business phone · 7 min read
How to Call Peru from the US
Dial 011 + 51 + number to call Peru from the US. Lima and Cusco examples, mobile vs landline format, time zones, and low flat-rate VoIP costs for businesses.
To call Peru from the US, dial 011 + 51 + the Peruvian number — dropping the leading 0 trunk prefix from landlines.
Lima landline example: domestic 01 234 5678 → US dial string 011 51 1 234 5678.
Peruvian mobile example: 912 345 678 → 011 51 912 345 678.
The 011 is the US international exit code; 51 is Peru’s country code assigned by the ITU. On a smartphone, the + symbol replaces 011 — so +51 1 234 5678 dials from any US mobile.
How to dial Peru from the US
The formula has three parts:
- 011 — the US international exit code. Every US international call starts here. On a smartphone keypad, long-press
0to enter+as a shortcut;+works identically to011. - 51 — Peru’s ITU country code. This is fixed for every Peruvian number regardless of region or type.
- The Peruvian number. For landlines, drop the leading 0 trunk prefix and dial the area code plus the local number. For mobiles, dial all nine digits exactly as written (they begin with 9 and carry no trunk prefix).
Full pattern: 011 51 [area code without leading 0] [local number] for landlines, or 011 51 [9-digit mobile] for mobiles.
If you see a Peruvian number already written in +51 format (common on business cards and websites), replace the + with 011 from a US landline, or dial it as-is from a smartphone.
Peru area codes by city
Peruvian landlines use geographic area codes. Lima and Callao share a single-digit area code; most other regions use a two-digit code. The leading 0 shown in domestic format is dropped for all international calls.
| City / region | Domestic prefix | Dial from US (after 011 51) |
|---|---|---|
| Lima / Callao | 01 | 1 |
| Arequipa | 054 | 54 |
| Cusco | 084 | 84 |
| Trujillo | 044 | 44 |
| Chiclayo | 074 | 74 |
| Piura | 073 | 73 |
Lima and Callao landlines have a 7-digit local number; landlines in other regions have a 6-digit local number after the 2-digit area code.
Peruvian mobile numbers do not use city area codes. Since 2010 all mobile numbers are non-geographic, are exactly nine digits, and always start with the digit 9. A mobile written as 912 345 678 is dialed from the US as 011 51 912 345 678.
How Peru’s numbering plan works
Peru’s national numbering plan is administered by the regulator OSIPTEL alongside the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Landlines are written domestically with a 0 trunk prefix, then a geographic area code (one digit for Lima/Callao, two digits elsewhere), then the local subscriber number. That trunk 0 exists only for dialing within Peru and is always dropped for international calls.
Mobile numbers were made fully non-geographic in 2010. They are a flat nine-digit block beginning with 9, with no area code and no trunk prefix — so from the US you simply dial 011 51 followed by all nine digits.
Time zone: PET (UTC-5)
Peru observes a single time zone nationwide — Peru Time (PET), UTC-5 — and has not used daylight saving time since 1994. The offset is therefore fixed year-round on the Peruvian side.
Because the US does change clocks, the gap to US time zones shifts with the US season:
| US time zone | Offset during US winter (standard time) | Offset during US summer (daylight time) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern (ET) | Same time as Peru | Peru is 1 hour behind |
| Central (CT) | Peru is 1 hour ahead | Same time as Peru |
| Mountain (MT) | Peru is 2 hours ahead | Peru is 1 hour ahead |
| Pacific (PT) | Peru is 3 hours ahead | Peru is 2 hours ahead |
Important for business callers: because Peru never shifts, the relationship to US Eastern flips by an hour twice a year. In US winter, an 11 AM ET call reaches Lima at 11 AM; in US summer, that same 11 AM ET call reaches Lima at 10 AM. Either way it lands inside Peruvian office hours.
The reliable overlap window for standard business hours is 9 AM–12 PM ET, reaching Peruvian offices mid-morning before the typical lunch break.
US to Peru calling costs
Costs break into a few buckets depending on how you place the call:
- US carrier per-minute (no plan): AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile charge roughly $1–$3 per minute to Peru without an international add-on, and Peruvian mobile destinations are often priced higher than landlines. Fine for an occasional call.
- Carrier international add-on packages: $5–$15 per month reduces the per-minute rate substantially. Worthwhile above roughly 30 minutes per month.
- VoIP providers (including DialPhone): flat per-minute rates to Peru that typically undercut carrier add-ons, with no monthly minimum. For recurring US–Peru business calling, a VoIP plan on DialPhone business phone avoids surprise per-minute charges.
- Free app-to-app (WhatsApp, FaceTime): works only if the Peruvian side also uses the app and has Wi-Fi or data. Not viable for reaching most Peruvian landlines or businesses.
See DialPhone pricing for current per-minute Peru rates included in each plan tier.
Calling Peruvian mobile vs landline from the US
From a US perspective the procedure is the same — 011 51 followed by the number — but the format and cost differ between the two types.
- Landlines carry a geographic area code (1 digit for Lima/Callao, 2 digits elsewhere) after you drop the domestic trunk 0, followed by a 6- or 7-digit local number.
- Mobiles are a single nine-digit block starting with
9, with no area code and nothing to strip.
Identifying the type is straightforward: any Peruvian number that is nine digits and begins with 9 is a mobile; a number with a 1- or 2-digit area code and a shorter local number is a landline.
Calling cost note: Peruvian mobile destinations can be priced higher per minute than landlines on some US carrier plans. VoIP providers including DialPhone typically apply a single flat rate regardless of landline vs mobile destination.
