International: Peru

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Andean Community International Road Permit

Yes

Required for cross-border road moves to Ecuador, Colombia, or Bolivia in the mover’s own trucks. Under Andean Community (Comunidad Andina, CAN) Decision 837, only an “authorized carrier” may carry goods by road between member countries. An authorized carrier is a legal person (a company or cooperative) whose purpose is road goods transport, incorporated in a member country, and holding an original permit from that country. In Peru, the MTC’s Directorate of Land Transport Services issues the original permit and a vehicle enablement certificate (“certificado de habilitación”) for each truck. The original permit is valid for five years and renews automatically for equal periods unless suspended or cancelled. Decision 837 replaced Decision 399, so older terms such as the “certificate of suitability” and “permit to provide services” used under Decision 399 no longer describe the current Andean permits.

ATIT International Road Permit

Required for cross-border road moves to Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, or Uruguay in the mover’s own trucks. The ATIT is a land transport agreement among these countries and Peru. Under it, international road transport of goods may be carried out only by authorized companies. The MTC grants the original permit to Peruvian carriers, listing the enabled trucks and the authorized destination and transit countries. MTC resolutions grant permits for 10 years for Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, and for 5 years for Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Ownership and Domicile Conditions (ATIT)

Yes. Under the ATIT, original permits are granted only to companies constituted under the issuing country’s law with a real domicile in its territory. MTC resolutions granting ATIT permits also record that more than half of the company’s capital and its effective control are held by Peruvian citizens. No equivalent nationality condition was identified in the text of Decision 837, which requires incorporation and main domicile in the member country.

Complementary Permits (ATIT)

Required for each ATIT destination or transit country. With the original permit, the MTC issues a suitability document (“documento de idoneidad”) listing the enabled fleet. The carrier presents it to each other country’s transport authority to obtain that country’s complementary permit (“permiso complementario”). MTC resolutions set deadlines for doing so: 120 days for Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia, and 60 days for Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Failing to meet them can lead to cancellation of the Peruvian permit.

International Civil Liability Insurance

Required for international road trips. Andean carriers must hold the Andean civil liability insurance policy for international road carriers (Póliza Andina de Seguro de Responsabilidad Civil para el Transportista Internacional por Carretera), covering each vehicle, with a crew accident annex, and may not operate with an expired policy. ATIT carriers must hold insurance for events abroad, including civil liability cover. Peru’s land transport oversight agency (SUTRAN) checks the insurance certificate at inspections. This is in addition to Peru’s domestic SOAT insurance. Cargo insurance appropriate to the shipment’s value is a separate commercial matter.

No Local Transport Abroad

International permits do not authorize a carrier to carry goods between two points inside another member country. Foreign carriers are likewise limited in Peru.

Multimodal Transport Operator Registration

Required where applicable. Under Andean Community Decision 331 on multimodal transport, a multimodal transport operator is anyone who concludes a multimodal transport contract (carrying goods by at least two different modes, such as truck and ship, under one contract) and takes responsibility for performing it as carrier. To operate as one in a member country, it must be registered with that country’s competent national body. Registration requires being a legal person, holding an insurance policy covering liability for loss, damage, or delay, and maintaining minimum net worth of 80,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDR, an international reserve unit set by the International Monetary Fund) or an equivalent guarantee. Peru’s own multimodal law, Legislative Decree 714, also requires multimodal operators to be registered and authorized by the MTC. A mover that books transport only as its customer’s agent, without taking carrier responsibility, falls outside this registration.

OverviewOverview & Scope

A household goods mover operating only within Peru needs the MTC goods transport authorization and other domestic requirements on the Peru page. International moves add requirements that depend on how the goods travel. For road moves across Peru’s land borders, the mover’s own trucks need an original permit from the MTC. Moves to Ecuador, Colombia, or Bolivia fall under Andean Community Decision 837; moves to Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, or Uruguay fall under the ATIT, which also covers Bolivia and requires complementary permits from each destination and transit country. Both regimes require international civil liability insurance, and the ATIT permit is limited to companies majority-owned and controlled by Peruvian citizens. Where a mover subcontracts the cross-border road leg, the carrier’s own permits cover the transport it performs, and the mover should use carriers that hold them. For moves by sea or air, the road permits do not apply, but a mover that signs a single door-to-door contract combining two or more modes and takes responsibility for the whole move as principal is a multimodal transport operator and must be registered.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Movers whose own trucks cross Peru’s land borders must:

1. Determine which regime applies to the route: Andean Community (Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia) or ATIT (Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay).
2. For Andean routes, obtain an MTC original permit under Decision 837 and a vehicle enablement certificate for each truck, as a company incorporated and domiciled in Peru.
3. For ATIT routes, obtain an MTC original permit listing the destination and transit countries, meeting the ATIT conditions (constituted in Peru, real domicile in Peru; MTC resolutions also record majority Peruvian capital and effective control).
4. Obtain complementary permits from each ATIT destination and transit country within the deadlines set in the MTC permit.
5. Hold international civil liability insurance (the Póliza Andina for Andean routes, ATIT insurance for ATIT routes) for every truck on international trips.
6. Do not carry goods between two points inside another country under an international permit.

Movers that subcontract the cross-border road leg must:

7. Use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

Movers that contract as principal for international door-to-door moves using two or more modes must:

8. Register as a multimodal transport operator, meeting the legal person, insurance, and minimum net worth or guarantee conditions.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• MTC original permit under Andean Community Decision 837Where applicable (mover's own trucks run Andean routes)Verified by DocumentRequired
• MTC original permit under the ATIT, listing the destination and transit countriesWhere applicable (mover's own trucks run ATIT routes)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Complementary permit from each ATIT destination and transit country, obtained within the MTC deadlineWhere applicable (mover's own trucks run ATIT routes)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Multimodal transport operator registration (Andean Decision 331; Legislative Decree 714)Where applicable (mover concludes international multimodal transport contracts as principal, taking carrier responsibility)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

• Vehicle enablement certificate (certificado de habilitación) for each truck used on Andean routesWhere applicable (mover's own trucks run Andean routes)Verified by DocumentRequired
• International civil liability insurance in force for each truck on international trips (Póliza Andina for Andean routes; ATIT insurance for ATIT routes)Where applicable (mover's own trucks cross the border)Verified by DocumentRequired
• No carriage of goods between two points inside another country under an international permitWhere applicable (mover's own trucks operate abroad)Verified by AffirmationRequired