How do you get a foreign university degree recognized in Peru?

Two routes: recognition or revalidation

Sunedu, Peru’s university regulator, explains that there are two procedures for giving a foreign diploma legal value in Peru:

• Recognition (reconocimiento). Done by Sunedu. It gives effect to the foreign degree because it meets quality criteria or because a treaty obliges Peru to recognize it. If approved, the degree is entered in the National Registry of Degrees and Titles (Registro Nacional de Grados y Títulos), like a Peruvian one.
• Revalidation or homologation (revalidación). Done by a licensed Peruvian university. The degree counts in Peru because you passed an academic evaluation at that university.

Anyone can apply for recognition, Peruvian or foreign. According to Sunedu, law degrees (bachelor’s and licentiate) do not go through recognition: they go straight to revalidation at a Peruvian university.

Who qualifies for recognition

Sunedu’s Regulation was amended on 5 June 2026 (Resolution 0021-2026-SUNEDU-CD) and set an order of priority:

1. Treaties first. If a treaty in force for Peru governs recognition of degrees, its rules apply (art. 6.1).
2. If there is no treaty, or the treaty does not cover your case, the quality criterion applies: the institution must appear on Sunedu’s list, built from up to 500 institutions per ranking: QS, ARWU (Shanghai), THE and Scimago (arts. 6.2 and 7).

That list is published every year, in the third quarter, by directorial resolution (art. 7.2). Sunedu’s page still links a list labelled for 2023. If your university is not on it, ask Sunedu whether there is a newer list before you apply.

If your degree fits neither route, your path is revalidation at a university.

What documents they ask for

According to the gob.pe page and article 11.1 of the Regulation:

• The application form, with a digital, electronic or scanned signature.
• The diploma, validated in one of three ways: access to an official database where Sunedu can verify your name, the degree and the date; an apostille from the country where you studied; or legalization at the Peruvian consulate and at the foreign ministries of that country and of Peru, if that country is not party to the Hague Convention.
• Transcript or diploma supplement, only if you want the resolution to include details the diploma lacks.
• A translation, if any document is not in Spanish.
• A simple letter of authorization (carta poder simple), if someone else files for you.
• Returning Migrant Card (Tarjeta del Migrante Retornado, plain copy), if you are a returning Peruvian: the gob.pe page gives a 50% discount on the fee.

Two official sources differ here. Sunedu’s page lists a printout of an institutional email from the university confirming the degree as valid proof. The Regulation as amended in June 2026 says email addresses provided by applicants are not considered databases («no se consideran bases de datos las direcciones de correo electrónico proporcionadas por los administrados»). We do not pick one: if an email is your only proof, confirm with Sunedu before you apply.

What it costs

The official sources do not give a single figure:

• Sunedu’s page on the procedure says S/ 400.00. It shows no update date.
• The gob.pe page, updated 26 June 2026, gives no amount. It only says that in person you pay by credit or debit card.
• Sunedu’s fee schedule (TUPA), amended in 2024, set S/ 1,188.50. Indecopi’s Chamber for the Elimination of Bureaucratic Barriers declared that fee unlawful (Resolution 0257-2026/SEL-INDECOPI) because Sunedu did not show it was calculated with the mandatory costing method. According to Indecopi, Sunedu must stop charging it to everyone from the day after the summary was published in El Peruano, which happened on 25 June 2026.

Indecopi made clear that its decision does not recognize any degree automatically. It only removes the fee. Before you pay, confirm the amount with Sunedu (consultasreconocimiento@sunedu.gob.pe or 01 500 3930).

How to file and how long it takes

• Online: scan each document as a separate PDF named “First and last name _ document” and email them to reconocimientogradosytitulos@sunedu.gob.pe. The email cannot exceed 10 MB.
• In person: Sunedu’s main office, calle Aldabas 337, Santiago de Surco, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Bring the originals so they can be scanned.

Sunedu assesses the application within a maximum of 30 business days and answers through your electronic inbox. If there is an issue Sunedu cannot resolve on its own, the gob.pe page says it is sent by letter to the address in your sworn statement.

Recognized is not the same as licensed

Sunedu puts it this way: recognition qualifies you to teach at university level and do research in Peru. To practice a profession, the license comes from the professional association (colegio profesional), which is autonomous and sets its own requirements for people trained abroad. Some colegios may require revalidation instead of recognition. Ask the colegio for your profession before choosing a route.

If you are a foreigner planning to work, the degree is only one part: your immigration status must also allow you to work. We explain that in working in Peru as a foreigner.

How to check the National Registry of Degrees and Titles

Sunedu’s registry can be searched online by DNI or by name. If a Peruvian degree does not appear there, or appears with wrong details, the gob.pe page says to go to the university’s degrees office so it can request the correction. The registration certificate costs S/ 10.00 and is issued within one business day, online or at Sunedu’s office and some MAC service centers.

Your Peruvian diploma for use abroad

The reverse route is a different procedure. To apostille a Peruvian degree you first need Sunedu’s certificate, and the apostille is free for Peruvians’ degrees and study certificates. See how to apostille a document in Peru.