A professional website, great photos, and hundreds of followers do not prove that an agency operates legally. What does prove it are public records that you can check yourself from your phone, without intermediaries and in less than fifteen minutes. Verifying before you pay protects you from losing money, but also from something more serious: setting out on a high-mountain route with an operator that is not accountable to anyone if something goes wrong. These are the six steps to check whether a Salkantay Trek agency is legal and how to interpret what you find in each one.
Why verify before paying
A formal agency has obligations: it is accountable to consumers, issues receipts, works with accredited guides, and can be sanctioned if it fails to comply. An informal one has none of these obligations, and if the tour does not take place or is poorly run, your options for filing a claim are practically nonexistent.
On the Salkantay, where you spend several days far from any urban center, the operator’s legal status is also related to your safety. If you want to know what regulations require from these companies and why, we explain it in what permits and licenses an agency operating the Salkantay Trek must have.
Step 1: check the RUC on SUNAT
Every company that issues invoices in Peru has an eleven-digit Single Taxpayer Registry number. Ask the agency for its RUC and look it up in the public search tool on the SUNAT website, which is free and does not require registration.
What the search should show
The legal business name or name of the holder, tax address, date business activities began, and registered economic activity. The latter should be related to travel agencies or tourism operations.
How to interpret status and condition
Look for two details. The status should say active, and the condition should say located. A cancelled or suspended RUC, or one with a not located condition, indicates that the company is not operating regularly or that the tax authority cannot locate it at its tax address.
Also compare the RUC name with the trade name on the website. They do not have to be identical, as many companies use a brand different from their legal business name, but the agency should be able to explain the relationship without hesitation.
Step 2: look for it in the tourism service providers directory
Travel and tourism agencies that meet regulatory requirements appear in the public directory of tourism service providers of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism. In Cusco, registration is managed by the Regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism.
Search for the agency by its legal business name or RUC, not by its trade name. If it appears, confirm that its classification corresponds to a travel and tourism agency operating as a tour operator or includes service operations in Cusco.
If you cannot find it, ask the agency directly for its registration certificate. A registered company will send it to you without any issue.
Step 3: make sure it has a real office
A formal agency in Cusco has a physical office with a municipal operating license. Look up the address on a map, check street-level images, and make sure it matches the tax address you saw on SUNAT, or that the agency explains the difference.
If you are already in Cusco, visit the office before paying. It is the simplest verification and the hardest to fake. Be wary of agencies that only communicate through messaging apps and cannot give you an address where they can meet you.
Step 4: check the virtual complaints book
In Peru, businesses that sell to consumers are required to have a complaints book, and those that sell online must also offer a virtual version. There should be a visible link on the agency’s website, usually in the footer.
Open it and make sure it works, asks for your details, and identifies the company by its legal business name and RUC. A link that leads nowhere or a generic form without supplier details is a bad sign.
Step 5: ask for the guide’s name and credentials
The agency should be able to tell you who your guide will be, or at least confirm that it works with accredited official tourism guides. Ask before paying, and ask again when you are assigned to a group.
An official guide carries an ID card that identifies them. On the day of departure, you can naturally ask to see it: it is part of their job, and an accredited guide will have no problem showing it.
Step 6: request an electronic payment receipt
When you pay, the agency must issue you an electronic receipt or invoice under the same legal business name you verified in step 1. A simple receipt, transfer screenshot, or confirmation message is not enough.
How to validate the receipt
SUNAT has a public search tool to validate electronic receipts. Enter the issuer’s RUC, receipt type, series, number, and amount, and the system will confirm whether the document exists and is valid.
Keep the receipt together with your booking confirmation. It is the evidence you will need if you have to file a claim.
Signs that may seem like proof of legality but are not
Some elements inspire confidence, but they do not prove anything about an agency’s legal status.
- Award or travel platform logos on the website, which anyone can copy.
- Lots of social media followers, which can be bought.
- An old domain, which may have changed owners.
- Photos of the snow-capped mountain and happy groups, which could belong to any operator.
- A Peruvian phone number, which says nothing about the company’s legal standing.
None of this replaces the six steps above. To assess service quality beyond legality, review how to choose a reliable agency for the Salkantay Trek.
What to do if the agency does not pass verification
If it fails one step, ask first. There may be a reasonable explanation, such as a legal business name different from the brand or an office in the process of relocating. A formal agency responds with documents, not excuses.
If it fails two or more steps, or if the agency avoids giving you its RUC or address, look for another operator. During high season, there are enough formal options in Cusco that you do not need to take that risk.
If you have already paid an agency that does not pass verification, keep all communications and transfer receipts. If a problem arises, this documentation will be the basis for your claim.
Frequently asked questions
Can I verify an agency from outside Peru?
Yes. The RUC search, tourism service providers directory, and receipt validation are available online and free of charge. Only visiting the office requires you to be in Cusco.
Is it illegal for one agency to sell another agency’s tour?
No. Many agencies sell tours while others operate them, and this is common practice in the industry. What matters is that both are formal and that the one selling to you clearly tells you who will operate your trek.
What does it mean when an RUC has a not located condition?
It means SUNAT has not been able to locate the company at the tax address it declared. It does not always imply fraud, but it does indicate an irregular situation that the agency should be able to explain.
Does a legal agency guarantee good service?
Not necessarily. Legality guarantees that the company is accountable to the law and to consumers, not that the guide is good or that the food is plentiful. That is why it is best to review both: whether it is legal and whether its service meets your expectations.
Where can I file a claim if a formal agency fails to provide the service?
First, use the agency’s own complaints book, which it is required to respond to within a set period. If the response does not satisfy you, you can contact Indecopi, Peru’s consumer protection authority.