Restaurants, bars and cafés: your rights as a customer in Peru
Prices must be visible before you walk in, no separate charges may be added outside the final price, and the only surcharge allowed is the recargo al consumo (up to 13%), and only if you were told beforehand. Tips are always voluntary, you can demand a receipt, and the complaints book is mandatory.
VerificationVerified against the official sourceSee the sources ↓
- 11sources cited
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- 4official institutions
Peruvian State portal (gob.pe) · Sunat · El Peruano · Congress of Peru
Checked 1 Oct 2026Next review 28 Mar 2027
What to know before you sit down
A restaurant, bar or café is a provider like any other, but the Consumer Code gives it a rule of its own: article 5.3. That rule does two things.
- Prices outside. Establishments selling food and drink, and lodging businesses, must post their price list outside, accessibly and visibly. You are entitled to know what things cost before you go in.
- Nothing separate from the price. Charging additional amounts «por cualquier tipo de concepto o recargo de manera disgregada al precio final» (for any kind of item or surcharge separately from the final price) is prohibited. The only exception is the recargo al consumo, and only if it was disclosed «de manera oportuna, accesible y visible» (in a timely, accessible and visible way).
Those two pieces settle most arguments at the table.
Service charge, tip and «service»
| Recargo al consumo | Tip | Cutlery, bread, «table service», «10% service» | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Decreto Ley 25988 | None: it’s your choice | None of its own |
| Must the business charge it? | No: it «may» set it, by agreement with its workers | — | — |
| Cap | 13% | — | — |
| Can they demand it from you? | Yes, if disclosed beforehand | Never | No, if it’s separate from the final price (art. 5.3) |
| Can it come pre-selected? | — | No: Indecopi sanctioned it as a coercive practice | — |
Three things most people have backwards:
- The service charge is not mandatory for the restaurant. It is permission to charge it, not an obligation.
- The service charge is mandatory for you once it was disclosed beforehand and stays at or under 13%. At that point it is part of the price.
- No norm guarantees that one hundred percent reaches the waiters. The decree only says it is not remuneration. The split is whatever was agreed.
To check a specific charge, use the service charge checker. The full explanation is in the Peruvian restaurant service charge.
When you pay
- Card or cash. A business may set a different price by payment method, but only if it disclosed it beforehand, prominently and visibly (article 7). A «5% extra by card» that appears at the till cannot be demanded. Details in card vs. cash pricing.
- Change. Rounding the price against you is prohibited unless you expressly agree at the moment you pay (article 44). «No small change» doesn’t alter that. See rounding your change.
- Receipt. Issuing a receipt is mandatory. Only below S/ 5.00 is it optional, and even then they must give you one if you ask. See receipts in Peru.
At the door
The right of admission exists, but it is narrow. A business may only exclude someone for reasons such as the safety of the premises or the peace of its customers, and those restrictions must be disclosed. Refusing entry or serving you differently because of origin, race, sex, language, economic status or any other ground is prohibited. See discrimination and the right of admission.
If something goes wrong
- Say so on the spot, citing the article: «article 5.3 prohibits separate charges outside the final price, and this wasn’t disclosed».
- Ask for the receipt and photograph the menu, the outside sign, or its absence.
- Register the complaint in the complaints book. Every business open to the public must have one, and it has fifteen non-extendable business days to answer you.
- If it doesn’t answer or the answer is no use, Indecopi’s Reclama Virtual mediates; a formal complaint opens a sanctioning procedure.
For the restaurant
- Price list posted outside, visibly.
- If you charge a recargo al consumo: agreement with your workers, 13% maximum, disclosed beforehand (sign and menu), not on the bill for the first time.
- No stand-alone charges outside the final price.
- A different card price only if it’s on a visible sign.
- Tip field always blank, never pre-selected.
- A receipt for every sale that requires one, and a complaints book with its notice.
