Countries › Chile › Guide › 8. Immigration › Business visitors and short stays in Chile: the 90 day visitor permit, who needs a consular visa, proof of funds, extensions and paid work on a visit

Business visitors and short stays in Chile: the 90 day visitor permit, who needs a consular visa, proof of funds, extensions and paid work on a visit

Argentina. For full detail on Argentina, go to The Argentine Thread.

Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Status: Stable

Foreigners who come to Chile for business meetings, negotiations, site visits or conferences enter on the transitory stay permit (permanencia transitoria), which lasts up to 90 days, can be extended once for up to 90 more days for US$100, and needs no visa except for nationals of the 104 countries listed in Decreto Nº 359. At the border a visitor may be asked to show a valid passport and lawful means of at least US$46 a day, and consular visa holders also need a ticket out before the permit ends. A visitor may not do paid work; speakers, advisers, technical experts, performers and athletes on specific and sporadic paid assignments need a SERMIG work authorisation costing 150 percent of their nationality's temporary residence fee, and executives who visit often should consider the 2 year multiple entry business permit.

USD figures use the Central Bank rate of CLP 986.58 per US dollar published in the Diario Oficial of 23 October 2026 (CVE 2891564). Fees SERMIG sets in US dollars are paid in pesos at the rate on its fee page, CLP 969.70 per US dollar until 31 October 2026, and peso amounts for those fees use that rate. UTM amounts use the SII value of CLP 72,151 for October 2026. Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Maximum visitor stay	90 daysLey Nº 21.325 art. 48, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Maximum single extension of a visitor stay	90 daysReglamento art. 75, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Visitor stay extension fee	100 USDSERMIG fee page (updated 1 October 2026), as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Daily lawful means a visitor may be asked to show	46 USDResolución Exenta Nº 3.464 of 2023, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Countries whose nationals need a consular visa for a visitor stay	104 countDecreto Nº 359 (Diario Oficial 17 September 2025), as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Maximum validity of a consular visitor visa	10 yearsLey Nº 21.325 art. 27, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Visitor work authorisation fee as a share of the temporary residence fee	150 %SERMIG fee page (updated 1 October 2026), as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Maximum fine for a foreigner working without authorisation	5 UTMLey Nº 21.325 art. 109, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Maximum time in Chile per calendar year on the multiple entry business permit	6 monthsDecreto Exento Nº 4.236 art. 8, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Maximum stay per entry for border zone residents	7 daysLey Nº 21.325 art. 56, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. The transitory stay permit is granted to foreigners who enter without intending to settle, for leisure, sport, health, study, business management (gestión de negocios), family or similar purposes, including members and staff of public shows, athletes, speakers, advisers and technical experts. The holder is recorded in the National Register of Foreigners on entry, and SERMIG issues a document proving the stay on request. The permit cannot outlast the passport.Ley Nº 21.325, Ley de Migración y Extranjería; Decreto Nº 23 of 2022, Ministerio del Interior y Seguridad Pública, transitory stay subcategories, Ley Nº 21.325 art. 47, art. 49 and art. 53; Decreto Nº 23 art. 6, art. 9, art. 10 letter a) and art. 11, 2022-03-04 official text · verified 2026-10-26

2. Visitors may stay up to 90 days. The stay can be extended once, whatever its original length, for a new term of up to 90 calendar days, on an application filed before it expires, with proof of payment of the fee, reasons and, where relevant, proof of means. A second, free extension is possible only for force majeure and only for the time strictly needed to leave. The Interior Undersecretariat may shorten the 90 days for public order reasons by a general act published in the Diario Oficial.
Cost to do it: Extension fee US$100, paid in pesos: CLP 96,970 at SERMIG's October 2026 rate of CLP 969.70.
Example: A consultant whose project overruns files for the extension in week 12 and pays CLP 96,970. / US$100.Ley Nº 21.325; Decreto Nº 296 of 2021 (Reglamento), Ley Nº 21.325 art. 48; Reglamento art. 74, art. 75 and art. 76, 2022-02-12 official text · verified 2026-10-26

