How to Get a Visa for Chile: Complete Process Guide [2026]

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If you're planning to move to Chile permanently or stay for an extended period, you'll need to navigate the Chilean visa process. This guide walks you through the complete administrative process, timelines, and key steps to successfully obtain your Chilean visa.

For short visits, most visitors from the USA, Europe, or Latin America receive a tourist permit at the airport — no advance application needed. See our tourist visa page for details.

The Complete Visa Process Overview

The Chilean visa process involves multiple steps and can take 6-8 months for temporary visas and up to 18 months for permanent residency. Here's what you need to know:

Processing Times (as of 2025)

• Temporary visas: 6-8 months
• Permanent residency: ~18 months
• Citizenship: ~2.5/3 years

Three Key Administrations

To relocate to Chile and legally stay there, you will interact with these government offices:

1. Servicio de Migraciones: The immigration service, where you complete all steps to apply for and receive your visa
2. PDI (Policía de Investigaciones): Police department that previously required visa registration (no longer needed since the 2022 immigration law)
3. Registro Civil: The Civil Registry that issues Chilean identity cards

Servicio de Migraciones: get the visa

In Chile, the process is long, between 6 to 8 months in total. For all types of visas, you must apply online on the immigration service website before coming to Chile, except if you have a family link with a Chilean or a permanent resident foreigner, in which case you can apply after arriving in Chile as a tourist.

The steps

1. You gather the required documents.

2. You apply for a visa. Everything is done online:

   • you create an account on the website of the immigration service
   • you fill in the application for the main visa holder
   • you pay online the visa fee. See visa fees here.
   • you fill in the applications for your dependants, and pay their visa fees if applicable.

3. After a few months, you receive a reply. If they rejected your application or ask for more documents, you answer and the review process restarts.

4. If your application is approved, the next step is to apply for an ID card at the Civil Register.

Documents you will need

Regardless of visa type, plan for these:

• Valid passport: at least 12 months remaining validity at the time of application.
• Criminal background check: from your country of residence, and from any country where you lived 2+ years in the past 5 years. Must be apostilled (Hague Convention countries) or legalized through a Chilean consulate (non-Hague countries).
• Certified translations: documents not in Spanish or English must be translated by a certified translator. The translation must also be apostilled or legalized.
• Specific documents: each visa type has its own requirements (income proof, work contract, etc.). See the page for your specific visa type.

PDI: Police Registration [No Longer Required]

You may still deal with PDI later as a permanent resident, but not when first arriving.

Registro civil: apply for your ID card

You must book an appointment on the site of the Registro Civil. They do not accept ID card applications without appointment.

You can consult this page to know the offices of the civil registry closest to your home.

You need your passport and your visa (the estampado electrónico that you downloaded on the platform of the immigration service). It costs around 5000 pesos. Be sure to have some change, as they don't like notes of 20,000.

Once you apply, the card is usually ready 5 to 6 weeks later. For the first appointment, you must go to the office where you requested an appointment. However, to withdraw the card, you can indicate another office during the appointment if you prefer. Someone else can also withdraw the ID for you, but you must sign a power of attorney to that person, at a notary.

Immigration Fines and Penalties

If you violate immigration rules in Chile, you may face fines. Here are the main infractions:

Types of Immigration Infractions

• Staying in Chile with an expired visa (tourist, work, temporary) or expired temporary residency
• Working without permission (both foreigner and employer can be sanctioned)
• Not requesting an identity card within 30 days after obtaining a temporary visa or permanent residence

Fine Amounts

Fine amounts depend on:

• Type of infraction
• Duration of violation
• Previous sanctions
• Reports from International Police

How to Pay Fines

Go to the immigration service website to calculate and pay your fine.

Next Steps

Once you understand the process:

1. Choose your visa type: Read our guide on the types of visas for Chile
2. Gather documents: Each visa type has specific requirements
3. Apply online: Submit your application through the immigration service website
4. Wait for approval: Monitor your application status
5. Get your ID card: Apply for an appointment at the Civil Registry within 30 days of activating your visa.

Need personalized help with your visa application? We offer visa support services to guide you through the entire process.

Do you want to go more in detail?

I wrote the Chile Handbook for Foreigners for anyone and everyone looking to move permanently and enjoy life in Chile. It's a 265-page book that goes over all aspects of relocating to Chile. Here is what you get:
✅ Practical tips based on 7-year relocation experience
✅ To-do lists to help you start
✅ Last updated in 2025

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