bank account in peru

Well, the weather caused catastrophic problems throughout the country. PPK was reluctant to declare a national crisis and at one time 50% of Peru was considered disaster.  The ocean temps were very high and there was excessive humidity and evaporation causing the atmosphere to be highly charged with moisture. The end of summer temps were high and with the 95%+ humidity the heat was quite unbearable day and night for about a month. The winds were stagnant and the moisture would not dissipate because of the mountain barrier that lines the interior of the coast. Inland there was rain which accumulated in the known ravines of the western side of the highlands and when filled they would break and run off carrying earth and debris and rushing toward the coast. This happened multiple times causing  flooding along with the mud with rushing though the streets of town and cities. Water tanks were contaminated and houses were flooded. Many dwellings are one story on the ground so they were rendered useless. The mud also carried bacteria and were considered dangerous and as well sitting water breeds mosquitoes so there was concern about the diseases carried by them as well.

The infrastructure is weak here and the streets even after the floods were not drive-able so commerce was halted for about 2+ weeks. As well,, many structures that Should handle this type of pressure simply fell apart. For instance, a major bridge in Viru was just simply washed away after collapsing. This halted traffic to and from Lima so this being the only passage brought many essential activities to a full stop.

All of this was known to be forthcoming and there were no advance provisions taken from any time prior 3 months to years and years. Here, at times of disaster as with many other things,,, your basically
On Your Own. Public safety is of no concern to the establishment which is reflected on progress, lack of building permits and codes and standards, absolutely dangerous electrical system  / 2 wired - no grounding, poor water supply - not potable, lack of school, no real manufacturing in the country, poor roads and lack of a railway system.

Though this disaster was largely Preventable no precaution over time were ever taken. Had they been this simply would have been a bad weekend.

Of course,, I could go on,, but you get the idea.

G'day Pistachio, I keep using this link as I don't know of another way to contact you.....anyway, I have another query as you have much experience over there. I understand that you reside in Trujillo but still you may be able to advise me about Lima area.
As we progress towards our move from Downunder, my wife is increasingly concerned about my safety in living in Lima as a gringo. She hears a lot about gringos being targeted by crim's and delinquents for muggings/roberies/kidnappings etc.
I have been to Lima 5 times now (2006/2008/2011/2014). the last being for 3 months in an outer suburb staying in her Mom's house, but I have never been affected by the crime situation. A couple of times things looked a bit suss, and I/we steered away from the possible threat... which I have previously learned how to avoid in my Navy days in 3rd world countries...be alert, don't move around on my own etc etc.
Anyway, with that background info....can you give me some advice on just HOW dangerous it really is for gringos in Lima in 2017 and forward ?...possibly based on your, or others, experience(s).
Current details on the internet, about crime and dangers, vary a lot.....my wife's friends over there have been putting the wind up her a fair bit... thus my query.
I am 69 years old and an easy going type of person...and feel que sera, sera, but don't have a death wish !! :-)
I am commited to go, so no turning back, as it were.....I think that we could investigate and reside in a relatively safe area eventually, after we leave her Mom's house (3-4 months) and have our own apartment or house.
From what I have read, even Trujillo has some dangers for gringos ? is the case ?

We are going to even have to be careful where and how much we put into a new bank account(s)...due to informants at the bank(s) passing on info to criminals.
I know that I cannot cover all the bases for safety etc etc....just be as cautious as possible, eh ? :-)

Looking forward to your epistle and your usual sound advice.

Cheers,
Peter

greetings.........

I've spent some time in Lima and been around Peru.....though lately I have been in Trujillo and Huanchaco....

Gringo targeting...... this I remember was mentioned to me some years back but I know of no or heard of no one who has had this experience. There is no talk about it and I never was even remotely concerned about it....

Now,, in general,,, there is some crime.... and this goes for Peruvians as well as expats....

It is petty crime,, and petty theft...... things get stolen,,,,

Commercial enterprises do not let cash get handled except for one person in a store.
Some apartments and businesses, office building, and even neighborhoods have "Security" people keeping an eye out.

