Before you start

Carné de extranjería — a resident status is generally needed for a Peruvian licence
Your foreign licence with an official Spanish translation
A medical certificate from an authorised centre (certificado de salud para licencia)
A Peruvian address for the record

Step-by-step

1
Check whether your licence can be exchanged
Peru exchanges licences from countries with which it has a reciprocity arrangement, and requires the full assessment route otherwise. The list changes; confirm with the Ministerio de Transportes rather than with a driving school that has an interest in the answer.
OnlineWho: You
2
Get the medical assessment at an authorised centre
A certificado médico from a centre authorised by the MTC is required for both exchange and first issue. It is quick, inexpensive and must be from an approved provider — a certificate from your own doctor is not accepted.
In personWho: You
3
Sit the theory and, where required, the practical
The theory examination is in Spanish and covers Peruvian road rules and signage, which differ enough from European or North American norms to be worth studying properly. The practical is on a closed circuit and then on the road.
In personWho: You
4
Register the vehicle and buy SOAT before you drive it
SOAT is the compulsory personal-injury insurance and driving without it is an immediate and expensive offence. It is separate from, and much narrower than, comprehensive cover — buy both if the car is worth anything.
OnlineWho: You
5
Sort parking before you buy a car in a central district
Miraflores, San Isidro and Barranco have limited and heavily regulated street parking, and most decent buildings sell or rent cocheras separately from the flat. Confirm you have a space in writing as part of the lease negotiation.
In personWho: You
6
Default to apps and the Metropolitano for the first six months
Ride-hailing is cheap and ubiquitous, and the Metropolitano's dedicated lane down the Vía Expresa beats a car at rush hour by a wide margin. Living without a car for the first half-year tells you honestly whether you need one.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Carné de extranjería
Foreign licence with official translation
Authorised medical certificate
Proof of address
SOAT policy, once you have a vehicle

Things most newcomers don’t know

Lima's congestion is not a rush-hour problem, it is a whole-day problem.

The city grew far faster than its road network and has no orbital route worth the name, so the main arteries — Javier Prado, the Panamericana, the Vía Expresa — run at walking pace for large parts of the day rather than in two predictable peaks. This is why residents choose neighbourhoods by commute rather than by charm, and why a flat ten kilometres from the office is a materially worse life than one three kilometres away.

Source: community-reported

Informal driving conventions are the real hazard, not the road rules.

Lane discipline is loose, indicators are used sparingly, and right of way is negotiated by nosing forward rather than by signage. Combis stop wherever a passenger raises a hand. None of this appears in the theory test. Experienced drivers from northern Europe or North America consistently describe their first month here as the hardest driving of their lives, and it is worth a few sessions with a local instructor even if you never sit an exam.

Source: community-reported

SOAT is compulsory and is not the insurance you think you have.

SOAT covers personal injury to people involved in an accident, at capped amounts, and nothing else. It does not cover damage to your own or anyone else's vehicle, and it does not cover theft. Drivers who buy SOAT and stop there are effectively uninsured for the risks that actually cost money in Lima.

Source: Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones

A parking space is a separate asset from the flat, and often a separate contract.

In Miraflores and San Isidro a cochera is bought and rented independently of the apartment, and buildings frequently have fewer spaces than units. Agreeing the flat and then discovering the space is unavailable, or costs a meaningful fraction of the rent again, is a routine surprise. Put it in the lease.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming your licence can be exchanged without checking the reciprocity position.
Using a medical certificate from a provider not authorised by the MTC.
Buying a car before confirming parking in a central district.
Treating SOAT as comprehensive insurance.
Choosing a home by rent alone and inheriting a two-hour daily commute.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.