Alcohol regulations in Peru

Licences needed

Licencia de Funcionamiento Municipal; Certificación de Principios Generales de Higiene / Validación Técnica Oficial del Plan HACCP; Registro Sanitario de Alimentos y Bebidas de Consumo Humano; Autorización de Uso de la Denominación de Origen Pisco (if producing Pisco).

Authority

Local District Municipalities; DIGESA (MINSA); PRODUCE; INDECOPI (for Pisco).

Documents

RUC registration (active/habido), architectural layout/zoning compliance, technical sanitary manual (Good Manufacturing Practices/BPM, Sanitation Operating Procedures/POES), HACCP plan, physicochemical and microbiological laboratory analyses, and specimen labels.

Fees

Municipal fees vary by district (approx. S/ 150 to S/ 800); DIGESA sanitary certification/registration fees range from approx. S/ 300 to S/ 650 according to TUPA.

Time to obtain

Approximately 30 to 90 working days depending on municipal inspection and DIGESA laboratory audits.

Who can import

Any legally established Peruvian company or natural person registered with an active and habitual Taxpayer Identification Number (RUC) with SUNAT.

Licences or registrations

Importer must have food/beverage import activity registered under RUC with SUNAT; product-specific DIGESA Sanitary Registration (Registro Sanitario de Alimento/Bebida Importada) obtained prior to customs release.

Authority

SUNAT (Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas y de Administración Tributaria) and DIGESA (MINSA).

Documents

Customs Merchandise Declaration (DAM), commercial invoice, bill of lading/airway bill, packing list, insurance document, Certificate of Origin (for tariff preferences), and DIGESA Sanitary Registration copy.

Fees

Customs clearance fees and broker fees; no separate recurrent customs importer license fee.

Time to obtain

RUC activation is immediate; customs dispatch takes 24 to 48 hours under ordinary customs clearance once the goods arrive and registration is in place.

Required

yes

Process

Sanitary Registration (Registro Sanitario) must be completed prior to customs clearance via the VUCE (Ventanilla Única de Comercio Exterior) platform. Each product formulation/brand requires its own registration code, which must appear on the physical label before retail distribution.

Authority

DIGESA (Dirección General de Salud Ambiental e Inocuidad Alimentaria, under the Ministry of Health - MINSA).

Documents and samples

Sworn application form; Certificate of Free Sale (CFS) or equivalent issued by the health authority of the country of origin (apostilled/consularized); physical-chemical and microbiological lab test report from an accredited lab; draft label in Spanish; list of ingredients and additives; packaging specifications and shelf-life/lot code details.

Fees

Approx. S/ 300 to S/ 450 per product or line (equivalent to roughly US$ 80–120) under DIGESA TUPA.

Renewal

Valid for 5 years; renewal must be filed between 60 and 7 calendar days before expiration.

Time to obtain

7 to 30 working days via VUCE.

Imports require an Importer of Record with active RUC; no state import monopoly exists for spirits. Each commercial shipment requires an electronic Customs Merchandise Declaration (DAM). Commercial shipments do not require fiscal strip stamps or tax banderols (physical excise stamps are not utilized for spirits in Peru). Certificates of origin are required to claim preferential duties under FTAs (e.g., Peru-US, Peru-EU, Peru-UK). Certificate of Free Sale (or sanitary analysis certificate) is required for DIGESA clearance.

Standard MFN customs ad valorem duty is 6% CIF for distilled spirits under HS 2208 (whiskies 2208.30, rum 2208.40, gin 2208.50, vodka 2208.60, liqueurs 2208.70, tequilas/brandy 2208.90). Reduced to 0% for countries with bilateral trade agreements (e.g., US, UK, EU, Chile, Canada, Mexico, Andean Community).

Value Added Tax (IGV - Impuesto General a las Ventas) is 18% (16% IGV + 2% Municipal Promotion Tax / IPM). Excise Tax (ISC - Impuesto Selectivo al Consumo) applies to spirits (>20% ABV) under a mixed or specific tax system: the specific rate is S/ 3.97 per liter (updated under RM 030-2024-EF/15), while Pisco is taxed at a preferential rate of S/ 2.48 per liter; under the alternative ad valorem system, rates of 25% to 40% apply depending on the tax category.