When ATM's in the bank or on the street are serviced the Security Company [ you know.. the Armored Car Guys ] that replenishes or empties them will Screen their working area and just outside one will have gun drawn but at his side pointing down.... Ready.... but I have never seen an incident.

If you leave your car on the street overnight and even sometimes during the day even in some places you think are 'safe' - mirrors and emblem get pulled off......Over night in the darkness they can silently bypass the car alarm and sometime rip out the car computer and so on....

Look at the typical construction of houses.. they are little forts with walls built around and barriers at the top of the wall....

Peru is basically a 'broke' country,, and opportunity is rare so there is Great Need so people steal and yes... Rob,,,  People do get held up though I have never had that misfortune.....
It is more common than you imagine but you can do a lot to avoid it by knowing where your going and not alone and not in those places....Especially at night.....

Now,, getting held up can happen in good neighborhoods but is much less likely in those places..

It is Not more dangerous for Gringos or Chinese or Phillipinoes... than it is for Peruvians... but yeah,,, gringos stand out and If I were a robber I would go to where I think the cash is.....

Trujillo has some bad places and you just don't go or go in the day if you have to,, and stay alert and smart... Still,, there is not an oppressive state of mind about all of it.... You will see people and children with their moms going on with their life so there is not a Looming danger of being pounced upon.....

I have heard all of the bad rumors about Trujillo from people who don't live here.. I live here and have little experience with any of the things the rumors talk about........

So,,,, really,, with some attention to being aware and smart about things,,, I would not let the nightmare stories you hear affect you so much....

Don't wear flashy jewelry,, don't flash cash...... keep a little in one pocket and the real money tucked in another....

People panhandle here and ask for money,, you can give  or not.. but it is common..
At traffic lights there are people who are selling the most ridiculous items,, water,, fruit and so on..../ not a problem but a pain in the ass....
You will get disgusted sometimes by little tykes who are sent out by their parents to ask for change or a sole......they should be at home or in school.......
And you will be appalled by the stray dogs that live everywhere in the street.....all skin and bones looking for something to eat,, even plain rice and bread,, they are So Hungry !!!!

NOW LISTEN - you asked and I tell you... but that is not the whole picture so do not be dismayed by my observatons.....

On the whole... Peru has a Lot Of Charms and the good FAR OUTWEIGHS the not so good...

and really,, you will be fine......

ok,, we will talk again.....

pistachio

Thanks very much for the info/advice.
I feel okay about my planned living in Peru, just gotta select a place to live which is practical and enjoyable.....therein lies my /our challenge. Fortunately we can stay in my wife's mum's house for some time, while we sort out things etc.
I have 5 brothers-in-law there ,...one speaks English pretty good and another(ex-cop) does okay enough for us to understand each other.
Gotta learn more Spanish, but needs must should help me do that. :-)
Anyway, I've no other queries at present, so will sign off for now.
Cheers,
Peter

Hi Peter,
We have lived in Lima for the last 4 years. I'm 6' 2" with red hair - I do not blend in well! Like Pistachio, I haven't had any bad experiences up to now. As you say, be alert and know the riskier areas. We live in a 35 year old apartment block and there is no sign of any damage from the many earthquakes - though most of them have been 5 or less on the Richter scale. I'm here on a rentista visa -  no tax and no yearly fees. One thing that will save you money is to have your documents 'apostilled' . In the UK that's done by the Foreign Office. I do drive around Lima and I now have a Peruvian driving licence. As already said, once you know the system you just go with the flow  - just don't use your indicators until after you have pulled into that space in traffic!
We had a 20 foot container to move our stuff here and our shipper arranged for a Peruvian company to handle all the documents. We had to be present at the opening of the container for customs inspection - no problems and he only asked for a few boxes to be opened. The hardest part of the inspection was wearing the steel toe capped boots that we had to hire to enter the customs area - the largest size they have is a UK 9 - one size too small for me!

