Switzerland · Peru

Swiss Embassy in Lima

Overview

Switzerland runs the Andes the way it runs its trains — consolidated and precisely timetabled. The embassy on Avenida Salaverry 3240 in San Isidro is the seat of the EDA's Regional Consular Center of the Andes, whose district explicitly covers Peru and Bolivia: every Swiss consular file from both countries — passports, civil status, registrations, visas — is decided here, while Switzerland's embassy in La Paz continues to handle the diplomatic relationship with Bolivia. It is the inverse of a shared building: one consular engine serving two embassies' publics. The timetable is Swiss too: counters weekday mornings (to 13:00 on Fridays), a dedicated visa window on four afternoons, separate phone-information hours — and around all of it, the EDA's digital layer: the Online-Schalter for consular services from anywhere, and a consular Helpline answering 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from Bern. An honorary consulate in Cusco extends the network to the tourist heartland.

Visa Services

Visa matters for Switzerland from residents of Peru and Bolivia run through the Regional Consular Center at this embassy, with a dedicated visa window Monday to Thursday from 14:00 to 16:00 and enquiries via the embassy's email. The fact most travellers need first: Peruvian passport holders enter Switzerland — a Schengen member — visa-free for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, the exemption in force since 2016; national visas for work, study and residence follow the EDA's procedures.

Consular Services

Swiss citizens across Peru and Bolivia are served by this single consular center: passports and identity cards, civil-status matters, registrations and deregistrations, citizenship questions. The EDA's Online-Schalter handles many services digitally from anywhere, and the consular Helpline in Bern answers around the clock, every day of the year: +41 800 24 7 365.

Service Area

The consular district explicitly covers Peru and Bolivia — the Regional Consular Center of the Andes at this embassy decides files from both countries, while the Swiss embassy in La Paz conducts the diplomatic relationship with Bolivia. An honorary consulate in Cusco serves as a local relay.

Appointment Information

Counter hours Monday to Thursday 09:00-12:00, Friday 09:00-13:00; visa window Monday to Thursday 14:00-16:00; phone information Monday to Thursday 09:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00, Friday 09:00-13:00. Switchboard +51 1 203 0960; general matters to the embassy's email; development cooperation has its own address.

Special Notes

Swiss citizens anywhere — including Bolivia, which this center serves — can reach the EDA's consular Helpline at any hour: +41 800 24 7 365 (or +41 58 465 33 33). Many procedures start online through the EDA's Online-Schalter before any counter visit.

Frequently asked questions

Do Peruvians need a visa to visit Switzerland?

Not for short stays. Switzerland applies the Schengen rules, and Peruvian passport holders enter the Schengen area visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period — an exemption in force since 2016. Work, study and residence require a national visa under the EDA's procedures, handled at this embassy's visa window.

Why does the Swiss Embassy in Lima handle Bolivia's consular files?

Because Lima hosts the EDA's Regional Consular Center of the Andes, whose district explicitly covers Peru and Bolivia. Swiss citizens in Bolivia get passports and consular services from Lima, while Switzerland's embassy in La Paz continues the diplomatic relationship — a division of labour, not a downgrade.

When is the visa window open?

Monday to Thursday from 14:00 to 16:00 — separate from the general counter hours, which run weekday mornings (Friday until 13:00). Enquiries also go to the embassy's email.

How do Swiss citizens get help outside office hours?

Through the EDA's consular Helpline in Bern — +41 800 24 7 365 or +41 58 465 33 33 — answering 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and through the Online-Schalter for digital consular services from anywhere in Peru or Bolivia.

Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.