Repatriation from Lima, Peru

Lima is Peru’s capital and the only city through which repatriation to the UK can realistically be processed. Whether the death occurred in Cusco, Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, the Amazon basin at Iquitos, or on a trail in the Cordillera Blanca, the formal documentation chain ultimately runs through Lima. British nationals in Peru divide into three main groups: tourists on the Inca Trail circuit (Lima-Cusco-Machu Picchu-Lima is the standard route); adventure travellers on longer itineraries (the Huayna Potosí peak, Colca Canyon, Manu National Park); and a very small community of long-stay residents and NGO workers.

Deaths in Lima itself are typically medical (hospital cardiac events, road traffic accidents). Deaths elsewhere in Peru trigger a regional process first, but the body and all documentation almost always transit through Lima for the final export steps.

Consular coverage

The British Embassy Lima (Torre Parque Mar, Piso 22, Av. José Larco 1301, Miraflores, Lima) is the UK diplomatic mission for Peru. For deaths anywhere in Peru, the Embassy Lima handles consular support. There is a British Honorary Consul in Cusco who assists with initial contact, but all formal documentation processing goes through the Embassy.

British Embassy Lima: +51 1 617 3000. FCDO 24-hour emergency line: +44 (0)20 7008 5000.

What Peruvian law requires

Código de Procedimiento Penal and Ley 26497 (RENIEC): Deaths are registered with RENIEC (Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil), Peru’s civil registry. The death must be notified within 48 hours. The certifying document (acta de defunción) requires a medical death certificate from the attending physician.

Instituto de Medicina Legal (IML): The IML is Peru’s national forensic institution, operating under the Ministerio Público (Public Prosecutor’s Office). Sudden, violent, or unexplained deaths are referred to the IML by the PNP (Policía Nacional del Perú). The IML performs post-mortems and issues the forensic cause-of-death report. For deaths in Lima, the main IML facility is at Circunvalación 2318, San Luis, Lima. For deaths in Cusco, the IML Cusco handles the initial examination before documentation is consolidated in Lima.

Ministerio de Salud (MINSA) export permit: Required for international transport under Decreto Supremo and MINSA regulations.

Source: Ley 26497 RENIEC (Peru); 2024.

Hospital coverage

Lima’s private hospital sector is concentrated in Miraflores and San Isidro. Clínica Anglo Americana (Alfredo Salazar 350, San Isidro) is the hospital most frequently used by British and foreign nationals in Lima, and it has English-speaking staff. Clínica Delgado (Av. Angamos Oeste 490, Miraflores) and Clínica Ricardo Palma (Javier Prado Este 1066, San Isidro) are alternatives. Serious trauma cases go to Hospital Almenara (ESSALUD) or Hospital Cayetano Heredia. For deaths at altitude in the Andes (Cusco, 3,400m; Machu Picchu town, 2,430m), altitude sickness (soroche) and high-altitude pulmonary oedema are genuine causes of sudden death that may not be immediately apparent to local medical staff.

The documentation chain

1. PNP police report (in sudden/violent deaths). 2. Medical death certificate from treating physician or IML. 3. Acta de defunción from RENIEC. 4. IML forensic report (if referred). 5. MINSA export permit. 6. Embalming certificate. 7. IATA cargo documentation, LIM (Jorge Chávez International Airport) to LHR.

Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) is Lima’s international airport. LATAM, Iberia, and Air Europa operate LIM-MAD or LIM-MIA connections to London. There is no direct Lima-London service; most cargo routes via Miami (MIA) or Madrid (MAD) with connections to LHR.

Timeline from Lima

Natural death, expected, Lima hospital: 10 to 18 days
IML investigation from Lima, uncomplicated: 14 to 28 days
Death outside Lima (Cusco, jungle, Andes) with transfer to Lima: add 5 to 14 days

For repatriation guidance, contact our team via our enquiry form.