Hi and thanks Mike,
Great to have another experienced contact. :-) I am retired also in Australia.
I guess that you were retired in the UK and therefore got your Rentista visa that way.
Is your partner Peruvian ?
My plan is to apply for a Rentista visa also...I am on a military pension (Navy)...BUT, now we are selling our house here, the funds from that will affect my pension amount, until we purchase a residence in Peru.

This could/will(?) affect my possible application for the Rentisa visa because my pension will be (temporarily) less than the equivalent to US1000 per month as is listed as a requirement. Although we will be sufficiently financial in the meantime and I don't know IF the Peruvian Immigration Dept. would take that into consideration.
What do you think about that,Mike ?

IF I cannot qualify for the Rentista visa, I'll have to go down the Marriage visa road. ( my wife is a Peruvian ...we were married in Peru 2006 and she has lived here for 10+ years. I know that is more complex and has annual costs etc...so would like to avoid that if possible.

Okay, next query, Mike....I guess that you sold your house/apartment before you immigrated to Peru 4 years ago. What/how did you manage the transfer of those funds to Peru?
Did you bring all in bank draft, or whatever, and put in a bank...or did you do something in another way ?
That aspect is of concern to my missus and I. :-/ Naturally, I am not prying into how much money etc etc...just in general guidance.
Her main concern is that some Peruvian bank employees have outside criminal contacts and can pass on info for possible crime or kidnapping....it has happened to some in the past, I am told.
On that note, can you recommend one bank over another ? I am thinking BCP or Scotia, maybe.
IF there has to be a delay in banking a bank draft(s), because of possible delay until I get my foreigners carnet (if the bank(s) won't process until that time)...my wife can open an account as she has her DNI.
Sorry for all the questions, but we are somewhat concerned.
Regards,
Peter

Hi Peter,
Yes, my wife is Peruvian, though it became complicated. I applied for my Rentista, then claimed her on my visa. That meant i had to show the $1000 for me and another $500 for a dependent. My first application was refused as they didn't like one phrase in the letter from my pension provider. We corrected that and re-submitted the whole application again - this time successfully and only 2 months wait. When I claimed Marlene it only took 6 weeks for her card to come through. We thought we had finished with Migraciones, then I had to renew my UK passport, that needed to be taken to Migraciones and a new CE issued - your passport number is on the CE.
When we were leaving the UK we arranged with our UK bank to keep the account open. I have a very small pension that only pays out once a year, and they don't want to send it to Peru. The bank said yes, so we kept the bulk of our money in the UK until we bought our apartment. I needed to send a signed fax to the UK to authorise the transfer and it took 5 days to appear in my Peruvian account. I didn't do anything at this end except assure my lawyer that the money was legal - honest!. I have since transferred the rest of our funds from the UK to another bank here - again, no problems. I prefer the banking system here to the one in the UK - I have a fixed term savings account and earn 6% on that - and no tax to pay here on interest on savings.
I used BBVA initially as that was the bank used by my sister-in-law for her business - not to happy with them as they kept refusing my pension payment. So now I use BCP for pension payments and Scotiabank for savings. I spoke to the investment people at BCP to ask about investing all my money then using the interest to pay the rent - their advice was to go and buy an apartment and not invest in the bank! We took their advice.
As I've posted before, we opened our account with BBVA and BCP on our passports, however, we had to be sponsored by a family member who had a business account with that bank. Before signing the bank papers we had to go to Migraciones to have our passports stamped with special permission to sign contracts - a formality that is done in a few hours, however, it only lasts for one month - you will need to keep going back to renew it when you need to sign something - once you have your CE you don't need that stamp anymore. Our account with Scotiabank was done with our CEs and only took 30 minutes to set up both Soles and Dollar account and issue our debit cards. I would say that 95% of my banking, bill paying, is done online - it's a very efficient service so far.
Hope this helps a little.
Cheers,
Mike

Hi Mike,
Thank you for your time to answer.
Firstly,I am wondering why you had to put your wife on your visa application for a visa also...as she is Peruvian, didn't she have a Peruvian DNI card , as a citizen of Peru ? My wife does have a current  Peruvian DNI and it shows that she lives here in Aust'....so I was thinking that she may not have to be on my Rentista application.

