How to pay suppliers in Peru from the US

Why US dollars work well in Peru

Peru's currency is the sol (PEN), but the US dollar (USD) is used widely in business. The Banco Central de Reserva del Perú (BCRP), Peru's central bank, reported that in March 2026 the dollarization ratio of credit to businesses was 34.1%: about a third of what companies borrowed from the financial system was in foreign currency. Across all private sector credit the ratio was 22.1%.

For a US importer, this means many Peruvian suppliers already price in dollars, hold dollar accounts and pay some of their own costs in dollars. A USD invoice paid into the supplier's USD account is the simplest route: no conversion is needed at either end.

Sources: Banco Central de Reserva del Perú, Resumen Informativo of 23 April 2026; BCP, transfers from abroad, as published on 21 October 2026.

BCP, one of the banks that publishes its incoming transfer process, states that if the currency of the transfer differs from the currency of the account, the funds are converted at the exchange rate of the day. That conversion is set by the supplier's bank, not by you, so a dollar payment into a soles account can leave the supplier with less than it expected. Ask for the dollar account first.

The CCI explained

The CCI (Código de Cuenta Interbancario) is a 20-digit code that identifies a bank account in Peru for transfers between different banks. Because the CCI points to one specific account, a supplier with both a soles account and a dollar account will give you a different code for each, so ask for the CCI of the dollar account.

For an international wire, the code the receiving bank asks for varies. Banco de la Nación, the state bank, tells senders abroad to give the beneficiary's account number or the 20-digit CCI, which can be used instead of the account number. BCP asks the sender for the account number together with its SWIFT code. The safe practice is to ask the supplier for both the account number and the CCI of the dollar account, and to put the one its bank prefers in the account field.

• Count the digits. A CCI has exactly 20 digits; anything else is a typing error.
• Confirm the currency. Ask the supplier to state in writing that the account and CCI are for USD.
• Keep the bank name and SWIFT code consistent with the CCI. A CCI from one bank sent with another bank's SWIFT code will be held or returned.

The RUC and other details you need

The RUC (Registro Único de Contribuyentes) is the taxpayer register kept by SUNAT, Peru's tax and customs authority. Each registered taxpayer receives a permanent 11-digit RUC number, used in every procedure with SUNAT. A Peruvian company that exports to you will have one, and it appears on its invoices.

SWIFT is the network banks use to send international payment messages; each bank has a SWIFT code (BIC). BCP's code, for example, is BCPLPEPL, and Banco de la Nación's is BANCPEPL, as each bank publishes.

Sources: SUNAT, Registro Único de Contribuyentes; BCP; Banco de la Nación, as published on 21 October 2026.

Check each SWIFT code against the bank name with the SWIFT code lookup, and confirm new or changed bank details by phone with a contact you already know.

Arrival times and cut-offs

For the SWIFT leg, Swift reports that nearly 60% of payments sent with its tracking service (gpi) are credited to end beneficiaries within 30 minutes and almost 100% within 24 hours. Each gpi payment carries a tracking reference, the UETR.

Once the message arrives, the receiving bank's own process applies, and Peruvian banks publish different service levels:

Sources: BCP and Banco de la Nación, as published on 21 October 2026; Swift, gpi.

Your own bank's international wire cut-off decides whether the payment leaves the same day, so send early in the US business day. Agree with the supplier which day counts as the payment date: the day you send, or the day its bank credits the account.

Why payments to Peru are held or returned

• Currency mismatch. Dollars sent to a soles account are converted at the bank's rate of the day, so the supplier receives fewer dollars' worth than invoiced and may ask you to make up the difference.
• Wrong CCI or account number. A CCI with the wrong number of digits, or a CCI from a different bank than the SWIFT code, cannot be applied.
• Name mismatch. Banco de la Nación requires the full name as registered with the bank. Use the legal company name, not a brand.
• Restricted account types. Banco de la Nación states that some accounts, such as alimony accounts, receive foreign transfers only for their stated purpose, and otherwise the transfer is returned to the sender. A supplier should never give you a personal or special-purpose account.
• Correspondent delays. Banco de la Nación notes that transfers can take longer depending on the country of origin and the correspondent banks used.
• Missing reference. Without an invoice number, the supplier may not recognize the credit.

