The Chile Job-Search Visa, Explained
Chile created a temporary residence permit specifically for foreigners who want to come and search for employment opportunities, rather than arriving with a contract already in hand. Here is what the law says about it — and what it does not yet spell out.
What is the Job-Search Visa?
The Job-Search Visa — officially the Residencia Temporal – Oportunidades Laborales (Job-Search Temporary Residence) — is a temporary residence permit for foreigners who want to come to Chile to look for employment opportunities, rather than arriving with a signed contract already in hand. It is one of the 16 temporary-residence subcategories created under Decreto 177, and its specific requirements are set under Article 162 of Ley 21.325 and subject to quota availability under Chile's National Migration Policy.
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Who is this visa for?
This visa is for foreigners who want to enter Chile specifically to search for employment opportunities, without a Chilean-based employment contract, job offer, or services contract already signed — that scenario is instead covered by the work visa. Based on the requirements the structured legal data does capture, you need to:
- hold a passport valid for at least one year at the date of application;
- provide a criminal background certificate covering your country of origin and any country where you have lived in the last 5 years;
- not fall under any of the imperative entry prohibitions of Ley 21.325 art. 32 (for example: convictions or open proceedings tied to terrorism or INTERPOL listings, certain health impediments, unauthorized border crossing in the last 5 years, an active expulsion or entry-prohibition order, convictions for serious crimes such as trafficking or violent offenses, or U.N. Security Council sanctions); and
- apply while quota is available under Chile's National Migration Policy for this subcategory.
You normally apply from abroad; the one exception is for foreigners who already hold a Chilean student permit and are in the final phase of a Master's or Doctoral program, who may apply from within Chile.
Note
Requirements partially mapped. Decreto 177 art. 28 delegates the specific eligibility criteria for the job-search subcategory to a separate implementing instrument under Ley 21.325 art. 162, and that instrument is not present in the structured legal data behind this site. The conditions above cover what the general temporary-residence articles (art. 11, art. 32) and this subcategory's own articles (art. 28-30) establish — they are not necessarily the complete list. Confirm the full, current requirements directly with SERMIG before you apply.
Who does not qualify
If you already have a signed employment contract, a formal job offer, or a self-employed services contract with a Chilean-based party, the work visa — not the job-search visa — is the subcategory built for your situation. You also cannot qualify while quota is unavailable under the National Migration Policy for this subcategory, or if you fall under one of the imperative entry prohibitions of Ley 21.325 art. 32 (for example, an active expulsion order, or certain criminal convictions).
Required documents
- Criminal record certificate (last 5 years)
- Valid passport
Requirements come from the official eligibility rules; always confirm against the cited source before applying.
Note
Documents issued by a foreign public institution must be legalized or apostilled per Articles 345 and 345 bis of the Code of Civil Procedure. Documents not in Spanish or English need an authorized translation. Public documents must be dated within 60 calendar days of filing, and private documents within 30 calendar days (the Director may exceptionally accept older documents on reasoned request).
As explained above, Decreto 177 art. 28 hands off this subcategory's specific supporting-document list to a separate instrument under Ley 21.325 art. 162 that is not present in the structured data behind this site. The checklist above reflects only the documents that every temporary-residence application shares (passport, criminal background certificate) — treat it as a floor, not a complete list, and verify the current full document list with SERMIG.
Duration and renewal
SERMIG grants the job-search visa for up to 24 months per period, subject to quota availability under the National Migration Policy. To renew, request between 90 and 10 days before your current permit expires and show, at the time of the renewal application, that you still meet this subcategory's applicable requirements — Decreto 177 does not spell out those renewal criteria in the structured data behind this site (see the note above). See the visa renewal page for the general renewal process.
Fees
The job-search visa is a temporary-residence permit, so its fee — like other Chilean visa fees — depends on the applicant's citizenship, and this subcategory has its own fee tier. See the Chile visa fees page for more information; SERMIG sets and updates the actual amounts on its own tariff schedule.
Application process
You apply for the job-search visa the same way as Chile's other temporary-residence categories — from abroad, at the competent Chilean consulate. The one exception is for foreigners who already hold a Chilean student permit and are in the final phase of a Master's or Doctoral program: they may apply from within Chile. While your application is pending, SERMIG issues a processing certificate that can authorize you to remain in the country. See the temporary visa application process for the general filing steps.
