The Chile Permanent Residency, Explained
Planning to call Chile your permanent home? Explore the process of obtaining permanent residency in the jewel of South America, Chile. This article guides you through the steps of the application process, documents required, and answers all the questions you may have about the Chilean permanent residency. Let's start!
What is a Permanent Residency in Chile?
The permanent residency is a visa or permit that allows you to remain indefinitely in Chile. It is also an intermediary status between temporary residency and citizenship, required if you want to apply for citizenship in the future.
Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of applying for permanent residency versus maintaining your temporary visa.
Advantages
- Once you are a permanent resident, you no longer need to renew your visa every one or two years. You maintain your permanent residency valid if you do not leave Chile for more than two years. You have to renew your Chilean ID card every five years, which is more straightforward.
- You get easier access to the banking system, in particular for mortgages. Banks are required to offer similar solutions to permanent foreign residents than to Chileans. If you want to buy a house or an apartment and need a mortgage in Chile, having a Permanent Residency will help you.
Disadvantages
Compared to simply renewing your temporary visa, the quantity of documents required is higher. Therefore, if you do not plan to stay more than four years in Chile, it may not be worth the trouble, and we advise you to renew your temporary visa after two years.
Into
Before the 2021 immigration law, everyone was required to apply for Permanent Residency after two years of temporary visa. This is not the case anymore, as the immigration department realized that not everyone comes to Chile to stay a long time.
Who can apply for a Permanent Residency in Chile? Is the Permanent Residency in Chile right for me?
The permanent option is an option to consider for you if you:
- plan to establish long-term in Chile.
- are interested in getting Chilean citizenship in the future.
- plan to leave Chile for some time, but still have an interest in coming back in the future.
- want to qualify for a real estate mortgage to buy a property in Chile.
There are better options than the permanent option if you come as an expatriate for 3-4 years. In that case, it is easier to renew your temporary residency.
Who can not apply for permanent residency?
The following categories:
- foreigners who do not already have a valid temporary visa (there is no fast track to apply for permanent residency directly),
- foreigners who let their temporary visa expire,
- foreigners who have a temporary visa but do not meet the criteria mentioned in the previous section.
Chile Permanent Residency eligibility
Applying for permanent residency in Chile is possible for foreigners who hold a temporary residence visa if they meet all these criteria:
- their temporary residence/visa has not expired. The application shall be filed between 90 days and 10 days before the expiration of the visa.
- the category of temporary visa they currently have allows to apply for permanent residency. Most categories allow it, but not the medical visa, the visa for seasonal workers, or all the specific visas for foreigners in custody.
- they meet the requirements regarding documents and the duration of their stay in Chile.
- they have spent at least 24 months in Chile.
The immigration service has implemented a rule to determine if you can apply for permanent residency immediately after your first temporary visa.
| Time spent outside Chile during the first 24-month visa | Permanent Residency Application |
|---|---|
| Less than 2 months outside Chile | You can directly apply for permanent residency. |
| Between 2 and 6 months | You must renew your temporary residency, then apply for permanent residency after 30 months. |
| Between 6 and 12 months | You must renew your temporary residency, then apply for permanent residency after 36 months. |
| More than 12 months | You must renew your temporary residency, then apply for permanent residency after 48 months. |
Documents that will be required
Documents required for all permanent residency applicants
- Copy of your passport (only the page with your photo)
- Background check of your country of origin
Specific documents
The documents required for the permanent vary based on the temporary visa category you currently have. The Chilean immigration service wants to validate that you are still complying with the criteria that you met when you applied for the temporary visa.
For example:
- Foreigners with a work visa in Chile are required to show that they still work for the company that hired them (or another one) and that they have paid all social contributions.
- Foreigners with a retirement visa in Chile shall demonstrate that they still receive a pension, while those with a rentista visa that they still receive real estate rents or dividends.
Look at the temporary visa categories for details about the documents required.
What are the fees for the Permanent Residency in Chile?
The cost to obtain permanent residency in Chile for a general foreigner is $118,604. However, if the foreigner has a Chilean spouse or is under 18 years old, the fee is waived.
How to apply for permanent residency in Chile
- Go on the immigration service platform
- Log in with your Clave Unica
- Click on the section Solicitud de Residencia Definitiva
- Start to fill in the information required and upload the documents
- You will receive a confirmation by email that your application has been received
- After around six months, you will receive a confirmation by email that your application is under review
- Wait for the reply from the immigration service (see current reply time in the right column of the main page)
- Book an appointment at the Civil Registry to get your new Chilean ID card. ID cards for permanent residents are valid for five years.
Permanent residency: validity/renewal process
Once granted permanent residency in Chile, it remains valid indefinitely while you stay in the country. There is no need to renew it.
Warning
If you leave the country, you can still lose your permanent residency if you remain outside Chile for over two years. It will expire automatically. This is misleading because people think that while their Chilean ID card is not expired, they still have permanent residency.
The only thing that will need to be renewed is your Chilean ID card. You must to come to Chile to do this, as the cards for foreigners can not be renewed at consulates. You must to be physically present to renew your Chilean ID card, as the request must be authenticated with your fingerprints. Once the document is ready, you can pick it up yourself. Or you can send someone to pick up the document on your behalf, with a valid power of attorney signed before a Chilean notary.
FAQ concerning the Permanent Residency in Chile
Permanent residency process
The reply time regarding the permanent residency is around 18 months. You can check this page, section Reply Time, for updated information. The process is lengthy but does not penalize your day-to-day life in Chile. You can continue to work/study in Chile, leave, and return to Chile using your expired ID card and the certificate of permanent residency application in progress.
The permanent residency in Chile does not expire if you stay in Chile. If you leave the country, it expires after two years. You can extend the validity by an extra two years by filing an extension request at the nearest consulate at least 60 days before the expiration (two years since the day you last left Chile). After four years, you are required to come back to Chile to maintain your permanent residency. The extension request at a consulate can only be done once.
No. The immigration service does not require health checks or medical tests to obtain permanent residency in Chile.
No. There is no easy option to cancel your permanent residency. Yet, the permanent residency in Chile is implicitly revoked if you stay outside Chile for more than two years. Therefore, you can simply let it expire.
Activities during the application process
Yes. You can work while your permanent residency application is being processed. During the process, you can download a certificate of permanent residency in process, which is valid for six months and can be renewed as long as the application is in progress. This certificate allows you to continue working in Chile without issue.
Yes. You can study while your permanent residency application is being processed.
It depends. If your family members are registered as dependientes under your visa, they can stay in Chile if they also apply for permanent residency and are waiting for the reply of the immigration service. If they are in another situation, such as tourists or not having renewed their temporary visa, they may not be legally allowed to stay in Chile. You should check with our local immigration specialist if the situation is not straightforward.
References
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