SMS to Peru and business use cases
US-to-Peru SMS works from most US mobile plans — the same international add-on that covers calls usually covers texts. Send to +51 followed by the nine-digit mobile number, for example +51 912 345 678.
The US–Peru business corridor spans mining and minerals, agriculture and agri-exports, fishing, tourism, and a growing technology and outsourcing sector — all of which drive regular calling between US teams and Peruvian counterparts.
For teams handling inbound Peruvian client calls or outbound prospecting into Peru, presenting a consistent, verified caller ID matters: Peruvian recipients screen unfamiliar international numbers, so a reliable business line improves answer rates. A DialPhone business phone plan routes US–Peru calls at a flat per-minute rate and keeps your team on a single managed number rather than personal mobiles.
FAQ
Calling Peru FAQ
What is the country code for Peru?
Peru's country code is +51. From a US landline or mobile, you reach it by dialing the US international exit code 011 first, making the full prefix 011 51.
From a smartphone that supports E.164 dialing you can substitute + for 011, so +51 works identically from any US mobile.
Do I need to drop the leading 0 when calling Peru from the US?
Yes, for landlines. Peruvian landlines are written domestically with a 0 trunk prefix before the area code — Lima is 0 1, Arequipa is 0 54. That leading 0 is used only for calls placed inside Peru.
When calling from the US, replace the entire leading 0 with 011 51. So a Lima landline 01 234 5678 becomes 011 51 1 234 5678. Peruvian mobile numbers have no trunk prefix — they are nine digits starting with 9, dialed as-is after 011 51.
How do I call a Peruvian mobile number from the US?
Peruvian mobile numbers are nine digits and always begin with the digit 9 — for example 912 345 678. They are non-geographic, so there is no area code to add or strip.
From the US, dial 011 + 51 + the full nine-digit mobile number. Example: 912 345 678 is dialed as 011 51 912 345 678, or +51 912 345 678 from a smartphone.
What is the best time to call Peru from the US?
Peru Time (PET) is UTC-5 year-round and does not observe daylight saving time. During US winter, Peru is the same time as US Eastern (both UTC-5). During US daylight saving (mid-March to early November), US Eastern moves to UTC-4, so Peru is 1 hour behind Eastern.
A reliable business-hours overlap is 9 AM–12 PM ET, which lands mid-morning in Lima — comfortably inside Peruvian office hours of roughly 9 AM to 6 PM.
How much does it cost to call Peru from the US?
Standard US carrier rates without an international plan run roughly $1–$3 per minute to Peru, with mobile destinations often priced higher than landlines. Carrier international add-on packages of $5–$15 per month reduce the per-minute rate substantially.
VoIP providers including DialPhone charge a flat per-minute rate to Peru destinations that is typically lower than carrier add-on plans, with no monthly minimum for low-volume callers.
Can I call Peruvian toll-free (0800) numbers from the US?
No. Peruvian 0800 freephone numbers are reachable only from within Peru, from landlines and mobiles inside the country. They generally will not connect when dialed from the US.
Ask your Peruvian contact for their geographic +51 landline (such as a Lima +51 1 number) or their mobile +51 9 number instead, and dial that directly.
What time zone is Peru in, and does it use daylight saving?
Peru uses a single time zone nationwide: Peru Time (PET), UTC-5. It has not observed daylight saving time since 1994, so the offset from UTC stays fixed all year.
Because the US does shift for daylight saving, the gap to US Eastern changes: 0 hours during US winter (Peru = ET) and 1 hour behind ET during US summer. Pacific Time is always 2 or 3 hours behind Peru depending on the US season.
How do I save a Peruvian number in my phone contacts?
Save Peruvian numbers in full E.164 international format: +51 followed by the number without any domestic trunk 0. A Lima landline 01 234 5678 saves as +51 1 234 5678; a mobile 912 345 678 saves as +51 912 345 678.
This format dials correctly from any country without editing, prevents the leading-0 error, and is the standard expected by CRMs and VoIP platforms including DialPhone.
Start calling Peru today
Whether you make occasional calls to a Peruvian supplier or run a team with daily US–Peru volume, the right setup eliminates per-minute sticker shock and missed calls.
- DialPhone pricing — compare per-minute Peru rates across plans
- Start a free trial — call Peru from day one, no commitment
- DialPhone business phone — full VoIP platform for international calling
Related guides
- How to call internationally from the US — exit code 011, country codes, and the per-country mobile rules
- How to call Germany from the US — same exit-code pattern, +49
- How to call France from the US — same exit-code pattern, +33
About the author
Growth Operations Lead at DialPhone
Darshan leads Growth Operations at DialPhone, where he owns three interconnected programs: the comparison content operation, the open VoIP Pricing Dataset, and the test-call methodology used to verify every pricing claim published on the site.
His research process starts with hands-on product trials and live vendor quotes — not marketing pages. Pricing figures are cross-checked against actual invoices and re-verified on a rolling quarterly cycle, with the underlying dataset kept public for independent re-verification. That dataset now covers 40+ VoIP and virtual-number providers across the US and Canada market.
Darshan also leads DialPhone's AI receptionist evaluation program, running structured test-call scenarios across English, Spanish, and French to assess transcription accuracy, intent routing, and escalation behavior. Methodology notes and raw scoring are archived in the research section.
For factual corrections or dataset discrepancies, Darshan can be reached at the DialPhone editorial address. Verified corrections are published as errata with a changelog date — no silent edits.