It has only been in recent times that Indian backpackers have been exploring Latin American region and their number continues to be a limited one. That may be primarily not only due to the language barrier but also because of the physical as well as mental space that divides the two region. My purpose to visit South America was officially for an academic conference but also for tourism purpose in addition to the same.
Involving oneself in the visa process is a different experience. Having heard of some experiences of Indian backpackers of their failed attempts to get Peruvian visa in the third country i.e. applying in a country where they do not reside, I really had the doubt if the process would be difficult otherwise. More so in my case, as I was just a student and did not possess some of the required documents. It has been heard that Peru is strict in terms of issuing a visa in country where the applicant is not resident of. However, I assume the process is quite straight forward in India.

Before Peruvian visa, some important things about the Peruvian Embassy. It is located in the South Delhi, where a number of other South American Diplomatic representations are situated. Peruvian Embassy in New Delhi is one of few embassies that really has a human touch and staffs and other personnel are equally cooperative and responsive on the phone.
The requirements for a Peruvian Visa are similar to other visas. They however require a photograph showing 60-80% of the applicant’s face, a photo requirement that has become a norm nowadays. I was not aware of this and I had to get it done after I reached the Embassy. Flight tickets/ Itinerary is to be enclosed, however I am not sure whether confirmed tickets are compulsorily required. The best thing about the Peruvian visa is that the applicant would be only required to pay the fees in cash after their visa is approved and not before that. The Visa fee is Rs. 2250 irrespective of the fact whether application is being made for a Tourist visa or a Business one.
One does not really need someone’s assistance to make an application and can arrive just with the necessary documents and complete the form and other formalities in the Embassy itself. Peruvian Embassy not only mentions but also practices a 5 days visa processing requirement and no expedited services are available. As far as the information about Peruvian visas are concerned, it is one of most good looking visa I have ever seen and contains the applicants’ photographs as well. In my case, I required a multiple-entry visa, but as per my information even otherwise multiple entry visas are issued that are valid for one year from the date of issue. Now the point to be noted here is the term ‘Permanence’ that denotes the number of days a person is allowed to stay in Peru on a single visit. My visa mentioned it as ’10 days’ as that was the maximum requirement as visible from my Itinerary. In fact, I marked and used Peru not only as a destination but also as a transit country to Ecuador. As far as ‘Permanence’ is concerned Peruvian visa system (the Computer System at Immigration counter) shows 183 days by default and I was asked at the Immigration at Lima airport about my planned duration of visit. It is recommended that applicant should make this point very clear while making an application to the Embassy.
All in all, applying for a Peruvian Visa is a breeze and the process does not require you to deal with any arrogant staffs as the case presently lies in a substantial number of Embassies here in New Delhi. Just to mention an important thing, please be ready at Immigration and border check points for extra enquiry on your Peruvian Visa, as most nationalities (tourism generating nationalities) do not require a Visa to visit Peru and even the Peruvian Officials rarely come across a Peruvian Visa.

Edit- From March 2017, Indian nationals with US, UK, Australia, Canada or Schengen Area country Visa are not required to have Peru Visa for a temporary visit.