Path to permanent residency and citizenship
The job-search subcategory is one of the temporary-residence categories that Ley 21.325 allows to apply for permanent residency, requiring at least 24 months of continuous, eligible temporary residence. From permanent residency, standard naturalization requires more than 5 years of continuous residence (reduced to 2 years with a qualifying family tie to a Chilean citizen). See the permanent residency and citizenship pages for the full requirements.
Statutory minimums — actual processing adds time on top. Details on the visa page.
Frequently Asked Questions about the job-search visa in Chile
Job-search visa application process
No, with one exception. This permit is filed from abroad, at the competent Chilean consulate. The one exception: foreigners who already hold a Chilean student permit and are in the final phase of a Master's or Doctoral program may apply from within Chile instead.
You can find the current application time on this page, section "Reply Time" — SERMIG does not publish a fixed processing deadline for this permit.
At minimum, a passport valid for at least one year and a criminal background certificate covering the last 5 years, like every other temporary-residence application. Decreto 177 art. 28 hands the detailed, subcategory-specific requirements for this permit off to a separate implementing instrument issued under Ley 21.325 art. 162, and that instrument is not published in the structured legal sources we rely on for this site — see the note below. Confirm the current, complete document list directly with SERMIG before you apply.
Decreto 177 art. 28 states this permit is available to foreigners seeking employment opportunities, but delegates the specific requirements to a separate instrument that SERMIG issues under Ley 21.325 art. 162 — and quota availability under the National Migration Policy also applies. That implementing instrument is not present in the structured legal data behind this site, so we cannot list a complete eligibility test here. Check the SERMIG site or ask SERMIG directly for the current, full criteria before you rely on this permit.
Job-search visa conditions
Yes. You can relocate with the following family members: your spouse or civil partner, children under 18 years old, children with disabilities, unmarried children under 24 years old who are (or will be) studying in Chile, and minors under your personal care or guardianship. You must demonstrate you can economically support them. Additional documents are needed to establish the family link. See the temporary visa page for more information.
SERMIG grants the job-search permit for up to 24 months per period, renewable, subject to quota availability under Chile's National Migration Policy.
Yes. Valid temporary residents can enter and exit Chile without a limit on the number of trips. Make sure you are separately allowed to enter your destination country — being allowed to leave Chile does not guarantee entry elsewhere.
Yes. Unlike most temporary-residence subcategories, Decreto 177 art. 28 makes this permit explicitly subject to quota availability under Chile's National Migration Policy. SERMIG can limit how many job-search permits it grants in a given period, and meeting the paperwork requirements does not by itself secure a permit while quota is unavailable.
Decreto 177's articles governing this permit (Articles 28-30) do not set out a language or cultural test.
Yes. Temporary residents can change subcategory if they meet the new subcategory's requirements, by filing the request between 90 and 10 days before their current permit expires.
The job-search permit is itself work-authorized, so Decreto 177 does not force you to change subcategory the moment you sign a contract. In practice, once you have a Chilean-based employer and a qualifying contract, the work visa is the subcategory built around that situation — its renewal and permanent-residency rules are tied to your employment relationship in a way the job-search permit's are not. You can apply to change subcategory to the work visa, on the same 90-to-10-day-before-expiry window as any other subcategory switch, provided you meet the work visa's own requirements: a signed employment contract, a notarized job offer, or a self-employed services contract with a Chilean-based party.
Visa renewal / Permanent residency
Yes. Request the renewal between 90 and 10 days before your current permit expires, using the general temporary-residence renewal window. Decreto 177 art. 30 additionally requires you to show, at the time of the renewal application, that you still meet this subcategory's applicable requirements. The detailed renewal criteria are set by the same implementing instrument referenced above (issued under Ley 21.325 art. 162) and are not published in the structured legal data we rely on, so confirm the current renewal requirements with SERMIG before your permit expires.
Yes for permanent residency: the job-search subcategory is one of the temporary-residence categories that allows applying for permanent residency, after at least 24 months of continuous, eligible temporary residence. No for citizenship directly: you must hold permanent residency first, then show more than 5 years of continuous residence for standard naturalization (reduced to 2 years with a qualifying family tie to a Chilean citizen) — see the citizenship page for details.
SERMIG sets Chilean visa fees on its own tariff schedule, and this subcategory has its own fee tier within it. See the Chile visa fees page for more information.
Note
This is a private immigration information service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by SERMIG (Servicio Nacional de Migraciones) or the Government of Chile, and this content is not legal advice. Official applications must be filed directly at serviciomigraciones.cl. For legal representation in a Chilean immigration matter, consult a licensed attorney in Chile.
References
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