Timeshares, tour packages and travel agencies in Peru: what rights do you have?

There is no special timeshare law: the general rules apply

Many people look for “the timeshare law” in Peru. We searched the official text of the Consumer Protection Code (Ley 29571) for the words tiempo compartido and they do not appear. We also found no other Peruvian norm written specifically for vacation clubs or timeshare memberships. That does not leave you unprotected: the Code’s general rules apply, and the most useful ones here are the rules on aggressive sales methods.

The fake prize and the pressure at the presentation

A typical vacation-club sale starts with a call: you have won a trip, a dinner or a hotel stay, and to collect it you only have to attend a presentation. Article 58.1 of Ley 29571 bans exactly that:

“a. Crear la impresión de que el consumidor ya ha ganado, que ganará o conseguirá, si realiza un acto determinado, un premio o cualquier otra ventaja equivalente cuando, en realidad: (i) tal beneficio no existe, o (ii) la realización de una acción relacionada con la obtención del premio o ventaja equivalente está sujeta a efectuar un pago o incurrir en un gasto.”

(Creating the impression that you have won a prize or equivalent benefit when it does not exist, or when getting it requires a payment or an expense.)

The same article bans, in general, practices that significantly reduce your freedom of choice through harassment, coercion, undue influence or deceit. Article 58.2 adds that the rule covers sales made “dentro o fuera del establecimiento del proveedor” (inside or outside the seller’s premises), at home and “mediante agentes” (through agents). A sales room in a hotel falls in there. Whether the article catches a given presentation depends on the facts: this is our reading of the text, not an Indecopi decision we have read.

Seven calendar days to ask for your money back

If the seller used one of those practices, article 59 gives you a concrete right:

“El consumidor tiene derecho a la restitución inmediata de las prestaciones materia del contrato de consumo en aquellos casos en que el proveedor haya incurrido en alguna de las prácticas indicadas en el artículo 58 […]. Para tal efecto, el consumidor cuenta con un plazo de siete (7) días calendario […]”

(You are entitled to immediate restitution when the seller used any of the article 58 practices, and you have seven calendar days to claim it.)

The seven days run from the day you signed, or from the day the service started, whichever is later. Three details matter:

• You must give notice you can prove. The right is exercised when you notify the seller “fehacientemente” (in a verifiable way) and ask them to stop the service.
• You must prove the practice. The article says “corresponde al consumidor probar la causal” (it is on you to prove the ground). Keep the invitation, the messages and the contract.
• You cannot waive it in advance. Article 60 says: “Es nula la renuncia anticipada al derecho a la restitución” (an advance waiver of restitution is void). A clause saying otherwise does not count for this.

This is not a cooling-off right for any purchase. If nobody used a fake prize, pressure or deceit, article 59 does not apply and your contract governs. We cover this in more detail in right of withdrawal in online purchases. If the contract has terms that put you at a disadvantage, see adhesion contracts and unfair terms.

Tour packages: what the law requires of the agency

Whoever sells you a ready-made package is, in the regulation’s terms, a retail agency:

“Minorista: Agencia de viajes y turismo que ofrece y vende directamente al turista paquetes turísticos organizados.”

(A retail agency offers and sells organised tour packages directly to the tourist.)

The Travel Agency Regulation (D.S. N.º 005-2020-MINCETUR) sets several rules that help you spot a formal agency:

• Only registered firms may call themselves an agency. Article 15.7 reserves the name Agencia de Viajes y Turismo and its official badge for firms listed in the Directorio Nacional de Prestadores de Servicios Turísticos Calificados.
• They cannot sell to you on the street. Article 15.2 bans selling or promoting their services “en forma ambulatoria” (as street vendors) in parks, squares, bus and air terminals, and areas next to restaurants and hotels.
• They must follow the unfair-sales-methods rules. Article 15.8 points to the Consumer Code’s provisions on abusive sales methods.
• If they sell online, they must publish their policies. Article 22.1 requires the terms and conditions to include “las políticas de cobro, cancelación y reembolso” (the payment, cancellation and refund policies).

Article 14 adds that your contract with the agency “se rige por las normas del Código Civil y otras que sean aplicables” (is governed by the Civil Code and other applicable rules). And like any provider, the agency answers for the fitness of the service and for any gap between what it advertised and what you got (article 19 of Ley 29571).

One limit to keep in mind: the regulation does not say how much you get back if you cancel a package. That depends on the policies you were given and your contract. Nor is there a mandatory fund that refunds you if the agency closes: article 24 only says industry associations “promoverán” (will promote) financial guarantee schemes.

Land transport: overbooking and cancellation

The text of Ley 29571 we read has no rule on overbooking. What it does have is article 66.7, which lets you transfer a domestic transport ticket to someone else or postpone the trip “en las mismas condiciones pactadas” (on the same agreed terms). How it works, how much notice you need and what they can charge you is on interprovincial bus travel: cancellations and rebooking. If you were sold a seat and not carried, the service was not fit for purpose and you can complain under article 19. For flights, see delayed or cancelled flight.

What this page does not cover

We did not review Indecopi decisions on vacation clubs or travel agencies, or court rulings annulling these contracts. We do not cover the regulation’s penalties for agencies, hotels and lodging, air travel, or packages bought from agencies abroad. We did not check whether D.S. N.º 005-2020-MINCETUR has been amended since 2020.