The Chile Family Visa, Explained

Both. The family reunification visa is one of the few Chilean temporary visas you can apply for either from outside Chile or after arriving in Chile as a tourist. Either way, your sponsor must file the application. Your sponsor is the Chilean citizen or permanent resident in Chile you have the family tie with. They file through the Migration Service electronic platform, using their Clave Única (Chile's unified digital ID/authentication system, issued by the Civil Registry Service). There is a slight difference in the documents to provide depending on where you apply from. See the required documents section above.^[2][6][7][8]

Not necessarily. Family members can apply separately, each through their own sponsor-filed application. Yet, we recommend applying all together. A grouped application simplifies the rest of the process, as all family members can go to the civil register once to get all their Chilean ID cards.^[9][10][11]

The family reunification visa is a category of temporary visa. Processing times are set by SERMIG and vary. You can find the current indicator in the "Visa Processing Time" box on the Chile immigration hub page.^[12][13]

No. The Chile immigration service does not provide an option to expedite the visa process.^[13][14]

Yes. You can bring the following family members to Chile under your family visa: spouse or an equivalent civil-union partner, parents, children under 18 years old, children with disabilities, unmarried children under 24 years old who are studying, and minors under your care or guardianship. To clarify, this means that you can reunite with a family member in Chile but also include other family members together in the same application. One example would be reuniting with your spouse in Chile and including a child from a previous union in the same application.^[2][9][11]

Your spouse (marriage or civil union, including a same-sex partner). Your father or mother. Your children under 18 years old. Your children with a disability. Your unmarried children under 24 years old who are studying. Minors under your care or guardianship.^[2][9][15]

No. You cannot include extended family members like cousins or grandparents under the family visa. Decreto 177 art. 12 sets a closed list of qualifying ties (spouse/equivalent partner, parent, minor child, disabled child, single child under 24 studying, or minor under guardianship). Other family members, even brothers/sisters, cannot use this visa.^[2][11]

Step-children or children from previous marriages are treated similarly to biological children in the visa application process in Chile. They can be included in the family reunification visa application if they are under 18 years old, have a disability, or are unmarried, under 24 years old, and studying.^[2][9][11]

Yes, for elderly parents, since a parent is a direct qualifying tie under Decreto 177 art. 12. No, for grandparents under the family visa, as they are not on the closed list of qualifying ties. Grandparents may instead qualify for a medical-treatment residence permit if they need care in Chile.^[2][16]

When a child turns 18 while on a family visa in Chile, their visa status may change. They can remain on the family visa until they are 24 years old as long as they study at an educational institution recognized by the state. As they turn 18, they are also allowed to work.^[2][11]

The immigration service grants the family reunification visa for up to 24 months per period, renewable.^[1][2]

Yes. You can travel in and out of Chile without any restrictions on a family visa.^[6][17]

No. There is no cap on the number of family visas issued each year by Chile.^[17][18]

No. There are no language or cultural courses required as part of the family visa application process in Chile. If you don't know Spanish, starting to familiarize yourself with it might be a good idea to speed up your integration into the country, but this is optional.^[2][9]

No. The family reunification visa aims at allowing families to reunite. For this reason, there is no requirement to demonstrate financial support. This exemption applies specifically when the family tie is with a Chilean citizen or permanent resident, which is what this visa requires. If instead your family member is only a temporary resident, you cannot use this visa. The dependent visa route applies instead, and it requires showing the temporary-resident titular's financial capability to support you.^[2][9]

Proof of financial support is not required for the family reunification visa itself. If your family member in Chile is only a temporary resident (not a Chilean citizen or permanent resident), see the dependent visa page, which does require the titular to show economic activity or stable income.^[2][9]

Yes. If you hold a family reunification temporary residence permit, you are authorized to work in Chile, subject to Labor Code limitations on the employment of minors. Children over 18 but under 24 can also study at an educational institution recognized by Chile while remaining on the family visa.^[2][6]

There are no specific age restrictions for parents or for children below 18. Children over 18 but under 24 qualify for the family visa only if they study at an institution recognized by Chile.^[2][11]

No. There is no medical certificate to provide or medical examination to undergo for the family reunification visa.^[11][16]

It depends. Birth requires filing a separate application for the newborn child but does not affect the rest of the family's visas.

A marriage or civil union does not affect any existing visas. But it may give a foreigner the option to apply for this visa (or the dependent visa) if they form a qualifying relationship with a Chilean citizen, a permanent resident, or a temporary resident.

Divorce and death are most likely to affect a visa: once granted, the immigration service does not revoke the permit automatically due to a family event. But renewal will be more challenging, since renewal of the family reunification permit specifically requires proving the family tie remains in effect. You may need to change to a different visa category.

Yes. Chile recognizes same-sex relationships. A same-sex partner can apply for a family visa if both partners have contracted a civil union, either in Chile or abroad, since a civil union is treated as producing effects equivalent to marriage.^[2][19]

No. Common-law partnerships or long-term cohabiting relationships do not qualify for family visa applications in Chile, even if the couple has children, unless the partners have formalized a marriage or civil union that produces effects equivalent to marriage under Chilean law.^[2][9]

Yes. Please note that leaving Chile with children below 18 requires a notarized certificate of authorization from the other parent.^[2][20]

Foreign citizens who hold permanent residency can sponsor family members under this visa. There is no minimum stay as a permanent resident before doing so. If you are still a temporary resident, you cannot sponsor family members through this visa. The dependent visa is the applicable route, and it requires you to show economic activity or stable income to support them.^[2]

Yes. Family members can switch to another visa type, such as a student or work visa, while in Chile, if they meet the requirements for the visa category they are applying for and comply with the applicable deadlines. Family-visa holders are also allowed to engage in paid activities, except for minors, subject to Labor Code limitations.^[2][6]

Yes. You must request renewal of the residence permit between 90 and 10 days before the current permit expires. For the family reunification visa specifically, you must additionally prove that the family tie with the Chilean citizen or permanent resident sponsor remains in effect.^[2][4]

Yes, for permanent residency. The standard residency period before applying for permanent residency (Residencia Definitiva) is 24 months. The Regional Director may discretionarily reduce this to a minimum of 12 months on family-tie grounds. This is a discretionary reduction, not an entitlement.

Not directly for citizenship. You must first hold permanent residency, then complete 5 years of continuous residence as a permanent resident (age 18+) to apply for standard naturalization. Because this visa's underlying tie can be to either a Chilean citizen or a permanent resident, not every holder qualifies for Chile's faster "qualified" naturalization route. That 2-year path is limited to a spouse married to a Chilean citizen for at least 2 years, or a child of a naturalized Chilean. It does not extend to parents, more distant relatives, or family members whose sponsor is a permanent resident rather than a Chilean citizen. See the citizenship page for details.