Who gets priority service in Peru, and does it apply on the phone too?
Pregnant women, children, older adults and people with disabilities are entitled to priority service "en todos los sistemas de atención" the business has — not just at one signposted counter, but in every channel, including phone and online.
VerificationVerified against the official sourceSee the sources ↓
- 2sources cited
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Peruvian State portal (gob.pe)
Checked 12 Oct 2026Next review 12 Mar 2027
What we read and what we did notArticles 41 and 110 of Ley 29571 were read in the Third Official Edition of the Consumer Protection Code (Minjus, December 2020). Article 41.3 refers the penalty to «special laws, rules and regulations» that we did not review one by one.
What article 41 says
Article 41 of Ley 29571 has three numbered parts:
- 41.1 — the business must guarantee priority service to pregnant women, children, older adults and persons with disabilities “en todos los sistemas de atención con que cuente”, and must provide ways to report non-compliance.
- 41.2 — concrete duties: (a) post the right to priority service in a visible place; (b) adapt infrastructure and implement access and safety measures; (c) exempt these people from turns, queues or any other waiting mechanism; (d) have a complaint mechanism.
- 41.3 — non-compliance is sanctioned under the procedures set in special laws and regulations.
The phrase that changes everything
“En todos los sistemas de atención con que cuente” — in every service system the business has. Not “at one counter”. If a company serves in person, by phone, by chat and by app, priority must exist in each. A bank with a priority counter that leaves you forty minutes on hold is in breach all the same.
Who is covered
Four groups, with no extra condition written into the article: pregnant women, children, older adults and persons with disabilities. The rule makes no distinction between Peruvians and foreigners; it protects every consumer.
What to do when it is ignored
- Say it on the spot and name the article. Usually enough.
- Put it on record: the libro de reclamaciones, or the complaint mechanism article 41.2 itself requires.
- Indecopi: Reclama Virtual if you want a concrete fix (to be served); a denuncia if you want a sanction.
- Defensoría del Pueblo when the offender is a State entity.
What is not written
Article 41.3 does not itself set a fine; it refers to special rules we have not reviewed for this page. What we can say is that Indecopi sanctions breaches of the Code under the general article 110 scale, and that the scale was given to us as verified rather than read in the official text.
Does someone need support making decisions, beyond priority service?
Priority service solves how you’re treated in line; it doesn’t decide who can sign documents or manage money on someone else’s behalf. See when formal support applies in curatorship and legal incapacity in Peru.
Do you need to prove a disability to claim priority service?
If your right to priority service depends on proving a disability, see how to apply for the CONADIS disability certificate.
How to file
- Ask, naming the article'Tengo derecho a atención preferente, artículo 41 del Código del Consumidor, y aplica en todos los canales.' Most cases end there.
- Use the business's own complaint mechanismArticle 41.2 obliges the business to have a way to report non-compliance. If it has none, that is a second infraction. Ask for the libro de reclamaciones.
- Reclamo or denuncia with IndecopiReclama Virtual for a quick fix; Mesa de Partes for a denuncia that can end in a fine.
- If it is a public office, the OmbudsmanFree complaint, no lawyer, open to Peruvians and foreigners.
Want it drafted for you? Escrito listo — S/ 29 · available soon →
What people fail to ask in time
You are writing it down in the book: is being treated badly a reclamo or a queja?
Find out before it matters →What most people believe — and what the law says
Priority service means the one counter with the sign.
Article 41.1 says 'en todos los sistemas de atención con que cuente'. If a bank serves at the counter, by phone and in its app, priority applies in all three.
If the priority counter is closed, I join the normal queue.
Article 41.2 requires exempting entitled people from turns, queues 'or any other waiting mechanism'. Closing the counter does not cancel the duty.
It only applies to government offices.
Article 41 says 'el proveedor'. It reaches banks, clinics, pharmacies, supermarkets, cinemas and any business open to the public.
I need a special card to prove it.
The article names no specific card for pregnant women, children or older adults. An ID showing your age, or a visible pregnancy, is enough for the duty to exist.
Frequently asked questions
What can I do if the business has no way at all for me to report that my priority service wasn't respected?
Article 41.2 requires the business to have a mechanism for reporting non-compliance, on top of posting the right and adapting its infrastructure. If it has none, that is a separate infraction from ignoring you in the first place. Ask for the libro de reclamaciones anyway — it serves as a record while you go to Indecopi.
If it was a public office that ignored me, not a private business, where do I complain?
Against a State entity you can go to the Defensoría del Pueblo, which handles a free complaint, with no lawyer needed and open to both Peruvians and foreigners. If it's a private business instead, like a bank or a clinic, the route is Indecopi.
I'm a foreigner visiting Peru — do I have the same right to priority service?
Yes. Article 41 refers to "the business" and to pregnant women, children, older adults and persons with disabilities, without distinguishing between Peruvians and foreigners. The rule protects every consumer, regardless of nationality.
What exactly must a business do to comply with priority service, beyond having one counter?
Article 41.2 places four concrete duties on it: post the right to priority service in a visible place, adapt its infrastructure with access and safety measures, exempt these people from turns and queues, and have a mechanism for complaints. Having just the counter isn't enough if any of the other three is missing.
What the fine is
| Conduct | Severity | Range | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failing to guarantee priority service, to signpost it, or to have a complaint mechanism — seriousness is classified by Indecopi case by case Ley N.º 29571, arts. 41 and 110 General art. 110 scale: minor up to 50 UIT, serious up to 150, very serious up to 450. Art. 41.3 also refers to special rules we did not review. | variable | up to 450 UIT up to S/ 2,475,000.00 up to $715,939 | Indecopi |
Fines are set in UIT. When the UIT moves, every fine moves with it. UIT 2026 = S/ 5,500 (Decreto Supremo N.º 301-2025-EF). Reference conversion only. The debt is owed in soles.FX rate as of2026-10-12: US$ 1 = S/ 3.457.
The exact law
Ley N.º 29571Article 41read
Consumer Protection and Defence Code — priority treatment for pregnant women, children, older adults and persons with disabilities
«41.1 El proveedor está en la obligación de garantizar la atención preferente de gestantes, niñas, niños, adultos mayores y personas con discapacidad, en todos los sistemas de atención con que cuente, debiendo facilitar al consumidor todos los mecanismos necesarios para denunciar el incumplimiento de esta norma bajo responsabilidad.»
↳Article 110read
Consumer Protection and Defence Code — Indecopi fine scale
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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