Table of Contents

Work visa (visa sujeta a contrato)

This visa allows you to:

  • Work only with the employer with which you celebrated the contract and not other (you cannot work for more than 1 employer at a time); AND,
  • Include your spouse, children and parents in your residence application. They will get a work visa as dependents (dependents are not allowed to work in Chile).

How long you can stay on this visa:

  • Up to 2 years, after which you can extend it for the same period of time or apply for Permanent Residence if you comply with the requirements.

Requirements:

  • A work contract; AND,
  • General documentation.

Documentation required and application form: https://www.extranjeria.gob.cl/trabajar-en-chile/visa-sujeta-a-contrato/

Opening and closing dates and times:

  • You can apply for this visa at any time.

Cost of the visa:

It will depend on your nationality:

  • Minors (<18) are exempt from payment, according to Decree No. 1020 of 2017.
  • Son/daughter of chilean; spouse of chilean; mother/father of chilean; dependents; and foreigners born in Chile while their parents were in Chile as tourists, will pay US$15 for their visas, according to Decree No. 296 of 1995.

How to apply for a work visa (“visa sujeta a contrato”):

  • If you are outside Chile: through the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile (“Trámites Consulares Online”).
  • If you are already in Chile: by certified letter if you reside within the Metropolitan Region and Antofagasta Region; OR, in person at the nearest Gobernación Provincial if you reside outside the Metropolitan and Antofagasta Regions.

Processing times:

  • If you apply from abroad: 1-2 months (estimated).
  • If you apply within Chile: 6-8 months (estimated).

If the work relationship comes to an end:

  • Your work visa expires automatically;
  • You have 30 days to apply for another visa or to leave the country without having to pay a fine (exception: if you held a work visa for a year or more then you have up to 60 days to leave the country without having to pay a fine).

Change of employer:

  • You can change of employer before the visa is stamped (“ratificación de empleador”) or after it has been stamped (“visa sujeta a contrato por cambio de empleador”).
  • You are not allowed to work with the new employer before you get your new work permit with that new employer.

Changing visas:

  • You can change the type (from a work visa to a temporary or student visa) and condition (from dependent to holder and vice versa) of the visa, any time.

Temporary visa (visa temporaria)

This visa allows you to:

  • Carry out any licit activities in Chile, such as: work with one or more employers at a time, self-employed work, invest, study, etc.
  • Include your spouse, children and parents in your residence application. They will get a temporary visa as dependents (dependents are not allowed to work in Chile).

How long you can stay on this visa:

  • Up to 1 year (12 months), after which you can extend it for the same period of time (another year) or apply for Permanent Residence if you comply with the requirements.

Requirements:

  • Specific documentation required for the type of temporary visa you intend to apply for; AND,
  • General documentation.

Documentation required and application form: https://www.extranjeria.gob.cl/vivir-en-chile/visa-temporaria/

Opening and closing dates and times:

  • You can apply for this visa at any time.

Cost of the visa:

It will depend on your nationality:

  • Minors (<18) are exempt from payment, according to Decree No. 1020 of 2017.
  • Son/daughter of chilean; spouse of chilean; mother/father of chilean; dependents; and foreigners born in Chile while their parents were in Chile as tourists, will pay US$15 for their visas, according to Decree No. 296 of 1995.

How to apply for a temporary visa (“visa temporaria”):

  • If you are outside Chile: through the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile (“Trámites Consulares Online”).
  • If you are already in Chile: by certified letter if you reside within the Metropolitan Region and Antofagasta Region; OR, in person at the nearest Gobernación Provincial if you reside outside the Metropolitan and Antofagasta Regions.

Processing times:

  • If you apply from abroad: 1-2 months (estimated).
  • If you apply within Chile: 6.5 months for temporary visas for professionals and higher level technicians | 6 months for the rest of the temporary visas.

  • Minors (<18) are exempt from payment, according to Decree No. 1020 of 2017.
  • Son/daughter of chilean; spouse of chilean; mother/father of chilean; dependents; and foreigners born in Chile while their parents were in Chile as tourists, will pay US$15 for their visas, according to Decree No. 296 of 1995.