3. No visa is needed for a transitory stay, but on grounds of national interest or reciprocity a decree may require nationals of certain countries to obtain a prior authorisation or visa from a Chilean consulate. Decreto Nº 359 (Diario Oficial 17 September 2025) lists 104 countries, among them China, India, the Philippines, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela; Australia was taken off the list. Nationals of listed countries who are exempt under a treaty in force with Chile are excepted. The consular visa may be valid for up to 10 years, for a stated number of entries or, if none is stated, unlimited entries, but each stay is still capped at 90 days from the last entry.Ley Nº 21.325; Decreto Nº 359 of 2024, Ministerio del Interior y Seguridad Pública (Diario Oficial 17 September 2025); Decreto Nº 296 of 2021 (Reglamento), Ley Nº 21.325 art. 27; Decreto Nº 359 art. primero and art. segundo; Reglamento art. 84 and art. 85, 2025-09-17 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. Every visitor must prove lawful means of subsistence for the stay, and for dependants travelling with them, at an amount SERMIG sets by resolution capped at the average daily spend per visitor reported by the Tourism Undersecretariat. Resolución Exenta Nº 3.464 of 2023 sets it at US$46 a day for leisure, sport, health, study, business, congresses and seminars, family and similar trips, converted at the exchange rate on the day of entry. Applicants for a consular visa must also show a ticket out of Chile dated before the permit expires, and the consulate may interview them and ask for criminal records from the country of origin and residence.
Example: For a 10 day business trip the benchmark is US$460; a card statement or cash at that level answers the question at the border. / US$46 a day, or US$4,140 for the full 90 days.Ley Nº 21.325; Decreto Nº 296 of 2021 (Reglamento); Resolución Exenta Nº 3.464 of 2023, Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (Diario Oficial 1 February 2023), Ley Nº 21.325 art. 47; Reglamento art. 73 and art. 83; Resolución Exenta Nº 3.464 resolutive Nº 1, 2023-02-01 official text · verified 2026-10-26

5. Visitors may not carry out paid activities. As an exception, SERMIG can authorise specific and sporadic paid activities for which the visitor is paid in Chile or abroad, such as performers, athletes, speakers, advisers and technical experts. The authorisation cannot exceed the stay, and its fee can be paid from abroad, at the border or afterwards. It is free for activities sponsored by non profit charities, trade fairs and exhibitions, international sporting events, accredited journalists, traditional festivals and non profit activities sponsored by local or regional authorities. Paid work without authorisation is fined 0.5 to 5 UTM, and a repeat offence is a ground for expulsion.
Cost to do it: SERMIG charges 150 percent of the temporary residence fee for the visitor's nationality (US$285 for US nationals and US$375 for Argentine nationals in the 2020 table SERMIG links; see immigration/work-permits). Unauthorised work: 0.5 to 5 UTM, CLP 36,076 to CLP 360,755 (about US$37 to US$366).
Example: A US engineer flown in for a 2 week paid commissioning job pays about CLP 276,365 for the work authorisation (US$285 at CLP 969.70). / US$285.Ley Nº 21.325; Decreto Nº 296 of 2021 (Reglamento), Ley Nº 21.325 art. 50, art. 51, art. 109 and art. 127 Nº 5; Reglamento art. 78 and art. 79, 2021-04-20 official text · verified 2026-10-26

6. A visitor already in Chile cannot apply for a residence permit, except in the cases listed in art. 69 of the law. Business visitors who decide to stay and work must normally leave and apply for temporary residence from abroad. Executives who need to come regularly for business or investments can instead apply from abroad for the multiple entry business permit, valid for 2 years and renewable by 2 years, with total stays capped at 6 months per calendar year.Ley Nº 21.325; Decreto Nº 23 of 2022; Decreto Nº 177 of 2022; Decreto Exento Nº 4.236 of 2022, Ley Nº 21.325 art. 58 and art. 69; Decreto Nº 23 art. 3; Decreto Nº 177 art. 65 and art. 66; Decreto Exento Nº 4.236 art. 8, 2022-12-27 official text · verified 2026-10-26

7. Nationals and permanent residents of neighbouring states who live in a border zone defined by a bilateral agreement can cross as border zone residents, with priority processing, and stay only within the agreed Chilean zone for no more than 7 days each time, on a reciprocal basis. Going beyond the zone is fined 0.5 to 5 UTM or an entry ban of 90 days. Argentine nationals are not on the consular visa list; Argentine side rules are covered at a high level by The Argentine Thread guide.Ley Nº 21.325, Art. 54, art. 55, art. 56 and art. 110, 2021-04-20 official text · verified 2026-10-26

