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Peru

Peru permits selling images of public monuments, but site-access and antiquities permits (and a Machu Picchu drone ban) are a separate layer.

Verified Jun 28, 2026 2 official sources
Permit: conditionalPanorama: Full, with limits

Guidance, not legal advice

Rules change and enforcement varies. Confirm with the issuing authority before you shoot. Drone law depth lives at Drone Authority.

Permit

Conditional

Issuer: Ministerio de Cultura for archaeological and cultural-heritage sites; no permit for casual public street photography

Cost: No permit for casual personal photography; commercial shoots at heritage sites need Ministry of Culture authorization

Casual personal photography needs no permit. Commercial photography and filming at archaeological and cultural-heritage sites need Ministry of Culture authorization, and Machu Picchu enforces strict site rules.

Drone / airspace

Regulated by the DGAC; flying over archaeological sites like Machu Picchu and the Nazca Lines is effectively prohibited

Site-specific authorization is rarely granted. For depth, see Drone Authority.

Street / public space

Yes to photograph, but Peru recognizes image and personality rights

Commercial publication of an identifiable person's image should have consent; editorial and public-event use is freer.

Freedom of panorama

Full, with limits

Andean Community Decision 351 (Art. 22) permits reproduction of artworks permanently in public places, generally allowing sale of images of public monuments, buildings, and art. Site-access and commercial-filming permits are a separate legal layer from copyright.

Practical notes

  • Machu Picchu allows no drones for anyone without rarely granted Ministry of Culture permission, and bans tripods and professional rigs without a permit.
  • You can fly legally in parts of Cusco and the Sacred Valley outside the historic center and ruins, but never over the sites themselves.

Sources

Keep shooting

Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side:

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