Residency visas in Chile

The following list contains all our articles about the various types of visas in Chile. You can click on each one to get an overview. We recommend you to read first the introduction page about Immigration in Chile.

Complete list of all types of residency visas in Chile

Chile's temporary residence permit (Residencia Temporal) is split into the subcategories listed in Article 10 of Decreto 177. ^[1][2] Click on each one to get an overview:

• Work visa: paid work in Chile under a Chilean employment contract of at least three months.
• Investor visa: for investors (and qualifying senior staff) investing USD 500,000 or more in the production of goods or services in Chile.
• Retirement visa: for foreign retirees with a pension sufficient to meet basic living needs.
• Rentista visa: for foreigners with regular income from real estate or financial assets sufficient to meet basic needs.
• Student visa: for foreigners enrolled in a State-recognized higher education establishment.
• Family reunification visa: for foreigners with qualifying family ties to a Chilean citizen or permanent resident.
• Dependent visa: for family members of any temporary residence permit holder, in a dependent capacity.
• Medical treatment visa: for foreigners starting or continuing medical treatment at a Chilean health provider.
• Religious visa: for foreigners belonging to a legally constituted religious entity, for worship-related activities.
• Business visa: for foreigners who must regularly visit Chile for executive or management duties tied to a business or investment.
• International agreements (incl. Mercosur): for nationals or residents of States with an international agreement granting Chilean residence, including the Mercosur visa and the working holiday visa.
• Seasonal worker visa: for foreigners performing specific seasonal or recurring work, capped at six months per calendar year.
• Job-search visa: for foreigners seeking employment opportunities in Chile, subject to quota availability.
• Returning resident visa: for former holders of permanent residence whose status was tacitly revoked.
• Pregnancy visa: for pregnant foreign women already in Chile under a transitory stay or temporary residence permit.
• Humanitarian visas: a grouped page covering victims of human trafficking, victims of domestic or gender-based violence, victims of migrant smuggling, and foreign minors present in Chile.
• Asylum and refuge: a grouped page covering refugee applicants, recognized refugees, and foreigners granted political asylum.

Permanent residency

• Permanent residency (Residencia Definitiva): indefinite settlement in Chile, unrestricted lawful activities, and visa-free re-entry, typically after 24 months of eligible temporary residence. ^[2][3]

Renewing your visa

Already hold a temporary or permanent residence permit that is coming up for expiry? See the visa renewal guide for the prórroga (renewal) process, deadlines, and required documents.

Common residency visas that do not (or no longer) exist in Chile

The visas in the following list used to be available in Chile, or they are not, but lots of foreigners are looking for information about them. If you are in this situation, for each visa, we present alternative visas that could help you relocate to Chile:

• Tech visa: This visa was available for tech startups until 2022.
• Digital Nomad / Remote worker visa: Chile does not have a digital nomad visa. See alternatives.