When a payment is late, ask your bank for a SWIFT trace using the UETR and send the supplier the MT103, the SWIFT message that confirms a customer transfer.

Protecting the payment before you send

Most losses on supplier payments do not come from bank errors. They come from paying the right amount to the wrong account after a fraudster changes the bank details in an email thread. A Peruvian supplier record gives you several fixed points to check against:

• The RUC on every invoice. It is permanent, so it should never change between invoices. A new RUC on an invoice from a known supplier is a reason to stop and call.
• The account currency. A request to switch from a dollar account to a soles account, or to an account at a different bank, needs confirmation by phone.
• The account holder. The beneficiary name must be the supplier company itself. Do not pay an employee, an owner or a third party "on behalf of" the supplier.
• The CCI and the bank. The CCI and the SWIFT code should belong to the same bank as the bank name on the invoice.

Call a contact you have already spoken to, using a number from your own records rather than from the message that announced the change. Record who confirmed the details and when. Repeat the check whenever details change, and after any period in which you have not paid the supplier.

Fees as published

A wire to Peru can carry three layers of cost: your bank's fee, intermediary bank deductions, and the receiving bank's incoming fee and exchange rate. BCP states that it charges a commission on each incoming transfer according to its tariff schedule, and Banco de la Nación publishes a flat fee. The charge option on the wire decides who pays:

• OUR: you pay all charges; the supplier should receive the full amount.
• SHA: you pay your bank; the supplier pays the rest.
• BEN: the supplier pays all charges, deducted from the payment.

Sources: Chase, Performance Business Checking; Bank of America, Business Schedule of Fees (effective 15 November 2024); Banco de la Nación; BCP, as published on 21 October 2026. Exchange rate margins are not included.

If the supplier invoices in dollars and holds a dollar account, a USD wire avoids exchange margins altogether, and the comparison comes down to wire fees and who pays them. Helm sends international payments by SWIFT and by local rails in the supplier's currency where available, with the rate, the fee and the expected arrival shown before you send; see fees agreed with your account manager.

Step by step: paying a Peruvian supplier

1. Agree the currency. USD is the default for most exporters; write the amount and the charge option (OUR or SHA) on the purchase order.
2. Collect the details. Legal name, RUC, bank name and address, SWIFT code, USD account number and its 20-digit CCI.
3. Check the format. RUC 11 digits, CCI 20 digits, and a SWIFT code that belongs to the same bank.
4. Verify by phone. Call a known contact before the first payment and after any change of details.
5. Check both calendars. Avoid Peruvian and US holidays, especially the December cluster.
6. Send with a full reference. Invoice number and "payment for goods".
7. Share proof. Send the MT103 copy and UETR the same day.
8. Reconcile. Confirm the amount credited and record any deductions or incoming fees.

For other corridors, see how to pay suppliers in Chile and the Peru country guide. Helm offers USD, EUR and GBP accounts in your company's own name, with a named account manager.

Peruvian holidays that stop payments

Treat Peruvian national holidays as non-business days for incoming payments. The national holidays for 2026 are listed below; those before 21 October have passed.

Source: La República, 2026 holiday calendar, as published on 21 October 2026.

The government can also declare additional non-working days for the public sector during the year. With holidays on 8 and 9 December 2026, send any payment due in early December by Friday 4 December, so it can be credited before the holidays even at a bank that takes 48 hours.

Questions

References

1. Banco Central de Reserva del Perú: Resumen Informativo Semanal, 23 April 2026
2. SUNAT: Registro Único de Contribuyentes (RUC)
3. Banco de la Nación: Frequently asked questions on transfers from abroad
4. BCP: Transfers from abroad for companies
5. La República: Holidays in Peru 2026, official calendar
6. Chase: How Performance Business Checking works (wire fees)
7. Bank of America: Business Schedule of Fees
8. Swift: Fast, transparent and trackable payments (gpi)

This guide is general information for businesses, not financial, legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and timings were checked against the sources listed on the review date and may change.