1. Tourism

All the foreigners who enter the country for recreational, sport, health, study, business management, family, religious and other similar purposes, without the aim of immigration, residence or to develop remunerated activities are considered tourists.

As a general rule, the only document needed in order to enter to Chile is a valid passport. However, the residents of the following countries must apply for a Tourist Visa before traveling to Chilean territory, which must be requested in any Chilean Consulate:

  • Afghanistan, Angola, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros Islands, Congo, Cote D'Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lesotho, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome et Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leona, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. It also applies to stateless people, asylees and refugees.

2. Temporary residence

It is a temporary authorization to live and to develop activities expressly allowed by the law.

There are four types of temporary residence:

  1. Subject to Contract Visa: It allows to reside and to work exclusively with the employer who signs the contract. It has a maximum duration of two years, although it can be indefinitely extended after staying in the country for two continuous years and applying for the Definitive Permanence. The end of the contract necessarily means the end of the visa.
  2. Temporary Visa: It allows to reside and to perform any kind of licit activity within the country. It has a duration of one year, and it can only be extended for another year, after which the Definitive Permanence must be requested or it will be mandatory to leave the country.

    This type of Visa can be granted to the following foreigners:

    • Those familiarly with Chileans relatives or foreigners with Definitive Permanence.
    • Member of a religious order.
    • Pensioners or rentiers.
    • Investors and traders.
    • Former residents (foreigners whose residence in Chile is no longer valid).
    • Children of passerby foreigner (foreigner not living in the country).
    • Professionals and superior level technicians.
    • Employees with two or more contracts.
    • Employees paid abroad.
    • Journalists or media professionals.
    • Pregnant women and persons under medical treatment.
  3. Student Visa: It allows to study in an educational establishment recognized by the State. It has a duration of one year, or until the end of the scholarship for those who have one. It can be extended until the end of the studies and it allows to apply to the Definitive Permanence afterwards.
  4. Refuge and Political Asylum: For those foreigners whose integrity is in danger.

3. Definitive Permanence:

It is the permit to reside in Chile indefinitely and to develop any kind of activity, without more limitations than those contained in the law.

In order to obtain the Definitive Permanence, the applicant must have resided in Chile at least two continuous years in case of holding a visa subject to contract, one year in case of people holding a temporary visa, and two years plus having ended the studies in case of people holding a student visa. The Definitive Permanence is granted forever, unless it is revoked (i.e. living abroad for more than one year without having requested the corresponding extension, having been convicted of a crime, lying on the permit application or tax non-compliance).

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.