8. Days spent in Chile as a visitor count toward tax residence: more than 183 days in any 12 month period makes a person resident for tax purposes, whatever the permit. Non residents paid for scientific, cultural or sporting activities in Chile bear a 20 percent single tax that the payer withholds before they leave.DL Nº 830 of 1974, Código Tributario; DL Nº 824 of 1974, Ley sobre Impuesto a la Renta, Código Tributario art. 8 Nº 8; Ley sobre Impuesto a la Renta art. 60, 2020-02-24 official text · verified 2026-10-26

Option	Use	Length	Paid work in Chile	Fee	Where to apply
Visitor (transitory stay)	Meetings, negotiations, site visits, conferences	Up to 90 days, one extension of up to 90	No	None on entry; US$100 extension	At the border, or consular visa first for the 104 listed nationalities
Visitor with work authorisation	Specific and sporadic paid assignments (speakers, advisers, technical experts, performers, athletes)	Within the visitor stay	Only the authorised activity	150% of the nationality's temporary residence fee, or free in listed cases	SERMIG, before or after entry
Multiple entry business permit	Executives visiting regularly for business or investments	2 years, renewable by 2; 6 months a year in Chile	No local employment	Set by nationality	SERMIG, from abroad
Border zone resident	Residents of agreed border zones of neighbouring states	Up to 7 days per entry, agreed zone only	Only if the bilateral agreement allows	Per agreement	At the border

Short stay options for business travellers (Ley Nº 21.325, Decreto Nº 23 and Nº 177 of 2022, Decreto Exento Nº 4.236 of 2022)

Region	Examples on the list
Asia	China, India, Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
Middle East and North Africa	Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Iran, Iraq
Sub Saharan Africa	Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Americas	Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Venezuela
Europe and Central Asia	Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

Selected nationalities that need a consular visa for a visitor stay under Decreto Nº 359 (Diario Oficial 17 September 2025); the decree lists 104 countries

Worked example

A German sales director flies in for 8 days of client meetings. No visa is needed; at the border the director may be asked for a passport valid for the stay and means of US$368 (8 days at US$46). No work authorisation is needed for meetings that are not paid in Chile as a specific assignment.
An Indian software architect is sent for a 3 week workshop with a Chilean client. India is on the Decreto Nº 359 list, so the architect applies for a consular visa with a return ticket, and because the assignment is paid, the architect also needs a SERMIG work authorisation for that activity.
A US keynote speaker paid CLP 2,000,000 for a Santiago conference needs a work authorisation (US$285, about CLP 276,365) unless the event qualifies for the free categories, and the organiser withholds 20 percent tax, CLP 400,000 (about US$405).
A Brazilian regional manager who expects to spend about 10 weeks a year in Chile over several trips applies from abroad for the 2 year multiple entry business permit rather than relying on repeated visitor entries.

Step by step

Check whether the traveller's nationality is on the Decreto Nº 359 list; if so, apply through the Chilean consulate where the traveller lives, with proof of means and a ticket out.
Decide whether the trip involves paid work in Chile. Meetings and negotiations do not; a paid lecture, advisory engagement or technical job does, and needs a SERMIG work authorisation for that activity.
Carry a passport valid for the whole stay, evidence of funds of about US$46 a day, an onward ticket and an invitation letter describing the business purpose.
Keep the entry record. SERMIG issues a document proving the stay on request.
If the trip runs long, file the extension before day 90 and pay US$100; only one paid extension is possible.
For frequent visits, apply from abroad for the multiple entry business permit, and watch the 6 month annual cap.
Track days in Chile for tax residence: more than 183 days in any 12 months makes the traveller tax resident.

Common traps

Working on a visitor stay. Paid activities need a specific authorisation; without it the visitor is fined 0.5 to 5 UTM, a repeat is a ground for expulsion, and the Chilean host may be fined as an employer.
Trying to switch to a work permit inside Chile. Visitors cannot apply for residence from inside the country except in art. 69 cases, so plan the work permit from abroad.
Overstaying by a few days. An expired visitor stay is an infraction fined from 0.5 UTM and, for visitors, a ground for expulsion (Ley Nº 21.325 art. 107 and art. 127 Nº 4); file the extension before day 90.
Assuming a multiple entry consular visa resets the clock. Each stay is still capped at 90 days from the last entry (Ley Nº 21.325 art. 27).
Passport expiry. The visitor permit cannot outlast the passport (Ley Nº 21.325 art. 39).
Border zone cards only cover the agreed zone and a maximum of 7 days per entry; travelling further needs a normal entry.

Sources

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