Permanent residency in Chile

If you want to be able to apply after the two years of your temporary visa, you must have stayed in Chile for at least 22 months. If not, you will have to renew your temporary visa for 6 to 24 months extra before being able to apply for permanent residency. Therefore, the longer you remain outside Chile, the longer you wait to apply for permanent residence.

You must apply within 90 days before the expiration of your temporary visa.

See our page Cost of visas in Chile, at the bottom of the page.

Register to the civil register within 30 days to obtain your updated identity card: go to the nearest Civil Registry office. You must bring with you: - Valid passport, - Certificate of permanent residency.

Absolutely. You are free to travel outside Chile while they process your request.

Two years uninterrupted. After that period, the immigration service can revoke your permanent residency automatically. To avoid this, at least 60 days before the expiration date, you may request a two-year extension at any Chilean consulate. You can only get one extension and spend four years outside Chile. This extension is helpful if you plan to live outside Chile for a few years. You can also come and spend a few days in Chile once every two years.

• By revocation: for foreigners in the situation described in article 32 of the ley 21.325).
• By tacit revocation (article 83 of the ley 21.325): for staying out of the country for more than two years without interruption without requesting an extension

Only one extension. After that, you must return for at least a few days in Chile. You can stay up to 4 years outside Chile while remaining a permanent resident.

It lasts forever unless it is revoked. Yet, be aware that the Chilean Identity card only lasts five years. This card must be renewed in Chile, as foreigners can not renew the Chilean ID card at a consulate.

You don't have to do any additional immigration process once you are a permanent resident, as long as you don't leave Chile for more than two years. Yet, once you have completed five years of residence in Chile (not only the permanent residency, some of the years with a temporary visa may count), you can apply for the Chilean nationality.

You could probably formally request that, although this is not a case planned by the immigration service. The easiest solution is to let it expire after two years outside Chile.

If you lose your certificate, you can request a duplicate online by following this link. To do so, you need your "clave única", your unique password provided by the Civil Register.

Students can apply when they:

• Have completed their professional or secondary education.
• Have resided for two years with a student visa.
• Have economic support. They must demonstrate it with a support letter, bank deposits, rental contracts, shares, etc.

No, but make sure to download a certificate from the website of the immigration service to justify that you have sent a permanent residency application.

Yes. They must start a standard application process and accredit income: work contracts, invoices, initiation of activities, VAT payments, shares, etc.

Yes. If you have lived in Chile for at least five years, counted from the date of your last work visa or temporary resident visa, and if you meet the legal requirements, you can apply for Chilean nationality. For more information on the subject, you can read this article.