Peru: 12.5% US Tariff Excludes Over 2,000 Products

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) stated today through a statement that the 12.5% tariff imposed by the United States on Peru does not affect all exports and that it will seek to promote a review of this measure based on regulatory advancements and technical information.

In this regard, regarding the entry into force of the determination issued by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), which establishes an additional tariff for certain Peruvian products, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) reports the following:

The Government of the United States, through the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), announced the final action of investigations conducted under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974 regarding countries that do not have prohibitions or effective prohibitions on the import of goods produced wholly or in part with forced labor.

The decision establishes additional tariffs of 10% or 12.5%, depending on the treatment assigned to each economy.

The measure is not directed solely at Peru. It affects 60 economies, equivalent to 86 countries and customs territories, which represented 99.4% of US imports in 2025.

For Peru, the additional tariff is 12.5%. The measure does not cover all exports, as it establishes exclusions for more than 2,000 products, which represented 45% of the value of US imports from Peru.

The measure came into effect at 00:01 ET today, July 24, at which time the temporary 10% surcharge applied under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, linked to the balance of payments, expired.

To date, the US Congress has not approved its extension, so both levies do not overlap.

Mincetur actively participated in all stages of the USTR investigation and submitted information on the actions adopted by Peru in this matter.

The resolution does not conclude that the country exports goods produced with forced labor nor does it identify Peruvian products made under such conditions, as the USTR focused its investigation on the existence and effective application of a prohibition on the import of these goods.

It should be noted that the Peruvian Government presented a bill to the Congress of the Republic that expressly prohibits the import of goods produced wholly or in part with forced labor, with the aim of strengthening the national regulatory framework in this area.

Its approval by the Peruvian Parliament will also constitute a concrete advance against the main observation of the USTR.

Mincetur is evaluating the effects of the measure in coordination with the competent public entities and business associations.

Likewise, it will continue to provide the necessary technical support during the processing of the bill presented to the Congress of the Republic.

"Mincetur maintains an open dialogue with the United States and will continue to work with the competent authorities and the private sector to defend the country's interests and promote a review of the measure based on regulatory advancements and the technical information presented by Peru," it stated.