The Peruvian consulate estimates that about 300 Peruvian citizens reside in Alaska, many of whom congregate on July 28 to celebrate the independence of their mother country, or join the procession of the Lord of Miracles in October. When the mobile consulate of Peru came to Anchorage last June 10, Vice-Consul Luis Andrés García Román reassured Peruvians that in the current immigration crisis they “should not forget that the Consulate has a policy of open doors and direct communication with fellow Peruvians. We always ask them to keep their Peruvian documents up to date, to not fear speaking with the Consulate, and to know that we are available for any questions.”
Since the Peruvian government permits dual citizenship, García Román suggests that Peruvians be sure to register their children as citizens of Peru. In case of an emergency, the children could then enter their country with all the rights of citizens. For this procedure it is necessary that at least one of the parents is a Peruvian citizen. Peruvian parents must be present at the time of registration. It is also necessary to provide a copy of their National Identity Documents (DNI), a copy of a legal ID (if one parent is not Peruvian), and the child’s birth certificate. Once these requirements are fulfilled, a birth certificate is generated for the child and then a DNI will be issued. García Román reminds his compatriots that in emergencies due to deportation proceedings, the Consulate will issues a “safe-conduct,” a travel document that can be ready in one day and allows citizens to enter Peru if they do not have a passport. To request these and other consular services, the telephone numbers are (415) 362-5185, (415) 362-5647 and (415) 362-7136. In case of emergency you can call (415) 215-6668 24 hours a day. Finally, the Vice-Consul encouraged his compatriots to never feel far from Peru, for “wherever in the world where one is, one always carries a piece of one’s land.” |
