Apostille for Peru Documents: How It Works
Peru is a Hague Apostille country. Here's where apostille happens, why it's separate from translation, and the correct order so you don't redo work.
"Do you apostille documents?" is one of the most common questions we get. The short answer is no — apostille is a government function, and we provide the certified translation, not the apostille. The longer answer, below, will save you from the most expensive mistake in document preparation: doing things in the wrong order.
What an apostille is
An apostille is a standardized certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document so it can be used in another country, without further legalization. It exists because of the Hague Apostille Convention.
Peru is a party to that Convention. Peru acceded on 13 January 2010, and it entered into force for Peru on 30 September 2010, with no objections listed. That means a public document apostilled in another member country is recognized in Peru through the apostille alone — no chain of consular legalizations needed.
Where the apostille happens
This is the part people get wrong:
- A foreign document (issued outside Peru) is apostilled by the competent authority in the country that issued it — not in Peru. Peru's Ministry of Relaciones Exteriores apostilles only documents issued by Peruvian public authorities.
- A document already apostilled abroad is not re-apostilled in Peru.
- A Peruvian public document that you need to use abroad is apostilled by Peru's MRE.
So if you have a U.S. birth certificate, you apostille it through the relevant U.S. authority before sending it to Peru. We then translate the apostilled document.
Apostille vs. translation — two different things
An apostille authenticates the document's origin. A translation makes the content readable in Spanish. They are independent steps performed by different parties:
- Apostille → government authority in the issuing country.
- Certified translation → a CTP-certified translator (what we provide).
A translation — even a certified one — never authenticates the underlying document. That is the apostille's job.
The correct order
- Get the original document from the issuing authority.
- Apostille it in the country that issued it.
- Translate it (including the apostille) with a CTP-certified translator.
- Submit to the Peruvian authority (Migraciones, SUNEDU, a court, etc.).
If you translate first and apostille later, the apostille is in a language and on a page your translation does not cover — and you will likely pay to have the translation redone. Do the apostille first.
One nuance: translations that themselves need an apostille
Usually the destination authority only needs the original apostilled and the translation certified. But if the country where you will use the document requires the translation itself to be apostilled, then the translation must also be apostilled. This is procedure-specific — confirm with the receiving authority before assuming. (For Peruvian-issued translations needing an apostille, that apostille is again an MRE function, not something we provide.)
Frequently asked questions
Is Peru a Hague Apostille country? Yes. Peru acceded on 13 January 2010 and the Convention entered into force for Peru on 30 September 2010, with no objections listed.
Can Peru's MRE apostille my foreign birth certificate / FBI check / diploma? No. Peru's MRE apostilles only documents issued by Peruvian public authorities. Foreign documents are apostilled in the country that issued them.
My document is already apostilled abroad — does Peru re-apostille it? No. A document already apostilled in its country of origin is not re-apostilled in Peru.
Apostille or translate first? Apostille first, then translate the document including the apostille. Reversing the order usually means paying to redo the translation.
Do you provide apostille if I pay extra? No. Apostille and legalization are government functions in the relevant country; we provide only the CTP-certified Spanish translation.
What we do — and don't — do
We provide CTP-certified Spanish translations, delivered with the full certification package. We do not provide apostille or legalization services; those are government acts handled in the relevant country. We will, however, tell you the right order so your certified translation is done once and done right.
Get the translation step handled
Once your document is apostilled, order its certified translation at /order. For visa paperwork see /visa-translations; for degree recognition see /sunedu-translations.
Related reading: Apostille vs. legalization explained and Getting US documents ready for Peru.
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