Before you start

Carné de extranjería
An employment contract, for EsSalud through an employer
Registration by the employer through the T-Registro / PLAME payroll system
Private or EPS policy documents, if you have them

Step-by-step

1
Confirm your employer has actually registered you
EsSalud entitlement comes from being declared on the employer's payroll filings, not from having signed a contract. Ask for confirmation that you appear in T-Registro; a gap here is invisible until the day you need treatment.
Via employerWho: Your employerFirst month
2
Understand the qualifying period before you rely on it
EsSalud entitlement generally begins after a set number of monthly contributions, so your first weeks in Peru are not covered by it. Keep travel or private cover running across the gap rather than assuming the contract switches cover on instantly.
OnlineWho: You
3
Ask whether the employer offers an EPS
An EPS is a private plan that takes over part of the EsSalud contribution and gives you access to private clinics with much shorter waits. Many Lima employers offer one and a surprising number of new hires never ask. It is usually the single most valuable line in a Peruvian benefits package.
Via employerWho: You
4
Register with a clinic network you can actually reach
Clínica Anglo Americana in San Isidro, Clínica Ricardo Palma in San Isidro, Clínica Delgado in Miraflores and Clínica Internacional's sites are the ones foreign residents use most. Given the traffic, choose by journey time rather than by reputation alone.
In personWho: You
5
Arrange your own cover if you are self-employed
Independent workers can join EsSalud as independent contributors or buy private insurance. There is no automatic enrolment, and going uninsured is a genuinely bad idea in a city where a serious private admission is expensive.
OnlineWho: You
6
Get the routine things done privately — they are cheap here
Dentistry, ophthalmology, physiotherapy and diagnostics are inexpensive in Lima by North American or European standards, and are usually paid for directly rather than claimed. This is one of the real quality-of-life advantages of living here.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Carné de extranjería
Employment contract
EsSalud registration confirmation
EPS or private policy details
Vaccination records, especially yellow fever if you will travel to the jungle

Things most newcomers don’t know

EsSalud entitlement follows payroll declarations, not your contract.

You are covered because your employer declared you in the monthly payroll filing, not because you signed something. A company that is late or irregular with those filings leaves you without cover while you believe you have it, and you find out at a hospital reception desk. Asking for written confirmation that you appear in the payroll system is a two-minute request that occasionally saves a great deal.

Source: EsSalud

The EPS is the most valuable and least asked-about item in a Lima benefits package.

An EPS reroutes part of the employer's 9% EsSalud contribution into a private plan, giving access to the major clinics with short waits at little or no extra cost to the employee. It is common at larger employers and is often simply not mentioned during onboarding. Ask directly, and ask which clinic network the plan covers — it varies significantly.

Source: EsSalud; community-reported

Altitude is a health issue for Lima residents, even though Lima is at sea level.

Almost everyone who lives on the coast eventually travels to Cusco, Arequipa or Huaraz, and going from sea level to 3,400m in a two-hour flight produces genuine altitude sickness in a substantial minority of people. Plan an acclimatisation day, and if you have cardiac or pulmonary conditions raise it with a doctor here before booking. Limeños are used to this; newcomers treat it as a weekend trip.

Source: community-reported

Routine private care is cheap enough to change your habits.

A private specialist consultation, a dental cleaning, an MRI or a full blood panel in Lima costs a fraction of the equivalent in North America or Western Europe, and is typically paid directly without an insurance claim. Foreign residents who understand this get the check-ups they have been postponing for years, and it is one of the underrated benefits of the move.

Source: community-reported