Last updated on 08/09/2026
On this page
Temporary residence covers work, family, income, study, investment, and other specific reasons for living in Chile. This page compares the categories and their requirements. Many categories can later lead to permanent residency; see the residency section for how the two statuses work.
Key facts (as of 2026)
- Lets you live in Chile for a set purpose (work, family, income, study, and similar), usually 1-2 years, often renewable.
- Many categories can lead to permanent residency.
- Since 2022 you generally cannot enter as a tourist and switch to residence inside Chile. Family reunification and some humanitarian cases are exceptions.
- Expect about 6-8 months SERMIG processing after a clean filing.
- Check that the category and apostilles match the requirements before filing.
Need help with your visa?
The service includes:
- The visa category checked for your case
- The application file prepared and submitted
- Follow-up until your Chilean ID card is issued
Main temporary residency categories
Work (Chilean employer contract)
Applies to: people with (or about to sign) a contract with a Chilean employer.
Does not apply to: remote work paid only by a foreign company with no Chilean contract.
More details: Chile work visa · Application help: visa support service
Retirement (pension income)
Applies to: recurring pension income (public or private).
Does not apply to: rental or dividend income without a pension; see the rentista category.
More details: Chile retirement visa · Application help: visa support service
Rentista (other passive income)
Applies to: rents, dividends, interest, annuities, and royalties (passive income only).
Does not apply to: freelancing, remote salaries, or client invoices.
More details: Rentista visa Chile · Application help: visa support service
Investor (productive investment)
Applies to: active investment projects, typically USD 500,000+; there is no golden visa or real-estate-only route.
More details: Chile investor visa · Application help: visa support service
Family reunification
Applies to: spouses, children, or parents of Chileans or permanent residents. This is one of the few categories often available from inside Chile.
More details: Family reunification visa · Application help: visa support service
After temporary residence, many people aim for permanent residency and later citizenship by naturalization. If you already have a Chilean parent or grandparent born in Chile, see citizenship by descent instead of stacking visas.
Temporary Residence Visas
A temporary resident visa for Chile allows you to stay legally in the country. They are usually issued with a validity of one or two years. You can renew them or apply for permanent residency if your temporary visa category allows it and if you meet the criteria for a Permanent Residency application.
There are multiple types of temporary residence visas. Here is a quick comparison:
| Visa type | Who it's for | Duration | Path to PR? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work contract | Employed by a Chilean company | 2 years | Yes |
| Retirement | Retirees with retirement pension | 2 years | Yes |
| Rentista | Foreigners with recurring passive income | 2 years | Yes |
| Investor | Investors with USD 500k+ | 2 years | Yes |
| Family reunification | Family of Chilean citizens or permanent residents | 2 years | Yes |
| MERCOSUR | Citizens of AR, BO, BR, PY, UY | 2 years | Yes |
| Religious | Religious workers in registered institutions | 2 years | Yes |
| Student | Full-time students | 1 year (renewable) | Yes but renewal first |
| Medical treatment | Patients needing healthcare in Chile | Varies | No |
| Pregnant women | Expectant mothers in Chile | 1 year | Not directly |
| Multiple-entry business | Business visitors, max 6 months/year | 1 year | Difficult |
| Former Resident | Foreigners who used to be permanent resident | 2 years | Yes |
Below more details about the different kinds of temporary visas in Chile:
Decree 177, published in May 2022, details the new categories of temporary visas in Chile following the implementation of the new immigration law in February 2022. The list on this page takes into account the updated categories introduced by this decree.
Need help with your visa?
The service includes:
- The visa category checked for your case
- The application file prepared and submitted
- Follow-up until your Chilean ID card is issued
Family reunification visa
This visa is for you if you have a direct link with a Chilean citizen or a foreigner with permanent residence, who can be:
- your spouse (married or civil union),
- one of your parents,
- one of your children.
This is a visa you can apply for while living in Chile as a tourist. You must apply for other visa types before coming to Chile.
Read more: Family reunification visa for Chile
Temporary visa for a former resident in Chile
This visa category is for foreigners who were living in Chile with permanent residency and have left Chile for more than two years, leading to the tacit revocation of this permanent residency.
Work contract visa / Visa de Residencia Sujeta a Contrato
The work contract visa (visa sujeta a contrato) allows foreign citizens who come to Chile to work for a Chilean company. To qualify for this visa, you must already have a work/freelance contract signed with a company, or a signed offer.
Do not use this visa if you come to Chile while maintaining your work contract with a foreign company. In that case, you may qualify for an investor visa, but not for the work visa. See the work visa page.
This visa does not allow you to relocate to Chile to look for a job. You can only apply to this visa with a work contract signed by a Chilean company, which you will then sign yourself at the nearest consulate of Chile in your home country. So do not come to Chile as a tourist and expect to switch visa category by signing a work contract after arriving. It won't work.
See the work visa in Chile.
Temporary visa for religious persons
This temporary visa allows religious foreigners from churches, orders, or congregations recognized in the country to come to Chile to carry out religious, educational, or assistance activities. You cannot use this visa if your church/congregation has no legal presence in Chile.
This visa is only granted to religious persons joining an existing, registered religious institution. You cannot get a religious visa to create a new religious institution.
See the Chile religious visa.
Retirement visa
This temporary visa is for retirees who can demonstrate a recurring retirement pension from outside Chile. It allows them to stay in Chile for one or two years. Since the new immigration law came into force, all visas in this category have been issued for two years.
