Want to know how to live in Chile or with residency?
This article will provide you with the basics of how to achieve that.
By first talking about living in Chile on a tourist visa…
Then moving onto the nuances of that…
Such as the possibility of doing a visa run….
And also the consequences of overstaying your visa…
Before ending it on the topic of the temporary and permanent residency programs that exist.
For those who wish to live in this country longer than what a tourist visa allows…
And do to so legally and with more security.
So let’s get to it!
Tourist Visa in Chile
A tourist visa is good for up to 90 days in Chile.
And you can extend it for another 90 days.
Overstay Your Visa?
There seems to be mixed answers online about this but the information I have found is the following…
If you have overstayed your visa by 1 to 100 days, you will pay 40,871 CLP.
If you have overstayed your visa by 101 to 190 days, you will pay 53,876 CLP.
If you have overstayed your visa by 191 to 375 days, you will pay 68,738 CLP.
And if you overstayed by 376 days or more, you will pay 89,173 CLP.
The fines also seem more expensive if you reported by the PDI with the highest fee I am seeing being at 228,507 CLP.
However, the fine I am seeing a lot of foreigners reporting online is roughly around 40 USD – which seems to be the more common experience.
So expect roughly 40 to 100 USD more or less for what you will most likely end up paying.
Visa Runs?
Yes!
You can do a visa run and it doesn’t seem to matter too much if you leave for a day, a month or a year.
You can leave to a nearby country like Argentina or Bolivia and come back the following day to get another 90 day visa extension.
Temporary Residency in Chile
If you want to have temporary residency in Chile, then there are various categories you can try to fall under in order get one.
Some of the more common categories are:
- Being a family member of a Chilean citizen or someone with permanent residency in Chile.
- You are retired looking to live abroad with a retirement income.
- You are looking to do professional journalism work in Chile.
- You have been approved to do academic work or studies in Chile.
- A religious worker.
- You plan on investing in Chile.
- You have a pre-approved contract for employment in Chile.
But if you want to live in Chile long term and get a permanent visa…
Permanent Residency in Chile
Now if you want to live more longer term in Chile on a permanent residency visa.
From what I have read, it is required you fall under one of the three following groups:
- Been a temporary resident for at least 1 year.
- Have a “subject to contract” work visa for 2 years at least.
- Have been on a student visa for at least 2 years and finished your professional studies.
Keep in mind also that, from what I have read, Chile doesn’t necessarily have specific income requirements for gaining permanent residency in Chile.
But, from what I have read, it seems that more or less around a 1,000 bucks per month is expected for those planning on getting permanent residency in Chile.
But that could vary by where exactly you plan on living as the cost of living can vary a bit by where you indicate where you will live.
And that’s the basics for now!
More information to come at a later point.
If you have any questions or concerns, drop a comment below.
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Thanks.
Best regards,
Matt