You said that your pension is small and only paid once a year,Mike, so I am wondering HOW you managed to get a Rentista on that basis ? Could you explain that a little more for me, please ?

As I did ask you in my previous message..."This could/will(?) affect my possible application for the Rentisa visa because my pension will be (temporarily) less than the equivalent to US1000 per month as is listed as a requirement. Although we will be sufficiently financial in the meantime and I don't know IF the Peruvian Immigration Dept. would take that into consideration.
What do you think about that,Mike ? "

Why did you have to have a lawyer, Mike?

Thanks for the info on the banks there...reckon we will use Scotia based on your comments.

We are also thinking to leave a certain sum in our home bank and then transfer later. My pension is paid monthly and will continue to go into our account here...then let it accumulate to a reasonable amount, wait for a favourable exchange rate, and then transfer to our Peruvian account. ....this is just to avoid transfer fees from our bank on smaller amounts.

From what I have explained to you about our situation,Mike, do you think that I can get a Rentista..OR do you reckon that I'll have to go for a Marriage one ?..and just put up with its procedures ?

Looking forward to more of your advice,

Cheers,
Peter

....another query to add to my last,Mike...if you don't mind.
When you transferred money from the UK to Peru, what charges did you incur ?
I know home banks in general have a transfer fee..and that varies ( here is A$30/transfer )....BUT, what else did you cop in the transfer costs(%age) and also what deposit %age did your bank in Peru charge.
Apart from the exchange rate (UK-US dollars).....did you lose much , in percentage terms( not asking monetary terms) ?

Your experience(s) will assist us greatly in our deliberations of what to take in a bank draft document when we fly, and what to leave behind in reserve. This will also depend on your reply to my question in my last message....about Rentista monies and Peruvian immigration dept's considerations.
Hope you can add your advice on this, in conjunction with your answers/advice to my last message. :-)
Chau por ahora,
Peter.

Hello Mike,
We are wondering if you have received my last two messages earlier this week.
We certainly do not want to annoy you, or  impose too much on your time, so please forgive me if I am being a bit persistant.
Your answers & advice on our last two messages will assist us in making important decisions for our immigration plans. :-)
Hopefully we may hear from you soon.
Kind regards,
Peter.

G'day Pistachio,
Just to give you some feedback on my earlier concerns on taking money to Peru.
Since we last "spoke", I/we were given information on a foreign exchange compamy here is Aussie, by our travel agent who  also has business connections in Peru.
I spoke with this Aussie foreign exchange company and got all the info I needed to feel secure and realize the benefits. Their exchange rate was only a small fraction off the official A$/US$ exchange rate....which was much, much better than our own bank's rate. Soooo, not doing the "bank draft" routine that we spoke of earlier.

So, we recently used this exchange company to transfer a sum of money, converted into US$'s, to my wife's  family member's account in Peru, which was opened in US$'s  and set up to receive international transfers.
The transfer went very well and arrived in 3 working days. with nothing picked from the transfer amount by the intermediary bank.
"More than one way to skin a cat", eh?? :-)
The plan is that after our arrival, my wife (being a Peruvian) will open a bank account and then have the forementioned money transferred into her account.
We will open a joint account after I get my carnet, then I will consider further transfers from Aussie to that account, as needed....and that is not an issue.

On other matters, I have had a couple of key documents "apostilled" here, and also copied all important doc's ,as you suggested earlier. ...thanks for the tip on those aspects.

I am still not sure which carnet/visa that I can get.....either Rentista or marriage...so, will just play that by ear when there....there are reasons for that, that I won't mention in this forum.... "loose lips sink ships "and all that !!

We are boxing up our LCL sea freight items and will be using our shipping agent's receiving agent in Peru to handle through Customs in Peru....but I imagine, that at a certain time, we will have to front up to pay any Duty required.

That's all for now.....just thought to update you on all the things that we have exchanged previously here.
Cheers,
Peter.