Are you looking to invest in Chile? You may want to create a new company in Chile? Or buy real estate assets? Or open a branch of your company in Chile? There are so many reasons and options to invest in Chile…
Do you need more information on the Chile investor visa? Do you want to know if your investment project is enough to qualify for an investor visa in Chile? Or what type of documents are required to apply for Chilean investor visa?
In this article, we detail why Chile is a great opportunity to invest, and the steps you need to go through to get an investor visa for Chile
Chile is considered the most stable and prosperous country in South America, offering attractive business and investment opportunities in various sectors such as energy or real estate. This is one of the reasons why Chile attracts many foreigners.
Below are some examples of investment opportunities in Chile, but there are still many more:
An investor visa is one of the temporary residence visas. It allows you to live one or two years within the country, and gives you the right to work and invest in Chile.
Since the 2022 immigration law, the investor visa has been restriced. It is focused on foreigners who either:
In the first case, you will be ask to prove that you have the funds. In the second case, you will have to show the equity link between the foreign and Chilean companies.
If you do not qualify for this visa, you should have a look at the retirement/rentista visa or the work visa in Chile.
The Chilean investment agency defines the investor visa requirements. This agency issued a resolution in August 2022, which specifies the different types of documents to provide them based on the project size and category. We won’t elaborate here, as a case-by-case analysis of your project is required to assess its category and determine the required documents. We recommend you to book a consultation to review your situation more in depth.
Based on your situation, some other types of visa might be more suitable for your project. Feel fee to book a consultation, so that we can analyze more in depth your situation.
Yes, if your origin country allows dual citizenship.. Dual citizenship is recognized in Chile, so you can keep your current nationality and get Chilean citizenship. After 5 years living in Chile using your investor visa then permanent residency, you can apply for the Chilean nationality. It usually takes two to three years to obtain it.
No. Chile does not officially restrict any nationality and anyone could in theory get an investor visa in Chile. Yet, a criminal background check is required and you may be denied your investor visa if you have committed serious crimes in the past.
Yes and No. Spanish is not required to get a visa in Chile, especially for an investor visa in which you demonstrate that you have enough assets for your project (and thus no need to master Spanish to find a job). Yet, it you plan to invest and do business in Chile, you will need to send a business plan to the investment agency. Therefore, you should learn Spanish, as not all Chileans speak English. Furthermore, if you plan to apply for citizenship, it will be required.
Not at the start. All the visa application process in performed online, before coming to Chile. So, you do not necessarily need to visit Chile to get a visa, but you will need to come to Chile to activate your visa once you get it. It is possible to apply (and actually required) for an investor visa outside Chile. You can be required to travel if there is no Chilean consulate in your country and you need to legalize documents, or if they want you to come to an appointment before granting you the visa.
Most probably No. You might be requested to come for an interview at the consulate. Yet, if your visa application is detailed enough, and you supply documents that really explain your project and assets, it is unlikely that they ask for an interview.
No. There is no official requirement regarding income level, but your investment project must be above USD 500,000.
No. You are not required to live in Chile all year round. Since the immigration law that came in force in February 2022, there is no mimimum amount of time to spend in Chile (it used to be 6 months). Yet, if you want to apply for permanent residency, not living a lot in Chile will extend the time you have to be a temporary resident, before being allowed to apply for permanent residency.
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