How to file
- Check the price list before you go inIt must be posted outside. If there is a recargo al consumo or a different price for paying by card, it must be disclosed there, on the menu or on a visible sign — not appear for the first time on the bill.
- Read the bill line by lineLook for stand-alone charges (cutlery, bread, table service, «10% service») and compare any recargo al consumo against the 13% cap. If you pay cash, your change is owed in full unless you agree to rounding.
- The tip is your decisionNobody can demand it or pre-select it. If you want to leave one, the amount is yours to choose.
- Ask for the receipt and keep evidenceThe receipt proves what you were charged. Photograph the menu, the outside sign, or its absence.
- Complaints book, then Indecopi if they don't answerRegister the complaint citing the article that applies (5.3 for undisclosed charges). The business has fifteen business days to answer. Reclama Virtual mediates; a formal complaint (denuncia) opens a sanctioning procedure.
What people fail to ask in time
And if the food wasn't ordered at the table but through an app, and arrived wrong or never arrived?
Find out before it matters →What most people believe — and what the law says
The recargo al consumo is a mandatory tip.
It is not a tip, and the business is not required to charge it: Decreto Ley 25988 says establishments «podrán» (may) set it, by agreement with their workers and up to 13%. If they charge it and told you beforehand, you owe it; if they did not tell you, you don't.
The restaurant can charge separately for cutlery, bread or «table service».
Article 5.3 bars restaurants, bars and hotels from charging additional amounts «for any kind of item or surcharge separately from the final price». The only exception is a disclosed recargo al consumo. If something has a price, it belongs in the price.
If the menu has no prices, they can charge whatever the bill says.
Restaurants, bars and hotels must post their price list outside, accessibly and visibly. If you could not see the price beforehand, there is already a concrete breach to complain about.
By law, the whole service charge goes to the waiters.
The norm says what workers receive is not remuneration, but it does not set how it is split or require that one hundred percent be handed over. The split is whatever was agreed.
If the bill is small, they don't have to give me a receipt.
Below S/ 5.00 issuing one is optional, but if you ask for it they must give it to you. Above that amount it is always mandatory.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay the recargo al consumo?
Only if you were told before you ordered, in a timely, accessible and visible way (article 5.3 of the Consumer Code), and only up to the 13% set by Decreto Ley 25988. If it first appeared on the bill, it does not meet the condition that allows it and you can complain.
Is the restaurant required to charge a recargo al consumo?
No. Decreto Ley 25988 says establishments «podrán» (may) set it, and it also requires an agreement with their workers. Charging it is the business's option, not an obligation.
Is the recargo al consumo the same as a tip?
No. The recargo al consumo has a legal basis, a 13% cap, and can be demanded if it was disclosed first. A tip has no norm governing it: it is your own choice and can never be demanded. Indecopi has also sanctioned tips that come pre-selected without your consent.
Can they charge me more for paying by card?
Only if the different price by payment method was disclosed beforehand, prominently, visibly and accessibly in the premises (article 7). A card surcharge that first shows up at the till cannot be demanded.
Can a restaurant refuse to let me in?
Only for objective reasons such as the safety of the premises or the peace of its customers, and those restrictions must be disclosed beforehand. Refusing entry or treating you differently because of origin, race, sex, language, economic status or any other ground is prohibited.
How long does the restaurant have to answer my complaint?
Fifteen non-extendable business days from when you register it in its complaints book. If it does not answer, or the answer is no use, you can go to Indecopi.
What the fine is
| Conduct | Severity | Range | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant, bar or hotel that does not post its price list outside, or charges additional amounts separate from the final price (other than a disclosed recargo al consumo) Ley 29571, arts. 5.3 and 110 Article 110 ranges from a warning up to 450 UIT depending on severity (minor up to 50, serious up to 150, very serious up to 450). The classification depends on each case. | variable | up to 450 UIT up to S/ 2,475,000.00 up to $719,059 | Indecopi |
Fines are set in UIT. When the UIT moves, every fine moves with it. UIT 2026 = S/ 5,500 (Decreto Supremo N.º 301-2025-EF). Reference conversion only. The debt is owed in soles.FX rate as of2026-10-05: US$ 1 = S/ 3.442.
