How to Find Your Long-Lost Family in Peru

You can go to Peru to search for a lost relative, but it probably shouldn't be your first step.

Whether you're adopted, an immigrant or have other personal circumstances that have kept you out of touch, it is easy to lose track of family in another country such as Peru. You may not even have a good reason. Time, distance and family quarrels can cause you to fall out of contact with a relative who you think is long lost. But there are ways to start searching that may prove successful.

Things You'll Need

• Birth certificate

Instructions

1. Who you are searching for determines how to begin a search. Is it a person whose name you know, or a relative you think you might have, like a brother or sister you've never met? The information you already have will determine how to proceed.

2. Gather your most recent and concrete information about the family member in question. Do you have a full name, address, phone number or place of birth? Does the family member's name appear on your birth certificate? Will obtaining a copy of your birth certificate help identify the family member?

3. Try a search vendor listed at PeopleSearching.com (see Resources) to find your Peruvian family member if you have some concrete information, like a telephone number, address or full name. The services from the different vendors will vary and can require different information, and you may find one that is helpful.

4. Email CLARCIEV, an organization that catalogs and transfers information between civil registration offices in Latin American countries, including Peru. This organization may have vital statistics or identity information about your relative. Or it might be able to provide further information to assist you in your search.

5. Call the central post office in Lima (Correo Central de Lima), Peru, with the last address you have for your relative, and ask if this is the most recent listing. If it is, you may be zeroing in on your target. The phone number is 011-51-1-533-2005/5152.

6. Visit the location in Peru where your family member was living, based on the information you've obtained. If your long-lost relative is no longer living there, you can probably still obtain firsthand information from friends or neighbors who may know where your relative is now.

References

• CLARCIEV.com: Who We Are
• PeopleSearching.com: Family Member Search Sites
• iExplore.com: Country Information for Peru

Resources

• Peru Genealogy Forum