favorite travel destinations in recent years because of its diverse landscape and mesmerizing nature. Tourists fall in love with endless Chile beaches, forests, ancient volcanoes and enjoy the charming view from the tall peaks of the Andes. Besides the short trips, some people want to start a new life in Chile and apply for residency. That is why we want to talk about a
Chile residency visa. In this blog, you will find answers to the following questions and more:
What are the Chile residency visa requirements?
How long can I stay in the country?
How long does the Chile visa processing time take?
How to apply for Chile visa?
Where can I apply?
How to get residency in Chile?
Do I need a visa for Chile?
Chile Visa Policy
I want to start this blog about Chile
visa information by giving some details about the visa policy. Chile requires a visa from foreigners to travel to the country. Only the Chile visa free countries are the exception. The government offers various visa types depending on the purpose of the visit of travellers. Depending on the applied visa type, terms may change. However, the general application process is almost the same. You can choose one of the below:
• Tourism
• Temporary Resident Visa
• Resident Visa Subject to Contract
• Student Resident Visa
• Temporary Resident Visa for International Orientation
• Temporary Resident Visa for Entrepreneurship Opportunities
• Worker Opportunity Temporary Resident Visa
Chile Residency Visa
Applicants who travel for sightseeing places can apply for a short-term. It will give you 90 days to realize your tourism activities. On the other hand, foreigners who want to stay for a long period need to obtain a residency visa. Residency visa has several subcategories that we mentioned in visa policy. We will give details about each type. The Chile
resident visa application process is the same for all subcategories. They differ from each other with the documentation process and the reason for the visit.
How to apply for Chile visa?
To realize your application, you will need to follow some steps. Regardless of the visa type, all applicants must follow them. The first step of the Chile resident visa application process is arranging an appointment. You will choose a suitable day and hour for an appointment. Followingly, you can start to prepare for the documentation process. After providing all the needed documents and details, you will pay the visa fee and participate in the interview.
How to
get residency in Chile? You should go to the visa application centres,
embassies, or consulates, whichever takes visa applications in your country. If you can't find any of these in your country, you should apply to the nearest embassy or consulate.
Visa Waiver Countries
Do I need a
visa for Chile? If you are from one of the Chile visa free countries, you don't need a visa for short stay visas. On the other hand, all nationalities must get residency permission for a long-term stay. How can I check the list of visa-waiver countries? You can find the full list in the visa policy section of our website. There are 93 countries on that list.
Temporary Resident Visa
It is for foreigners who want to settle in Chile because of family ties and interests. Also, people who can bring benefits to the country can get a Temporary Resident Visa. You will need to fit Chile
residency visa requirements (provide some details and documents).
• You need to fill the application form, sign, and date.
• A valid passport that has at least two free visa pages
• 5x5 color and new photo (at least six months) on a white background. Full face and front face are 3/4 of the photograph.
• Criminal record (not older than two months the date of visa application, apostilled or legalized)
• If you have family relations, spouse, children: Certificate of marriage or birth (apostilled or legalized)
• Having sufficient funds to cover your expenses and settle in the country
• Entrepreneurs, investors, traders: Papers to show status as an entrepreneur and his (her) actions in Chile, investments to be done in Chile, and so on
• Qualified personal (researchers, academicians, lecturers, professors); Documents that prove relevant degree (approved or apostilled), job contract made with a Chilean legal organization, or an international agency identified by the
Chilean government. Scientists, researchers, lecturers, or professors, need to submit credentials or certificates from academics or universities
• Communications specialists: To set the agency or press media of which the candidate is a member by presenting documents or certificates of the appropriate organization, showing the particular communication activities to be performed in Chile.
• Members of religious orders: Legally recognized (by Chile) documents or certificates certified by the relevant church or religious community. Also, applicants need a letter to show his (her) activities in the country and the membership such as religious order (certified by a Notary Public)
• Medical treatment: A letter from a medical establishment or institution as evidence of the treatment to be undergone
Resident Visa Subject to Contract Visa
It allows people hired by a company legally established in Chile to obtain a Residence Visa subject to a contract with a maximum duration of 24 months.
The person concerned should file for the permanent residency permit within three months before the expiry, presented he (she) has not been absent from the country for over 180 days in the past year. The documents that you need:
application form, passport, valid, criminal record, employer letter, employment contract, professional degree, medical record, some details of the company has retained the foreigner (address, certificate on company, VAT evidence of payment). Also, the employment contract must contain several details:
• Duty of the employer to respond for the earnings tax payment relevant to the compensation paid.
• Duty of the employer to pay social security contributions of the worker and medical coverage( in Chile or abroad)
• The employer must pay return tickets upon the finish of the employment agreement (both for the beneficiary and his(her) family group)
Student Resident Visa
Foreign nationalities who want to start or continue education in Chile can apply for
Student Resident Visa. It gives you a chance to study in state or private educational establishments. But, it doesn't allow you to work. Furthermore, you can apply for a permanent residency permit at least 90 days before the expiration date. People who perform professional training or internships have a chance only to apply for a student visa when taken at a Chilean State or State-accredited educational institution or higher education or specialized institutions for which they need the particular registration. If not, they need to apply for a Temporary Resident Visa in professional or technical status, if holding the certifying degrees or a visa subject to contract if not holding them, presented they fit the other requirements proper to this type of visa.
Temporary Resident Visa for International Orientation
According to the WOS Global Ranking per discipline,
International Orientation Visa is designed for specialists who obtained a graduation diploma from one of the 150 top-ranked international academic establishments (currently used by Becas Chile). It is valid for one year, and applicants can extend it for another 12 months. The documents you will present are the application form, passport, photo, criminal record, professional or vocational degree, etc.
Temporary Resident Visa for Entrepreneurship Opportunities
It is another kind of temporary visa for entrepreneurship possibilities.
Validation of visa is 12 months, and it is extendable for another 12 months. The qualities you need to fit are; educational background, age, language, occupation, and territory. In addition to the
application form, passport, and photo, you will the documents below:
• SIELE or DELE international examination record, showing that applicants have a minimum of an intermediate-level proficiency in Spanish. If you are from Spanish speaking country, you will not need it.
• Paper that proves 100,000 USD of investment (minimum)
• Business plan
Temporary Resident Visa for Worker Opportunity
The terms and requirements of a worker visa are almost the with an entrepreneurship visa. Such as in the previous type, you need to answer educational level, age, language, occupation, and territory terms. Documents to collect are application form, passport, photo, criminal activity record, language proficiency result, and professional degree. Also, as other
resident visas, it is valid for a year and extendable for another year.
Chile visa processing time and the fee
How much does the
visa cost? The fee for a visa is the same for all residence permission types.
It changes in the range of 30-150 USD. Price may vary depending on the submission country. The last step of the application is waiting for processing. In general, it lasts 15-20 working days. If it lasts more than a month, get in touch with the embassy for further Chile visa information.