Bolivia or Peru
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Bolivia | Peru | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 3 years | 2 years |
| Partner can work | yes | — |
| Parents | straightforward | — |
| Pets | no trouble | no trouble |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 461 · estimate | $ 846 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 20,8 | $ 25,9 |
| Life expectancy | 68.74 | 77.94 |
| Homicides/100k | 3.65 | 8.6 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 4.7 | 6.4 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Bolivia — 23, Peru — 41. Types present in both: work, study, family and investment. Peru adds: talent, retirement and working holiday.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Bolivia: every route that publishes a fee charges nothing. Peru: fees range from 19.1 to 162.5 PEN. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 4; the lowest is 1,000 USD a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 29; the shortest is 5 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: both after 3 years. Citizenship: Bolivia after 3 years, Peru after 2 years. Both allow a second citizenship.
Bolivia in brief
Bolivia stands out for its timelines: open-ended status is available after 3 years of residence, citizenship also after 3 years, dual citizenship is allowed, and the law sets no language requirement. The constraint is procedural: entry must be on a purpose-specific visa for 30 days and status is then arranged inside the country, and the law sets no calendar processing deadlines for family-based applications.
Peru in brief
What makes Peru interesting is the wait for citizenship: two years of legal residence, one of the shortest in this guide, with no renunciation of the previous passport and permanent residence after three years. That is exactly what is changing. Law No. 32421, published on 14 August 2025, raises the period to five years and adds proof of annual income of at least 10 tax units and a broader exam. It is not in force: commencement is tied to publication of its regulation, and the regulation has not appeared. So the country runs on the old rule, which could switch at any moment, and planning a move around the two-year figure is a bet on how fast your own case moves. The second thing that defines Peru is nature: earthquakes 9.6 out of 10 and tsunamis 9.1 on the INFORM scale, with El Niño flooding added along the northern coast. The cost of living outside Lima is low: rent in Chiclayo and Piura is a third of the capital's.
Other comparisons
Bolivia or… Panama · Costa Rica · Ecuador · Trinidad and Tobago · El Salvador · Cuba · Guyana · Honduras
Peru or… Nicaragua · Belize · Colombia · Greenland · Jamaica · Bahamas · Guatemala · Dominican Republic
More on each: Bolivia · Peru. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.