Rice hoja blanca virus (RHBV; genus Tenuivirus), transmitted by the insect Tagosodes orizicolus (family Delphacidae), causes Hoja Blanca disease (HBD) in rice (Oryza sativa L.), which has been reported in all countries of major rice production in tropical and subtropical America. Symptoms usually include chlorotic streaks on the leaves, plant dwarfing, and panicle sterility, and associated yield losses can reach up to 25 to 75% in susceptible cultivars (Morales and Jennings 2010). In Peru, the main rice producing areas are concentrated in the coastal region, where rice yields can reach up to 10.6 tons per hectare (t/ha), followed by areas located in the Amazon basin region with average yields of 7.6 t/ha. (MINAGRI 2015). HBD and the insect vector are known to occur in Peru (Casanova et al. 1970; Morales and Jennings 2010); however, exact locations, incidences, and the identity of the virus in Peru are currently unknown. During a field visit in the provinces of Utcubamba (5.658533°S, 78.616637°W) and Jaén (5.614058°S, 78.635361°W), located in the border between the departments of Amazonas and Cajamarca, characteristic HBD symptoms were observed in 4 out of 200 plants of the variety FEDEARROZ 60. Symptomatic plant samples and 89 collected insects were stored dried with silica gel for later analysis. A double antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA was carried out using a polyclonal antiserum as previously reported (Zeigler and Morales 1990) and RHBV was detected in symptomatic plants and in 3.3% of insect samples. To confirm by sequencing the presence of RHBV, total RNA was extracted from 50 mg of dried leaf tissue using Trizol (Chomczynski et al. 1993) and cDNA was synthesized from 2 µg of RNA using random hexamer primers and the M-MLV reverse transcription enzyme, following the manufacturer instructions (Invitrogen). Sequences were obtained using primers RHBV-R3-F: 5′-CCTTTCCAGTTTCATCTACCATC-3′ and RHBV-R3-R: 5′-AACAATGACGATGCCAGTTGCTGA-3′ to amplify a region of RNA3 encoding the NS3 protein, and primers RHBV-R4-F: 5′-CTCAGGCCTCAATCATTACC-3′ and RHBV-R4-R: 5′-ACTTTCAGGATAATAGACAG-3′ to amplify a region of RNA4 encoding the NS4vc protein. PCR products were sent directly for sequencing (Macrogen). Nucleotide sequences obtained, 980 nt for RNA3 and 466 nt for RNA4 (GenBank accession nos. KY369921 and KY369922, respectively), share 96 to 99% identity to RHBV isolates from Costa Rica and Colombia and less than 86% identity to other tenuiviruses reported in the region. RNA samples obtained from pools of dried T. orizicolus insects were also positive for RHBV by RT-PCR. This is the first sequence report of RHBV in Peru; the PCR primers described here have been successfully tested for detection of RHBV in all rice production areas in Colombia (where the disease is endemic), and they are recommended as an alternative to DAS-ELISA. Virus surveillance protocols are encouraged for early detection and monitor changes in the incidence of HBD in other rice production areas.