Peru has taken another step toward digitizing its immigration procedures. On Monday, August 24, 2026, Peruvian Foreign Minister Carlos Espá officially launched the country’s electronic visa, along with the new Integrated Migration Administration System, known as e-SAMI.
The launch ceremony was held at Torre Tagle Palace, the headquarters of Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lima, and was attended by representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which supported the project’s development.
#NoticiasTorreTagle | El canciller de la República, Carlos Espá, lanzó hoy oficialmente la visa electrónica, el pasaporte de emergencia y el nuevo sistema de Administración Migratoria Integrar (e-SAMI), importantes herramientas que acercan los servicios del Estado a los… pic.twitter.com/90eiMF37dS
— Cancillería Perú🇵🇪 (@CancilleriaPeru) August 25, 2026
In its official statement published on August 24, 2026, the Foreign Ministry said the new tools are intended to make consular procedures faster, more modern and more transparent.
The launch also includes a new emergency passport, available in both physical and digital formats, for Peruvian citizens facing certain emergency situations abroad.
e-SAMI, Peru’s new visa management platform
At the heart of the initiative is the Sistema de Administración Migratoria Integral (e-SAMI), or Integrated Migration Administration System, a platform developed with support from the Inter-American Development Bank.
It will gradually replace the current Sistema de Actividades Migratorias (SAM) and allow Peruvian consulates to manage visa procedures through a single system.
In a detailed presentation published on July 13, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the platform would support online visa applications, electronic case management, application tracking and the automation of certain administrative steps.
Most importantly, e-SAMI is designed to handle both physical visas and electronic visas (e-Visas).
Eligible foreign nationals can access the official e-SAMI platform to create an account and, once their consulate and visa category have been incorporated into the system, begin the application process online.
The rollout will nevertheless be gradual and carried out region by region across Peru’s consular network, while consular staff are trained to use the new system.
The e-Visa is not yet available to tourists
Although Peru now officially refers to a “Visa Electrónica,” the August 24 launch does not mean that all travelers who require a visa can now obtain one entirely online.
The Foreign Ministry’s latest statement does not specify which categories of travelers are currently eligible for the e-Visa.
Those categories were, however, clearly identified when e-SAMI was presented in July. “In a first phase,” the platform is expected to issue electronic visas in the Diplomatic, Official and Consular immigration categories, for both temporary and resident status.
So far, Peruvian authorities have announced neither the introduction of an e-Visa for ordinary tourists nor a timetable for potentially expanding the system to tourist and business visas.
That distinction is particularly important because e-SAMI is already beginning to be used for some tourist visa applications.
Procedures published by several Peruvian consulates now instruct applicants to create an e-SAMI account, complete their application and upload supporting documents. However, the process may still require an in-person appointment and interview at the consulate before the visa is issued.
In other words, using e-SAMI to apply for a visa does not necessarily mean receiving an e-Visa.
Rollout to continue across Peru’s consular network
The August 24 launch therefore marks the official start of the digital transformation of Peru’s consular procedures.
Carlos Espá also told the media that Peruvian consulates abroad were undergoing training and that the new services would begin becoming available in different countries starting the week after the launch.
Implementation is therefore expected to continue gradually across Peru’s consular network, meaning not every diplomatic mission will necessarily offer the same features immediately.
The transition is already visible on Peru’s government portal, where several pages covering tourist and business visa applications have recently added links allowing applicants to create an e-SAMI account.
No e-Visa required for US, UK, Canadian and Australian travelers
For travelers from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia visiting Peru for tourism, the new system does not introduce any additional entry requirement.
Nationals of these countries are currently exempt from visa requirements for short tourist stays in Peru, subject to the applicable entry conditions.
They therefore do not need to apply for the newly launched e-Visa when traveling under this visa exemption.
For now, e-SAMI is primarily relevant to foreign nationals who require a visa, as well as to the consular visa categories being progressively incorporated into the system.
Over time, however, the system’s architecture will allow Peru to expand electronic issuance to additional visa categories. The Foreign Ministry explicitly describes e-SAMI as part of a strategy to progressively digitize the country’s immigration and consular services.
VisasNews Take
August 24, 2026, does mark the official launch of Peru’s electronic visa, but not the rollout of a general tourist e-Visa. The first phase defined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs covers diplomatic, official and consular visas. At the same time, e-SAMI is beginning to serve as an online application portal for certain tourist and business visas, although those procedures may still require an in-person visit to a consulate. The new e-SAMI digital platform should therefore be distinguished from the electronic visa itself.