The exact law
Ley N.º 29571Artículo 5.3read
Código de Protección y Defensa del Consumidor — restaurantes, bares y hoteles: lista en el exterior y prohibición de montos adicionales
«está prohibido el cobro de montos adicionales por cualquier tipo de concepto o recargo de manera disgregada al precio final, con excepción del recargo al consumo por concepto de servicio de los trabajadores previsto en norma especial, en cuyo caso debe informarse al consumidor de manera oportuna, accesible y visible.»
Decreto Ley N.º 25988Quinta Disposición Complementaria, Transitoria y Finalread
Ley de Racionalización del Sistema Tributario Nacional — crea y limita el recargo al consumo
«Los establecimientos de hospedaje o expendio de comidas y bebidas en acuerdo con sus trabajadores, podrán fijar un recargo al consumo no mayor al 13% del valor de los servicios que prestan. […] Su percepción por los trabajadores no tendrá carácter remunerativo.»
Ley N.º 29571Artículo 4.2read
Código de Protección y Defensa del Consumidor — prohibición de recargos adicionales al precio fijado
«Los consumidores no pueden ser obligados al pago de sumas o recargos adicionales al precio fijado, salvo que se trate de servicios distintos o adicionales.»
↳Artículo 56.1, literal bread
Código de Protección y Defensa del Consumidor — métodos comerciales coercitivos
«Obligar al consumidor a asumir prestaciones que no ha pactado o a efectuar pagos por productos o servicios que no han sido requeridos previamente. En ningún caso puede interpretarse el silencio del consumidor como aceptación de dichas prestaciones o pagos, salvo que lo haya autorizado previamente de manera expresa.»
↳Artículo 7read
Código de Protección y Defensa del Consumidor — medio de pago: la diferencia de precio debe informarse antes
«dicha información deber ser puesta en conocimiento del consumidor, de manera destacada, en forma visible y accesible en el local o establecimiento comercial, a través de carteles, avisos u otros similares.»
↳Artículo 44read
Código de Protección y Defensa del Consumidor — redondeo de precios
«Se encuentra prohibido que los proveedores redondeen los precios en perjuicio del consumidor, salvo que este manifieste expresamente su aceptación al momento de efectuar el pago.»
↳Artículos 38, 39 y 40read
Código de Protección y Defensa del Consumidor — prohibición de discriminar, carga de la prueba y deber de informar restricciones de acceso
«Está prohibida la exclusión de personas sin que medien causas de seguridad del establecimiento o tranquilidad de sus clientes u otros motivos similares.»
Resolución de Superintendencia N.º 007-99/SUNATArtículo 15read
Reglamento de Comprobantes de Pago — monto mínimo para la emisión obligatoria (la regla de los S/ 5.00)
«En operaciones con consumidores finales que no excedan la suma de cinco nuevos soles (S/.5.00), la obligación de emitir comprobante de pago es facultativa, pero si el consumidor lo exige deberá entregársele.»
Ley N.º 29571Artículos 150 y 151read
Código de Protección y Defensa del Consumidor — obligación de contar con libro de reclamaciones y de exhibir el aviso
«Los establecimientos comerciales, así como toda plataforma digital de comercio electrónico, deben contar con un libro de reclamaciones, en forma física o virtual.»
Ley N.º 31435Artículos 24.1 y 152read
Fija el plazo de respuesta a reclamos y quejas en quince días hábiles improrrogables
«...dar respuesta a los mismos en un plazo no mayor de quince (15) días hábiles improrrogables.»
Ley N.º 29571Artículo 110read
Código de Protección y Defensa del Consumidor — sanciones administrativas
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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