Read more: Retirement visa for Chile
Rentista visa
This temporary visa is for foreigners who can demonstrate a recurring passive income generated outside Chile, from:
- income generated by real estate rentals,
- dividends generated by financial assets.
It allows them to stay in Chile for one or two years. Since the new immigration law came into force, all visas in this category have been issued for two years.
You must demonstrate qualifying recurring income for this category.
Read more: Rentista visa for Chile
Temporary visa for investors
This temporary residence is for entrepreneurs, investors, or business owners who travel to Chile for more than ninety days due to their activities and interests in the country.
The investor visa requires USD 500,000 investment in Chile, so it is not for everyone. It can also be granted to foreign companies with a Chilean branch, which need to send employees to Chile. If you are an entrepreneur or a small investor, other visa categories might be more useful.
Read more: Investor visa for Chile
Temporary visa for pregnant women
This visa allows pregnant women to stay in Chile for one year. You need to be able to justify economic means while you stay in Chile.
Read more: Pregnant women visa for Chile
Temporary visa for a medical treatment
This visa allows foreigners coming to Chile to undertake specific medical treatments to stay in Chile for one year. You need to be able to justify economic means while you stay in Chile.
Read more: Medical visa for Chile
MERCOSUR - Principle of international reciprocity
This visa allows nationals of Mercosur member states: Argentinians, Bolivians, Brazilians, Paraguayans, and Uruguayans, to stay in Chile as temporary residents, regardless of the activity they come to perform, as long as they do not have criminal records.
See our guide to the Chile MERCOSUR visa.
Multiple-entry business visa
This permit is for foreigners who, for business purposes or to manage investments that foreign companies maintain in Chile, must regularly come to the country but only stay in Chile for up to six months per calendar year.
This visa category requires fewer documents. Although it can lead to permanent residency, the limit of six months in Chile per year prevents applicants from qualifying after 2 years, so they must extend the visa for another 2 years.
Student visa
The student visa is for foreigners who travel to Chile to study as regular students. It only allows studying. However, you are authorized to work part-time with this visa, as long as you do not work more than 30 hours per week. The duration usually is one to two years, based on the duration of your studies.
Digital nomads and remote workers
Chile does not have a digital nomad visa. If you work remotely for a foreign company, you have options: mainly the tourist visa (short-term) or the rentista visa (long-term). See our digital nomad guide.
Other visa types
There are a few other types that we do not detail as they are unlikely to apply to our clients:
- Foreigners subject to the custody of the Gendarmerie of Chile
- Foreigners who are in Chile by order of National Courts of Justice.
- Humanitarian reasons
- Seasonal workers
Permanent Residency, the next step
After holding a temporary visa for a certain period, generally 24 months, you may be eligible to apply for permanent residency in Chile. Temporary residence lets you live in Chile for a defined period; permanent residence removes the renewal cycle and can later lead to citizenship.
Check the permanent residency rules when choosing your temporary category. We can help you select the category and prepare the application.
Frequently Asked Questions about temporary residency in Chile
What is a temporary residence visa, also called a temporary visa, in Chile?
It is a temporary authorization (for a determined period) to live in Chile and perform any activity authorized by law.
Can I apply for a Chile temporary visa from abroad?
Yes.
Can I apply for a temporary visa after arriving in Chile as a tourist?
It depends. Following the 2022 immigration reform, you must apply from abroad. If you enter Chile as a tourist, only applications for certain temporary visa types are allowed to be sent while in Chile, such as the family link visa, for people having a link with a Chilean or a permanent resident in Chile, and humanitarian visas such as the pregnancy visa.
What are the requirements to get a temporary residence visa in Chile?
There are specific requirements for each type of Temporary visa. The major criteria for Chile to grant a temporary residence, is to be sure that you have recurring income, or a lump sum of money allowing you to live in Chile upon arrival, while you are looking for a job, creating your company, studying…
There are no fixed income requirements.
What is the cost of a temporary visa in Chile?
It depends on the nationality of the applicant. See our page Cost of visa in Chile.
If I have a family relationship with a Chilean, what type of temporary visa should I request?
You can apply for a temporary visa for "Family link" if you have a first-grade family link with a Chilean citizen, which means, if you are:
- father or mother of a Chilean citizen,
- spouse of a Chilean citizen,
- child of a Chilean citizen.
Can I work in Chile with a student visa?
Yes. You can work with a student visa, but you are limited to 30 hours per week.
What is the cost of a visa/temporary residency in Chile?
It depends on the type of visa/work permit you request and your nationality. See our page Cost of visas in Chile.
Once I have my work / temporary visa or permanent residency, what should I do?
Within 30 days of receiving your visa, you must request your Chilean identity card: go to the nearest civil registry office. It may take more than 30 days to receive it, but as long as you have requested an appointment within 30 days of receiving your visa, you are good to go.
Can I move to Chile as a US citizen?
Yes. There is no special pathway for Americans: you qualify through one of the temporary residence categories like everyone else, most commonly the work contract visa, the retirement visa, the rentista visa, or the investor visa. The application is filed online from the US before you travel, because since the 2022 reform you cannot enter as a tourist and switch to residency from inside Chile.
How hard is it to get residency in Chile?
It depends. if you fit a category. Chile has no points system or quotas: if you have a work contract, recurring income, a qualifying investment, or a family link, approval is the norm. The real friction is practical: apostilled and translated documents, and processing times of around 6-8 months for temporary visas.
