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Chilean nationality by naturalisation: the 5 year route, the 2 year route for spouses and relatives of Chileans, fees, processing time and voting rights for residents

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

Foreigners become Chilean through a carta de nacionalización, granted by decree, once they are 18 or older, hold permanent residence and have lived in Chile for more than 5 years; children of foreigners can apply from 14 with their carers' authorisation. Spouses of Chileans of at least 2 years, relatives of Chileans up to the second degree and certain children of former Chileans can apply after 2 years of continuous residence as permanent residents. SERMIG charges CLP 39,742 (CLP 7,949 for spouses, widowers, parents of Chilean children and adoptees), files are lodged online from Chile and take about 3 years on average, and permanent residents who are not nationals can vote after 10 uninterrupted years of residence.

USD figures use the Central Bank rate of CLP 986.58 per US dollar published in the Diario Oficial of 23 October 2026 (Ley Nº 18.840 art. 44). Fees that SERMIG sets in US dollars are paid in pesos at the rate SERMIG publishes 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 (CLP 72,440 from November 2026). Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Residence required for a carta de nacionalización (more than)	5 yearsDecreto Nº 5.142 art. 2, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Minimum age to apply in one's own right (14 with carers' authorisation)	18 yearsDecreto Nº 5.142 art. 2, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Continuous residence as permanent resident for qualified naturalisation	2 yearsLey Nº 21.325 art. 85, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Carta de nacionalización fee (general)	39742 CLPSERMIG fee page, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Carta de nacionalización fee for spouses, widows, parents of Chilean children and adoptees	7949 CLPSERMIG fee page, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Average processing time stated by SERMIG	3 yearsSERMIG nationality page, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Uninterrupted residence for foreigners to vote (more than)	10 yearsConstitución art. 14, Ley Nº 21.773, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. Chileans include foreigners who obtain a carta de nacionalización under the law, and those granted nationality by special grace by law. The law regulates the grant, refusal and cancellation of cartas and keeps a register of them.Constitución Política de la República, consolidated text Decreto Nº 100 of 2005, Art. 10 Nº 3 and Nº 4, 2005-09-22 official text · verified 2026-10-26

2. Ley Nº 21.325 refers the grant of nationality and its procedure to Decreto Supremo Nº 5.142 of 1960 of the Interior Ministry. Under that decree a carta can be granted to foreigners who are 18 or older, have more than 5 years of residence in Chile and hold permanent residence. Children of foreigners who are 14 or older, have more than 5 years of residence and permanent residence can also apply with the authorisation of those in charge of their care. Minors whose parent is a refugee recognised by Chile can be naturalised once at least one parent has obtained the carta.Ley Nº 21.325; Decreto Nº 5.142 of 1960, Ministerio del Interior, as amended by Ley Nº 20.888 (Diario Oficial 8 January 2016), Ley Nº 21.325 art. 84 and art. 87; Decreto Nº 5.142 art. 1 and art. 2, 2016-01-08 official text · verified 2026-10-26

3. Qualified naturalisation is open to permanent residents with 2 years of continuous residence in Chile who are: spouses of a Chilean for at least 2 years with the marriage registered in Chile, provided they lived together in that period; relatives of Chileans by blood up to the second degree, and people adopted by Chileans; or children whose father or mother was Chilean but lost the nationality before the child was born.Ley Nº 21.325, Ley de Migración y Extranjería, Art. 85, 2021-04-20 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. A carta is refused, by reasoned decree, to foreigners convicted in the last 10 years of acts that are crimes (crímenes) under Chilean law, and to those convicted in the last 5 years of simple offences (simples delitos) where the circumstances advise it, among other impediments listed in the law.Ley Nº 21.325, Art. 86, 2021-04-20 official text · verified 2026-10-26

5. SERMIG states that the file is lodged through its Portal de Trámites Digitales with ClaveÚnica, only from Chile, that the five years are counted from the date of the electronic stamp of permanent residence, and that processing takes on average 3 years. Incomplete applications are not accepted, and the applicant has 60 business days from notice to correct documents. Typical documents are an identity document, a recent photo and an apostilled criminal record certificate; self employed applicants add the SII carpeta tributaria and a Tesorería debt certificate. The 1960 decree adds that documents in the file are valid for 1 year.SERMIG nationality page (updated 22 December 2025); Decreto Nº 5.142 of 1960, Decreto Nº 5.142 art. 4 and art. 11, 2025-12-22 official text · verified 2026-10-26

6. SERMIG's fee page sets the carta de nacionalización at CLP 39,742 for foreigners in general and CLP 7,949 for those with a Chilean spouse, widows and widowers of Chileans, those with a Chilean child and those adopted by a Chilean. The option for Chilean nationality available to people born in Chile to foreigners in transit or in their government's service also costs CLP 39,742.
Cost to do it: CLP 39,742, about US$40.28; reduced CLP 7,949, about US$8.06.
Example: CLP 39,742 or CLP 7,949. / About US$40.28 or US$8.06.SERMIG aranceles migratorios (updated 1 October 2026); Decreto Nº 5.142 of 1960, Decreto Nº 5.142 art. 10 and art. 12, 2026-10-01 official text · verified 2026-10-26

