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Drive on the right. On a normal two-way road, overtaking is carried out on the left when it can be done safely and legally.

Call 105 for the police, 116 for the fire service and 106 for SAMU emergency medical assistance where that service is available. Peru is developing a unified 911 emergency system, but the new central system is still under construction, integration and testing and should not yet be treated as a nationwide replacement for the existing numbers.

Under Peru’s criminal-law thresholds, an ordinary driver can commit the offence of drink-driving when the blood-alcohol concentration is over 0.5 g/L. For drivers providing public passenger, goods or cargo transport, the lower threshold is over 0.25 g/L. The traffic regulations also prohibit driving when alcohol, drugs or other substances reduce the ability to drive safely.

Where no lower limit is posted, the general maximum is 30 km/h on streets and jirones and 50 km/h on avenues. The competent road authority can impose lower signed limits where conditions require them.

On carreteras, the general maximum is 100 km/h for cars, pickup-type vehicles and motorcycles; 90 km/h for public passenger vehicles and motorhomes; 80 km/h for freight vehicles and vehicles towing a motorhome; and 70 km/h for dangerous-goods and school-transport vehicles. A lower posted limit must be obeyed.

The general maximum on caminos rurales is 60 km/h, unless another limit is established and signed by the competent authority.

For highways crossing populated areas or sections with continuous or partly dispersed housing, the general maxima are 30 km/h in commercial areas and 50 km/h in residential areas. The maximum in school and hospital areas covered by this rule is 30 km/h, and the crossing must be signed by the competent authority.

Yes. On sections with poor visibility or adverse weather such as fog, heavy rain, snow, smoke or dust clouds, the maximum limits established by Articles 162, 163 and 164 of the Traffic Regulation are reduced to half of the normal maximum.

Yes. The general speed-enforcement rule uses a 5 km/h tolerance margin, so an excess is sanctionable when the measured speed exceeds the applicable maximum plus that margin. This is an enforcement margin, not an additional speed limit to aim for.

No. Peru does not use a nationwide road vignette. Tolls are charged on particular roads and concessions through toll stations, and some concessions offer telepeaje electronic payment. Toll arrangements therefore depend on the route.

Yes on major interurban networks. Vehicles on the national and departmental/regional road networks must use low-beam headlights 24 hours a day. In urban areas, lights are required when natural light, visibility or traffic conditions make them necessary.

Yes. Seat belts are compulsory for occupants of the front seats, subject to the vehicle-category rules. In rear seats, their use is compulsory when the vehicle was equipped with them at the factory and in other cases where the regulations require them.

For private category M1 vehicles, children up to 12 years old must travel secured in the rear seat. Under Ley 30297, children up to one year use a rear-facing child restraint; children from one to three years use an appropriate child-restraint system; and children from three to twelve years are secured with the universal seat belt. Child restraints must also be appropriate to the child’s size and weight and properly installed.

Yes. The driver and passenger of a non-cabined motorised minor vehicle must wear a compliant safety helmet. If the helmet has no visor, protective glasses are also required. Motorcycle helmets must meet the technical specifications established by the MTC.

Peru’s Traffic Regulation contains a requirement for the motorcycle rider and passenger to use a vest showing the motorcycle’s registration number, subject to technical specifications and certain exemptions, including qualifying motorcycles over 500 cc. Since the November 2025 changes, sanctions for breaching the vest rule apply only in places declared under an internal-order state of emergency when the declaration expressly provides for that enforcement.

Do not use a handheld mobile device while driving when doing so means taking your hands away from control of the vehicle. The regulations allow a mobile or portable device to be used with the hands only when the vehicle is parked and the engine is switched off.

A driver arriving at an uncontrolled intersection must first yield to vehicles already crossing it. If two vehicles arrive simultaneously from different roads, the vehicle approaching from the right has priority. A vehicle that has already entered the intersection first also has priority.

The vehicle already circulating on the roundabout has priority over a vehicle attempting to enter it, unless traffic control directs otherwise.

Drivers must give priority to pedestrians who have already begun crossing at an uncontrolled intersection and to pedestrians completing their crossing at a controlled intersection, provided they are using the designated pedestrian crossing.

Give way when an emergency, official, military or police vehicle announces its presence with audible and visible signals. Where possible and safe, move to the right and stop or slow down; at an intersection, drivers must stop to allow it to pass.

On a steep section that permits only one vehicle to pass, the vehicle travelling uphill has priority over the vehicle travelling downhill.

A driver approaching a stopped school-transport vehicle that is picking up or dropping off pupils must stop behind it and must not attempt to overtake until the children have finished boarding or leaving the vehicle.

At a level crossing without barriers or traffic signals, the precautionary speed must not exceed 20 km/h, and the driver must make sure that no train is approaching before proceeding. Rail vehicles have priority at level crossings.

Yes. The MTC states that a tourist may drive for the first six months after entering Peru using the original, valid driving licence issued by their home country. A longer stay can require obtaining or exchanging for a Peruvian licence as applicable. The MTC’s tourist rule does not make an International Driving Permit a universal requirement for this six-month recognition.

Yes. Motor vehicles must have valid compulsory accident coverage, normally the SOAT. A CAT may apply instead in the situations covered by Peru’s AFOCAT system. Electronic SOAT validity can be checked by the authorities through the MTC system.

The MTC identifies mandatory road-safety equipment including a spare tyre, jack, wheel wrench, warning triangle and fire extinguisher. Equipment should be suitable for the vehicle and kept in usable condition.

Yes. Private vehicles generally begin compulsory technical inspections from the fourth year, using the manufacturing date as the reference. After the first inspection, private vehicles are generally inspected annually. Service vehicles such as taxis, public transport and freight vehicles follow different, more frequent schedules.

Standard traffic signs follow the national MTC traffic-control manual and textual traffic instructions are principally in Spanish, alongside internationally recognisable symbols. Common regulatory wording includes PARE and CEDA EL PASO.

Yes, especially for long-distance and mountain journeys. Heavy rain, fog, rockfall, natural events, maintenance and other incidents can result in temporary restrictions or road closures. The MTC and SUTRAN provide official road-condition information for travellers.