Types of temporary visas:

1. Temporary visa for foreigners holding a family bond with chilean (“Visa temporaria para extranjero con vínculo con chileno”)

2. Temporary visa for foreigners born in Chile while their parents were in Chile under a tourist visa (“Visa temporaria para hijo de extranjero transeúnte”)

3. Temporary visa for former residents (“Visa temporaria para ex residente”)

4. Temporary visa for foreigners holding a family bond with a foreigner with Permanent Residence in Chile (“Visa temporaria para extranjero vinculado con familiar que posea Permanencia Definitiva”)

5. Temporary visa for religious (“Visa temporaria para religiosos”)

6. Temporary visa for investors and merchants (“Visa temporaria para inversionistas y comerciantes”)

7. Temporary visa for professionals and higher level technicians, with two or more contracts, paid aborad, journalists or media professionals (“Visa temporaria para profesionales y técnicos de nivel superior, con dos o más contratos, remunerado en el exterior, periodistas o profesionales de medios de comunicación“)

8. Temporary visa for pregnant women and medical treatment (“Visa temporaria para embarazadas y tratamiento médico”)

9. Temporary visa for MERCOSUR members – Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Paraguay and Uruguay (“Visa “Acuerdo sobre residencia de los estados partes del Mercosur, Bolivia y Chile”, nacionales de Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Paraguay y Uruguay”)

10. Temporary visa by civil union (“Visa Temporaria por Unión Civil”)

11. Temporary visa for children and teenagers (“Visa Temporaria para niños, niñas y adolescentes”)

12. Humanitarian visa for Haiti nationals (“Visa Humanitaria de Reunificación Familiar”)

13. Democratic Responsibility Visa for Venezuela nationals (“Visa de Responsabilidad Democrática”)

14. Working Holiday Visas (“Visas de Vacaciones y Trabajo”)

  • Age: 18-30 for nationals of Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Sweden
  • Age: 18-35 for nationals of Canada and New Zealand.

15. Trainee Exchange Agreement

  • For Swiss nationals aged 18-35

Changing visas:

  • You can change the type (from a temporary visa to a work or student visa) and condition (from dependent to holder and vice versa) of the visa, any time.

Student visa (visa de estudiante)

This visa allows you to:

  • Stay in Chile for the length of your studies.
  • You may work only to carry out your professional practice or to pay for your studies, and only after you get a special work permit from the Immigration Department in Chile (Extranjería).
  • Include your spouse, children and parents in your residence application. They will get a student visa as dependents (dependents are not allowed to work in Chile).

How long you can stay on this visa:

  • Up to 1 year, after which you can extend it for the same period of time (another year), or during the length of your studies. Scholars can obtain a visa for the length of the scholarship.
  • You can apply for Permanent Residence after 2 years under a student visa and only after having finished the studies.

Requirements:

  • Specific documentation required for the type of student visa you intend to apply for; AND,
  • General documentation.

Documentation required and application form: https://www.extranjeria.gob.cl/estudiar-en-chile/

Opening and closing dates and times:

  • You can apply for this visa at any time.

Cost of the visa:

It will depend on your nationality:

  • Minors (<18) are exempt from payment, according to Decree No. 1020 of 2017.
  • Son/daughter of chilean; spouse of chilean; mother/father of chilean; dependents; and foreigners born in Chile while their parents were in Chile as tourists, will pay US$15 for their visas, according to Decree No. 296 of 1995.

Processing times:

  • If you apply from abroad: 1-2 months (estimated).
  • If you apply within Chile: 6 months (estimated).

How to apply for a student visa (“visa de estudiante”):

  • If you are outside Chile: through the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile (“Trámites Consulares Online”).
  • If you are already in Chile: by certified letter if you reside within the Metropolitan Region and Antofagasta Region; OR, in person at the nearest Gobernación Provincial if you reside outside the Metropolitan and Antofagasta Regions.

Types of student visas:

1. For foreigners without scholarship

2. For foreigners with a scholarship

3. For foreigners on an exchange program

4. For foreigners in the revalidation process

Changing visas:

  • You can change the type (from a student visa to a temporary or work visa) and condition (from dependent to holder and vice versa) of the visa, any time.

Permanent Residence (permanencia definitiva)

Requirements:

Residence:

  • 1 year of residence under a temporary visa; OR,
  • 2 years of residence under a work visa (with the same employer); OR,
  • 2 years of residence under a student visa and finishing the studies.

Not having stayed abroad for more than 180 days:

  • You cannot stay more than 180 days during the last year of visa.

Documentation:

When do you have to apply for Permanent Residency in Chile?:

  • Within the last 90 days of your visa.

Cost:

  • CLP$76,666.
  • Minors (<18) and spouse of chilean (with a marriage registered in Chile) are exempt from payment.

Processing times:

  • At least 11 months: