Last checked 13 Nov 2026Written for US citizensSome rules are still being checked
In brief
Retirees and people living on investment or rental income use one temporary permit, applied for from abroad. There's no remote-work permit; work permits need a Chilean employer or client. Permanent residence follows after 2 years.
Residency income fromNo fixed amount
Visa-free (US)Up to 90 days, plus 90 more
CitizenshipAfter more than 5 years of residence
Tax on foreign incomeNot for your first 3 years; worldwide after
Temporary residence for retirees and passive income
(permiso para extranjeros jubilados y para rentistas)
Who it's for: Retirees with a pension, or people with steady income from property or investments. Salary doesn't count.
Money needed
No fixed amount: enough for basic needs, about $259 a month, or $383 if you rent Not yet verified
How long it lasts
Up to 2 years, then 2-year extensions
Leads to
Permanent residence after 2 years, or as little as 1 if the director agrees
Apply from
Outside Chile only, online; you can't switch from a tourist stay
Processing time
No legal deadline Not established yet
What you need
Passport: valid at least 1 year from when you apply, plus a recent photo
Pension certificate: stating the amount and how long it's paid, plus your last payment. SSA letter acceptance Not yet verified
Or passive-income proof: property deeds, leases or investment statements showing regular payments
Criminal record: from your home country or anywhere you lived in the last 5 years
Apostille: on the record, pension certificate and payment proof; English papers need no translation
Fresh papers: public documents under 60 days old, private ones under 30
Fee: set by nationality; the US amount Not yet verified
Good to know
You can work: all temporary residents may take paid work.
Enter within 90 days of approval, then get your ID card within 30 days.
Time away: no minimum stay, but absences add up to 2 years to your wait for permanent residence.
Checked against the lawPermit length and work rights are in the migration law.
Still being checkedThe US fee, the income floor, pension letters and a revised decree announced Nov 10.
Sources (16)
Legal basis and exact figures
Still being checked: the US fee (SERMIG 'Aranceles según nacionalidad' is a scanned PDF); which MDSF indicator and household size SERMIG applies; whether a US Social Security award letter and private pension statement satisfy the 'certificado de jubilación'; DS 296 and DS 177 read in their original 2022 texts, later amendments not audited. Pending change: SERMIG announced on 10 Nov 2026 a revised Decreto 177 and modernised fee rules; no publication found.
Money: income must 'satisfacer al menos sus necesidades básicas' by MDSF indicators (DS 177 arts 5, 53, 57). MDSF poverty line per equivalent person, Oct 2026: CLP 257,076 (non-renting) or CLP 379,838 (renting), about $259 / $383 at CLP 992.48.
Law: Ley 21.325 arts 68–79 (art 70 N°12; art 72 up to 2 years; art 73 work; art 74 dependants, who may work); DS 296 de 2021 arts 49 (cédula within 30 days), 50–54, 62–66 (art 65 N°3 absences: up to 2 months 24; 2–6 months 30; 6–12 months 36; over 12 months 48; art 66 c: reduction to 12 months); Decreto 177 de 2022 arts 4–11, 53–59 (art 55: work-permit holders may apply in Chile; arts 56, 59: extension in the last 90 days). No quota.
Tax: tax resident after more than 183 days in 12 months (Código Tributario art 8 N°8); foreign-source income exempt for the first 3 years from entry, extendable (LIR art 3); US Social Security taxable only in the US (treaty art 18(3)).
(permiso para extranjeros que desarrollan actividades lícitas remuneradas)
Who it's for: Employees of a Chilean employer, or freelancers with a Chilean client. Remote employees of US-only firms don't qualify.
Money needed
No personal income test; your employer or client shows its tax file
How long it lasts
Up to 2 years; a job offer gives a 90-day permit until the contract is filed
Leads to
Permanent residence after 2 years, or 3 if your income was patchy
Apply from
Outside Chile only, online
Processing time
No legal deadline Not established yet
What you need
Employee contract: at least 3 months, with an employer based or with a branch in Chile
Or a services contract with a Chilean client, for work lasting over 90 days
Signatures: the employer signs before a Chilean notary, you before a Chilean consulate
Employer's tax file, or other proof the employer can pay
Passport: valid at least 1 year, plus a photo and an apostilled criminal record
Fee: set by nationality; the US amount Not yet verified
Good to know
You can change employer without telling officials; losing the job doesn't end the permit by itself.
Renewing: show paid work for at least 60% of the permit's length.
Freelance contract rules for US freelancers aren't stated Not yet verified.
Checked against the lawRules read in the migration law and the residence decree.
Still being checkedThe US fee and the revised decree announced on Nov 10, 2026.
Sources (12)
Legal basis and exact figures
Still being checked: no remote-worker subcategory exists, so a remote employee of a US-only employer doesn't qualify; the US fee (scanned PDF); the revised Decreto 177 (announced 10 Nov 2026) may change contract formalities; minimum value or exclusivity for a freelancer's Chilean contract isn't stated.
Law: Decreto 177 de 2022 arts 17 (contract of 3+ months with an employer 'con domicilio o sucursal en Chile'), 18 (job offer: 90-day permit, file the contract within 45 days), 19 (change employer), 20 (self-employed contract over 90 days), 21 (renewal: 60% of the period), 22 (carpeta tributaria); Ley 21.325 arts 70, 72, 73, 79; DS 296 art 65 N°2 (36 months if income in fewer than half the months or over 12 months without income).
Tax: pay for work done in Chile is Chilean-source (LIR art 10), taxed by the monthly Impuesto Único, 0–40% by UTM bands (art 43 N°1), withheld by a Chilean employer. A tourist work authorisation costs 150% of this permit's fee.
Who it's for: Temporary residents who've held a qualifying permit for at least 2 years, or 1 in some cases.
Money needed
No fixed amount: proof of your work, pension or income
How long it lasts
Indefinite
Leads to
This is the permanent stage; you need it to apply for citizenship
Apply from
Inside Chile, online, in the 90 days before your temporary permit's extension deadline
Processing time
No legal deadline Not established yet
What you need
24 months on a qualifying temporary permit; longer after absences or with low income
Criminal record from home, apostilled and under 60 days old
Your Chilean ID card, passport page, photo and your temporary permit
Income proof: pension payments for retirees; the tax file and leases for passive income
Fee: about $144 Not yet verified; free for spouses of Chileans and children
Good to know
Any lawful work is allowed.
Don't stay away too long: more than 2 years in a row abroad ends it, unless a consulate extends it once.
Family: dependants can apply without the time requirement once you qualify.
Checked against the lawThe 24-month rule and the absence rule are in the migration law.
Still being checkedThe US fee, the official document list, and how the 12-month shortcut works.
Sources (10)
Legal basis and exact figures
Still being checked: fee for US citizens (general CLP 142,726, about $143.81, read on the SERMIG page updated 2 Nov 2026; reciprocity row not checked); Res. Ex. N° 31.510 (document list) not read; DS 296 amendments not audited; how SERMIG applies the 12-month reduction for retirees in practice.
Law: Ley 21.325 arts 75, 78 ('permiso para radicarse indefinidamente'), 79 (24 months), 80–81 (family), 83 (lapses after more than 2 continuous years abroad, one 2-year consular extension; SERMIG says request it in the last 60 days); DS 296 arts 62–69 (art 65: 30–48 months after absences or infringements, 36 for low income; art 66: down to 12 months); Decreto 177 art 10 (eligible subcategories). SERMIG may ask for more documents (60 calendar days to answer); new cédula within 30 days of the grant.
Tax: same as any resident: worldwide income after the first 3 years from entry (LIR art 3).
Status chips:Checked against the law means we read the official legal text. Not yet verified and Not established yet mean it isn't confirmed at the official source yet. Still being checked marks open questions; each route's Sources list names them.
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