The Constitution (article 52) requires a person born abroad to be registered in the corresponding registry, as the law provides. Without that registration you are not Peruvian by birth. Law 26574 offers another route for adults: the option (article 4, numeral 3).
Frequently asked questions
Can I renounce Peruvian nationality without having another one?
In the text of Law 26574 and its regulation that we read, we found no rule that forbids it or expressly allows it. Ending up with no nationality has serious consequences; check your case with Migraciones or the consulate before signing anything. Law 32421, not yet in force, says the State will try to make sure renunciation comes after obtaining another nationality.
I naturalized as Peruvian. Can I renounce?
Yes. Article 11 of the regulation says people who acquired Peruvian nationality can renounce it: in Peru before the migration authority, and if they live abroad, before the consular offices. Getting it back later is another matter: article 8 of the law speaks only of Peruvians by birth.
I was born abroad to a Peruvian mother and I am now an adult. Can I become Peruvian?
Law 26574 provides the option for people born abroad to a Peruvian father or mother who, from the age of majority, state their wish to be Peruvian before the competent authority (article 4, numeral 3). For consular registration of a minor, see the page on registering a child born abroad.
Who decides on recovery?
According to the regulation, it is granted by a ministerial resolution signed by the Minister of the Interior, followed by a title of recovery of nationality (article 30).
I am a dual national. Which rights and duties apply to me?
Article 10 of Law 26574 says dual nationals exercise the rights and duties of the nationality of the country where they are domiciled. Article 11 adds that Peruvians by birth with dual nationality keep the exclusive rights the Constitution gives them.
The exact law
Constitución Política del PerúArtículo 52read
Constitution — who is Peruvian by birth, by naturalization or by option
«Son peruanos por nacimiento los nacidos en el territorio de la República. También lo son los nacidos en el exterior de padre o madre peruanos, inscritos en el registro correspondiente, conforme a ley.»
↳Artículo 53read
Constitution — Peruvian nationality is lost only by express renunciation
«La nacionalidad peruana no se pierde, salvo por renuncia expresa ante autoridad peruana.»
Ley N.º 26574Artículo 2read
Nationality Law — Peruvians by birth
«El derecho otorgado en el numeral 3 es reconocido sólo a los descendientes hasta la tercera generación.»
↳Artículo 3, numerales 1 y 2read
Nationality Law — Peruvians by naturalization
«a) Residir legalmente en el territorio de la República por lo menos dos años consecutivos.»
Ley N.º 30941Artículo único (numeral 3 del artículo 3 de la Ley 26574)read
Law adding numeral 3 to article 3 of Law 26574 — qualified athletes
«Los deportistas calificados de origen extranjero que residan en el territorio de la República»
Ley N.º 26574Artículo 4read
Nationality Law — the right of option
«Las personas nacidas en el territorio extranjero, hijos de padre o madre peruanos, que a partir de su mayoría de edad, manifiestan su voluntad de serlo ante autoridad competente.»
↳Artículo 6read
Nationality Law — naturalization is approved or cancelled by supreme resolution
«La naturalización es aprobado o cancelado, según, corresponda, mediante Resolución Suprema.»
↳Artículo 7 (texto de la Ley 27532)read
Nationality Law — nationality is lost only by express renunciation
«La nacionalidad peruana no se pierde, salvo por renuncia expresa ante autoridad peruana.»
↳Artículo 9read
Nationality Law — taking another nationality does not remove the Peruvian one
«Los peruanos de nacimiento que adoptan la nacionalidad de otro país, no pierden su nacionalidad, salvo que hagan renuncia expresa de ella ante autoridad competente.»
↳Artículos 10 y 11read
Nationality Law — rights of dual nationals
«Las personas que gozan de doble nacionalidad, ejercitan los derechos y obligaciones de la nacionalidad del país donde domicilian.»
↳Disposición Transitoria y Final Primeraread
Nationality Law — competent authority in Peru and abroad
«y cuando los trámites se realicen en el extranjero, a las Oficinas Consulares del Perú.»
Ley N.º 31295Artículo único (texto del artículo 8 de la Ley 26574)read
Law amending article 8 of Law 26574 — requirements to recover nationality
«Declarar expresamente su voluntad de recuperar la nacionalidad peruana, mediante solicitud escrita presentada ante la autoridad competente en el territorio nacional o en las misiones diplomáticas en el exterior»
↳Disposición Complementaria Transitoria Únicaread
Law 31295 — pending recovery applications follow the new law at once
«Los procedimientos de recuperación de la nacionalidad que a la fecha de inicio de vigencia de la presente ley se encuentren en trámite se adecúan de inmediato a la presente ley.»
Decreto Supremo N.º 004-97-INArtículo 11 del Reglamento de la Ley de Nacionalidadread
Nationality Law regulation — renunciation by people who acquired Peruvian nationality
«Las personas que adopten la nacionalidad peruana pueden renunciar a ella, mientras residan en el territorio nacional ante la Dirección General de Migraciones y en caso de residir fuera del territorio nacional lo harán ante las Oficinas Consulares del Perú.»
↳Artículo 30, literales e) y f), del Reglamento de la Ley de Nacionalidadread
Nationality Law regulation — recovery is granted by ministerial resolution
«Expedida la Resolución Ministerial será devuelta a la DIGEMIN para que se disponga la formulación del título de recuperación de la nacionalidad»
Ley N.º 32421Disposición Complementaria Final, terceraread
New Nationality Law — in force only once its regulation is published
«La presente ley entra en vigor al día siguiente de la publicación de su reglamento en el diario oficial El Peruano.»
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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
What this page does not give you yetWe read Law 26574 in the text Migraciones publishes on migraciones.gob.pe. That text notes only one amendment, to article 7 by Law 27532 (2001): it does not include Law 30941 or Law 31295, which we read separately in El Peruano. We did not confirm whether there were other amendments; in particular, we do not know whether article 2, numeral 3, which still says «durante su minoría de edad» (while a minor), was amended after the 2018 reform of article 52 of the Constitution by Law 30738. We also read the regulation (Supreme Decree 004-97-IN) in the Migraciones text, which is not up to date: it still names the former Dirección General de Migraciones y Naturalización (DIGEMIN), and its article 28 still asks for one year of residence in Peru to recover nationality, a requirement Law 31295 no longer mentions. That Migraciones (the Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones) handles these procedures today is our reading; we did not read it in a norm. We could not open the gob.pe pages for renunciation and recovery, so this page gives no fees, deadlines or document lists. We read the Constitution in the Constitutional Court's text (2021); Congress's official list of constitutional reforms, checked up to Law 32265 (March 2025), shows no change to articles 52 and 53 and lists no reform from 2026. On Law 32421: on 30 September 2026 this site checked in El Peruano that its regulation had not been published; on 11 October 2026 we found no report that it has been, but we did not repeat that check in El Peruano. As the regulation's publication date we use its signing date (23 May 1997), because the text we read does not give the publication date; the date for Law 26574 (11 January 1996) comes from this site's naturalization page. See the sources ↑