How long can you stay in peru with a passport?

Question

What is the length of time peru will let you stay in their country with a valid u.s. passport? Is 6 months at one time the longest duration?

Answer 1

You will be issued a tourist card upon entry, which is valid for up to 90 days. You may renew your tourist status at a Peruvian immigration office (Oficina de Migraciones) for 30 days. The revalidation will cost twenty (20) dollars. The main Oficina de Migraciones in Lima is located on Prolongacion España #734, in Breña (phone [phone]).

You can also leave the country and re-enter for a new visa stamp, but as the other answerer noted, you may eventually encounter some official resistance.  I have a friend who married a Peruvian and did this dance for a while (I don't know how many times) before she finally broke down and got Peruvian residency, which of course allows you to stay indefinitely.

For a student visa, you are granted 90 days, and this is renewed after enrollment in a Peruvian school.

Incidentally, to clarify something the previous answerer said, that Americans are generally permitted to travel abroad for 6 months, that is not literally correct.  The U.S. government places no restriction on how long a U.S. citizen can spend outside the country.  How long he or she spends in one place is an issue determined by the immigration laws of that particular country, not the U.S. (with the exceptions of Cuba, North Korea and Iran).

Answer 2

It depends on the diplomatic relations with America, but generally speaking, an American is allowed to travel abroad for six months.  

This does not mean that you will be granted a six month visa as it is generally up to the passport control guy-gal who is admitting you.  They can tell you that you can stay for a shorter period of time if they so choose.  

Also, be very careful about going for six months and then coming back repeatedly as Customs control looks at this action as someone who is trying to live in their country illegally and eventually you will be turned back at the border and not allowed to enter.