7. Chilean nationality is lost by voluntary renunciation before a Chilean authority, which only takes effect if the person has already acquired another nationality, by cancellation of the carta, and on other limited grounds. Decreto Nº 5.142 art. 2 still contains a clause on renouncing the nationality of origin; SERMIG's current requirements page does not list a renunciation step, so applicants should confirm the position on the portal and check their home country's rules on dual nationality.Constitución Política de la República; Decreto Nº 5.142 of 1960, Constitución art. 11; Decreto Nº 5.142 art. 2 and art. 8, 2005-09-22 official text · verified 2026-10-26

8. Foreigners resident in Chile for more than 10 uninterrupted years who meet the age and criminal record conditions of art. 13 can vote. Residence counts only from the grant of permanent residence, and during that period they must not leave Chile for more than 90 days in any 12 month period. Naturalised Chileans can stand for popular election only after 5 years holding the carta.Constitución Política de la República, as amended by Ley Nº 21.773 (Diario Oficial 7 October 2025), Art. 14, 2025-10-07 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: Ley Nº 21.773, published 7 October 2025, rewrote art. 14 of the Constitution: foreigners now need more than 10 uninterrupted years of residence, counted from permanent residence and with no exits over 90 days in any 12 months, to vote.

Route	Who	Residence needed	Fee (SERMIG, October 2026)	Rule
General	Permanent residents aged 18 or older	More than 5 years	CLP 39,742	Decreto Nº 5.142 art. 2
Minors	Children of foreigners aged 14 or older, with carers' authorisation	More than 5 years, with permanent residence	CLP 39,742	Decreto Nº 5.142 art. 2
Spouse of a Chilean	Married at least 2 years, marriage registered in Chile, living together	2 years continuous as permanent resident	CLP 7,949	Ley Nº 21.325 art. 85 Nº 1
Relatives of Chileans	Blood relatives up to the second degree, adoptees	2 years continuous as permanent resident	CLP 39,742, or CLP 7,949 if adopted by a Chilean or with a Chilean child	Ley Nº 21.325 art. 85 Nº 2
Child of a former Chilean	Parent lost Chilean nationality before the birth	2 years continuous as permanent resident	CLP 39,742	Ley Nº 21.325 art. 85 Nº 3
Child of a naturalised refugee	Minors with a refugee parent who obtained the carta	None	CLP 39,742	Decreto Nº 5.142 art. 2

Naturalisation routes

Worked example

A Peruvian engineer obtained permanent residence in Chile with an electronic stamp dated 15 March 2021. More than 5 years later, in 2026, she lodges her nationality application online from Santiago with her passport, photo and an apostilled criminal record certificate (Decreto Nº 5.142 art. 2; SERMIG nationality page).
She pays CLP 39,742, about US$40.28. Her Chilean husband's status would cut the fee to CLP 7,949 and the residence test to 2 years if they had been married for 2 years with the marriage registered in Chile (Ley Nº 21.325 art. 85 Nº 1).
SERMIG's stated average is 3 years, so she keeps her permanent residence current and avoids long absences while the file runs.
Before she is naturalised she could already vote only after more than 10 uninterrupted years from her permanent residence (Constitución art. 14, as amended in 2025).

Step by step

Count residence from the electronic stamp of permanent residence; check eligibility for the 2 year qualified route.
Check your criminal record against the 10 year and 5 year impediments (Ley Nº 21.325 art. 86).
Gather the identity document, photo, apostilled criminal records, and, if self employed, the carpeta tributaria and Tesorería debt certificate.
Lodge the application from Chile on the Portal de Trámites Digitales with ClaveÚnica; correct any defects within 60 business days of notice.
Pay the fee when the carta is issued and register; then update your cédula as a Chilean national.
Check your home country's rules on keeping your original nationality before you apply.

Common traps

The application can only be lodged from Chile; plan around long trips while the file is pending (SERMIG nationality page).
The 5 years are counted from the permanent residence stamp, not from first arrival on a temporary permit.
Losing permanent residence through an absence of more than 2 continuous years also breaks the path to nationality (Ley Nº 21.325 art. 83).
Documents expire for nationality purposes after 1 year (Decreto Nº 5.142 art. 11), and the average processing time is about 3 years, so expect to refresh some documents.
Voting as a foreign resident now requires more than 10 uninterrupted years from permanent residence; older guidance citing 5 years is out of date (Constitución art. 14).

Sources

← Permanent residence in Chile: who can apply, the 24 month clock and what lengthens or shortens it, the filing window, fees and how it lapsesImporting and exporting in Chile: the 6 percent tariff, VAT on imports, customs agents, low value purchases, VAT free exports and contraband rules →