Private retail model; sold openly through supermarkets, liquor stores (licorerías), bodegas, convenience stores, and HORECA venues. No state retail monopoly. Retailers require a municipal operating license. Municipalities set local operating hours and restrictions (many districts in Metropolitan Lima restrict late-night off-premise sales after 11:00 PM or midnight).

Allowed. Online retailers and delivery platforms may sell spirits provided the buyer and recipient are at least 18 years of age. Couriers are legally mandated to verify physical government photo ID upon delivery; delivery to visibly intoxicated individuals or minors is prohibited under Law 28681.

Labels must be in Spanish (over-stickers allowed for imports). Mandatory contents: product name/legal denomination, net volume (metric), country of origin, name and address of producer, name, address and RUC of importer, DIGESA Sanitary Registration number ('Reg. San. DIGESA N° ...'), alcohol content by volume (% ABV), lot identifier, list of ingredients and additives. Mandatory health warning under Law 28681: 'TOMAR BEBIDAS ALCOHÓLICAS EN EXCESO ES DAÑINO' in capital letters covering at least 10% of the label/packaging area, plus 'PROHIBIDA SU VENTA A MENORES DE 18 AÑOS'.

Regulated under Law 28681 and Supreme Decree 012-2009-SA. Advertising must not target minors or depict minors consuming alcohol. Broadcast advertising on television is prohibited during daytime hours (restricted to adult programming hours, typically after 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM). All graphic, digital, and audiovisual advertisements must prominently display the warning 'TOMAR BEBIDAS ALCOHÓLICAS EN EXCESO ES DAÑINO' (occupying at least 10% of display surface or spoken clearly in audio). Alcohol ads cannot associate consumption with driving, sexual prowess, intellectual performance, or therapeutic properties.

Regulated by the National Quality Institute (INACAL) through Peruvian Technical Standards (NTP). Pisco (NTP 211.001): 38% to 48% ABV, 100% distilled from fresh fermented grape must with strictly no added water or additives; Rum (NTP 211.003): distilled from fermented sugarcane by-products, aged, minimum 38% ABV (some classifications min. 40% ABV); Whisky (NTP 211.004 / 211.011): grain distillate aged in oak casks, minimum 40% ABV; Vodka (NTP 211.012): minimum 37.5% or 40% ABV; Gin (NTP 211.013): minimum 37.5% ABV.

Nationwide 'Ley Seca' (dry law) is mandatory during regional and national elections under Article 351 of the Organic Elections Law (Ley Orgánica de Elecciones N° 26859), prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages beginning 24 to 48 hours prior to election day until midday following election day. No perpetual dry municipalities exist, but individual districts enforce localized nighttime curfew hours on off-premise alcohol sales.

• Resolution Ministerial N° 030-2024-EF/15 updated the specific Excise Tax (ISC) rates on alcoholic beverages, raising the specific rate for beverages with more than 20 degrees of alcohol to S/ 3.97 per liter, and Pisco to S/ 2.48 per liter.
• SUNAT and DIGESA tightened digital integration under VUCE 2.0 to accelerate automated verification of sanitary registrations during customs clearance.

Peru presents growing demand for premium international spirits—particularly single malt whiskies, London dry gins, and premium rums—supported by 0% duty under FTAs with major western partners, no import quotas, and an expanding modern retail and mixology sector.

• DIGESA - Dirección General de Salud Ambiental e Inocuidad Alimentaria (MINSA)
• SUNAT - Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas y de Administración Tributaria
• MEF - Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas
• PRODUCE - Ministerio de la Producción
• INDECOPI - Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual
• INACAL - Instituto Nacional de Calidad

1. SUNAT - Operatividad Aduanera y Arancel de Aduanas
2. Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas - Resolución Ministerial N° 030-2024-EF/15
3. DIGESA - Requisitos para el Registro Sanitario de Alimentos y Bebidas
4. Ley N° 28681 - Ley que regula la comercialización, consumo y publicidad de bebidas alcohólicas
5. US TTB - International Alcohol Regulations: Peru