Machu Picchu Rewrites Its Ticket Rules
Peru has ended unpaid reservations at its most famous site. Visitors now have 15 minutes to pay, and tickets carry their names.
Getting into Machu Picchu has long been as much about timing as travel. Peru's Ministry of Culture has now changed how tickets are sold, aiming to stop available places from disappearing into reservations that are never paid for.
Under the new system, which went live on 22 September for a 30-day trial, the old three-hour hold on unpaid tickets is gone. A buyer who selects a slot on the official Tu Boleto platform now has up to 15 minutes to pay. If they do not, the ticket goes back on sale automatically. A ticket is issued in the visitor's name only once payment clears, and it is linked to their passport or identity document. The same rules apply to permits for the Inca Trail, which are still booked through authorized agencies.
Why the change
The ministry says an audit found that a large share of reservations were cancelled without ever being paid for, according to the state news agency Andina. That meant the platform often showed the citadel as sold out when tickets were in fact still available. The goal is for the availability shown online to match what buyers can actually purchase.
Capacity itself is unchanged. Infobae reports that the daily limit remains 5,600 visitors in high season and 4,500 in low season, with 750 a day on the Inca Trail network. The ministry says it may lengthen or shorten the 15-minute payment window based on how the trial goes.
For the traveler
- Buy only through the official platform or an authorized agency.
- Have your passport details ready before you start.
- Choose date, circuit, route and entry time in advance, since the clock starts once a slot is selected.
The change should make it easier for independent travelers to find tickets, and harder for anyone to hold places they have not paid for.
Sources: Andina, Infobae.
