PASSPORT CONTROLChile
ROUTES ON FILE 路 Residencia TemporalNo published income threshold. Applicants document lawful income and means; the amount is assessed case by case, not set by a public figure.
Every route we have on file
What the file has to contain
These are the documents the authorities expect for the lead route. This is a reference list, not an eligibility check: whether any one item is met depends on your own situation. Items marked for apostille must be legalized before they will be accepted.
Chile is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (in force 30 August 2016), so foreign-issued documents like the criminal background certificate are apostilled by the issuing country's competent authority rather than legalized through a Chilean consulate.
From paperwork to residence card
The recorded process folds into stages, each listing the real steps it covers. Timing depends on your consulate and is not fixed, so no week estimates are shown here.
Prepare and legalize
- Confirm the correct subcategory and requirements
- Gather and prepare documents
Lodge the application
- Apostille the criminal background certificate (and other foreign public documents as needed)
- Create an account on the digital portal
Decision and collection
- Complete and submit the online application and pay the fee
Arrive and register
- Track processing and respond to any information requests
- Enter Chile with the Estampado Electronico
- Obtain RUT and cedula de identidad para extranjeros
The law says
Official rules, verified against government text.
- Income requirement
- See formula
No published income threshold. Applicants document lawful income and means; the amount is assessed case by case, not set by a public figure. - Initial duration
- Up to 2 years
- Renewal
- Extendable, generally for up to 2 more consecutive years
- Maximum stay
- Up to ~2 years before qualifying for Residencia Definitiva
- Tax status
- Chile taxes residents on worldwide income, but new residents generally receive a 3-year exemption on FOREIGN-source income (extendable), during which only Chilean-source income is taxed. Confirm current rules with SII (Servicio de Impuestos Internos) and a tax advisor; this is practitioner-summarized, not quoted from statute here.
- Processing time
- Not published as a fixed SLA; submitted and tracked online.
- Official cost
- Fee varies by subcategory and nationality; no single flat figure published. Paid through the SERMIG digital portal.
- Official source
- Aranceles migratorios (migration fees)
The street says
15 SIGNALSWhat applicants report, kept separate from the official numbers.
Voices from the field
Moving to Chile: Treasure or Trap in 2026?The Expat 路 2026-02-14
The main options for an initial temporary residency permit are a job offer/contract from an entity in Chile, family reunification...
Family of 4 but it could be tight and don't know if I could get approved. I have 1 rental which I make very minimal on
You can renew your tourist visa for a second 90 days for 180 days in total. In the past, people did border runs to get another stay, but I'm not [sure now]
2026. You can renew a tourist stay for a second 90 days (180 total), but the old border-run trick to reset it is reportedly no longer reliable.
Open the full source file (10)
- Aranceles migratorios (migration fees)GOV 路 SERMIG 路 accessed 2026-08-03
- Working Visa Chile 2026: Temporary ResidencyPRACTITIONER 路 goresident.com 路 accessed 2026-08-03
- Apostille Convention status - ChileGOV 路 HCCH (Hague Conference) 路 accessed 2026-08-03
- Chile 2026 Visa Options for Digital Nomads and Remote WorkersAGGREGATOR 路 Expat.cl 路 accessed 2026-08-03
- Chile Digital Nomad Remote WorkPRACTITIONER 路 Expat.cl 路 accessed 2026-08-03
- Chile Remote Workers No Nomad Visa Tax 2026AGGREGATOR 路 Rio Times 路 accessed 2026-08-03
- Residencia Temporal permitGOV 路 Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG) 路 accessed 2026-08-03
- Extranjeros que desarrollan actividades licitas remuneradasGOV 路 Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG) 路 accessed 2026-08-03
- Step-by-step guide to apply for a permit for foreigners engaged in lawful remunerated activitiesGOV 路 Ayuda Migraciones (SERMIG help center) 路 accessed 2026-08-03
- Frequently Asked Questions - Residencia TemporalGOV 路 SERMIG help center 路 accessed 2026-08-03
The bottom line on Chile is that the temporary residence route through SERMIG is the one that matters, but the bar is not officially confirmed, there is no published minimum income figure, and the initial stay is reported as up to two years without official confirmation. If you can handle that uncertainty, the payoff is a real path: hold the temporary visa, then apply for permanent residence once you meet the continuity-of-stay rules, which later opens the door to citizenship. Just know you are signing up for paperwork where the key numbers are still fuzzy, so treat the details as reported but not locked in.