Peru: Information on the procedure followed by Peruvian missions abroad, particularly in Canada, before issuing a passport to a purported Peruvian national, including security checks, identity documents required, whether application must be done in person, and amount of discretion exercised by the mission in issuing a passport
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PER27547.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Peru: Information on the procedure followed by Peruvian missions abroad, particularly in Canada, before issuing a passport to a purported Peruvian national, including security checks, identity documents required, whether application must be done in person, and amount of discretion exercised by the mission in issuing a passport, 1 August 1997, PER27547.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab6638.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The information that follows was provided by the Peruvian consul in Ottawa during a 26 August 1997 personal interview.
To obtain a passport at a Peruvian mission abroad, applicants must present themselves in person, submit their old passport (even if it has expired) and two recent passport-sized photographs, complete an application form, and pay a fee. The fee varies depending on the applicant: the fee for a minor or a student is Cdn$18, while the fee for a non-student adult is Cdn$112.50.
If the applicant has lost the old passport, he or she must supplement the above procedure with a police report detailing the loss or theft of the document, as well as a certified copy of his or her birth certificate and a voting registration card (libreta electoral).
In any case in which the consular officer has doubts about the authenticity of the documentswhether the applicant is submitting an old passport or another legal identity documenta verification of identity and nationality can be requested from the Ministry of Foreign Relations in Peru. The consulate must also submit a request for verification of identity and nationality to the ministry if the applicant has none of the above-mentioned identity documents. The Ministry of Foreign Relations in Peru has a special office that processes such requests from missions abroad and liaises with the pertinent branches of government in Peru, such as the electoral registry. If a verification of identity and nationality is required, the issuing of a passport could be delayed several months.
The source stated that Peruvian nationals are legally entitled to a passport, and consulates abroad cannot deny this right. Therefore, whether a person has a criminal background or is sought by Peruvian law enforcement institutions is irrelevant to the issuing of a passport by consulates abroad. Background checks on passport applicants abroad are only done to verify the identity and Peruvian natioinality of the applicant; the only concern that must be addressed before issuing a passport abroad is whether the person is a Peruvian and thus entitled to hold a Peruvian passport.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Consulate of Peru, Ottawa. 26 August 1997. Personal interview with consul.