Chile · Entry and visas
Chile visa rules for US citizens
Source-checked27 sources, 25 officialHow we checkIn brief
No visa needed: US citizens can stay up to 90 days, and extend once by 90 more for $100. You can't work or apply for residence while visiting.
Visa-free (US)Up to 90 days, plus 90 more
Residency income fromNo fixed amount
CitizenshipAfter more than 5 years of residence
Tax on foreign incomeNot for your first 3 years; worldwide after
Visiting Chile on a US passport
| Visa needed? | No, as a rule; the official list of countries that need one is still to confirm Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Days allowed | Up to 90 days per entry, recorded on your entry card |
| Can you extend? | Yes, once, by up to 90 days: apply online before your stay ends, for $100 (children free) |
| What you can't do | Paid work, unless officials authorize a specific one-off job. Remote work for a US employer isn't addressed Needs review |
| Overstay penalty | A fine of about $36–730, and possible expulsion |
| Passport validity | Your stay can't outlast your passport; no 6-month rule was found |
Good to know
- Want to stay longer? Residence permits are applied for from abroad; you can't switch from a tourist stay.
- At the border: officers may ask you to show you can support yourself; no amount is published.
- No yearly cap on repeat visits was found in the law.
Checked against the lawThe 90 days, extension, work ban and overstay fine, read in the migration law.
Not yet verifiedThe visa exemption list and the $100 fee, from the migration office's pages.
Still being checkedHealth rules and the US government's Chile page.
Sources (11)
Legal basis and exact figures
- Law: Ley 21.325 art 27 (no visa for permanencia transitoria unless a decree names the nationality), arts 47 (purpose, means of subsistence), 48 (90 days, one extension of up to 90, a second free one only for force majeure), 50–51 (no paid activities except a SERMIG authorisation), 58 (no residence application as a tourist, save art 69 cases), 107 (overstay up to 180 days: 0.5–10 UTM), 119 (over 180 days: 1–10 UTM), 127 N°4 (expulsion). Minors need parental authorisation (art 28).
- Money: extension $100, paid in Chilean pesos (SERMIG). 0.5–10 UTM = CLP 36,220–724,400, about $36–730 at CLP 992.48 (13 Nov 2026).
- Still being checked: the decree list of visa-required nationalities and the consulate's country table; the US State Department page (HTTP 403); health-ministry guidance. For a residence application from abroad, the passport must be valid at least 1 year (DS 177 art 11).
Links
- Ley 21.325 de Migración y Extranjería (texto consolidado BCN)
- SERMIG: Permanencia Transitoria
- Minrel/Consulado: Información sobre visas para ingresar a Chile
- SERMIG: Prórroga de Permanencia Transitoria
- Decreto 177 de 2022 (Interior), establece las subcategorías migratorias de residencia temp
- US State Department: Chile international travel information
- SERMIG: Subcategoría 11 Jubilados y rentistas
- SERMIG: Extranjeros que desarrollan actividades lícitas remuneradas
- SERMIG: Aranceles migratorios (actualización 2 noviembre 2026)
- SII: UTM - UTA - IPC 2026
- Banco Central de Chile: Indicadores diarios, Dólar observado 13 Nov 2026
Other Chile guides
Every rule with its legal source.
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