Countries › Chile › Guide › 8. Immigration › Family members in Chile: dependants of temporary residents, family reunification with Chileans and permanent residents, and what happens if the main holder leaves

Family members in Chile: dependants of temporary residents, family reunification with Chileans and permanent residents, and what happens if the main holder leaves

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

Spouses, cohabitants and children of a temporary resident can get temporary residence as dependants, with the right to work, if the main holder shows stable income to support them; the dependant permit cannot outlast the holder's. Relatives of Chileans and permanent residents use a separate family reunification subcategory, which can be filed from inside Chile by the Chilean or permanent resident sponsor, and family ties can cut the permanent residence period to as little as 12 months. Dependants can apply for permanent residence without their own time requirement once the main holder qualifies, and if the main holder dies or the relationship ends they can seek their own permit or get 6 months to leave.

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

Children who study can be dependants up to (but not including) this age	24 yearsLey Nº 21.325 art. 74, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Dependants of temporary residents may work	Yes textLey Nº 21.325 art. 74, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Period to leave Chile for dependants not granted their own permit after death of the holder or end of the link	6 monthsLey Nº 21.325 art. 77, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Residence fee for dependants and family members of Chileans, 2020 table	15 USDResolución Exenta Nº 129194 of 2020, note 7, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Permanent residence fee for applicants with a Chilean spouse	0 CLPSERMIG fee page, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. Temporary residence can be granted as main holder (titular) or dependant. The following can apply as dependants: the spouse or cohabitant of the temporary resident; and the children of the temporary resident, the spouse or the cohabitant, if under 18 or with a disability, or aged 18 to under 24 if studying at an institution recognised by the State. They must prove the link or the genuine cohabitation, and the main holder must prove economic activity or stable income to support them. Dependants may carry out paid activities.Ley Nº 21.325, Ley de Migración y Extranjería, Art. 74, 2021-04-20 official text · verified 2026-10-26

2. The dependant application must include documents proving the link: birth certificates for parents and children, a marriage certificate or equivalent for spouses, and, for cohabitants, a sworn statement made at the Chilean consulate and ratified by the partner in a notarised or consular instrument. Support is proved with a notarised sworn statement by the main holder that he or she will bear the dependant's costs, plus documents showing enough resources under Ministry of Social Development indicators.Decreto Nº 177 of 2022, Ministerio del Interior y Seguridad Pública, Art. 72, art. 73 and art. 74, 2022-05-14 official text · verified 2026-10-26

3. Dependants may work, subject to the general rules on the work of minors, and may apply for a permit as main holder in any subcategory whose requirements they meet. If they lose dependant status while that application is pending, they receive an in process certificate. The validity of a dependant permit cannot exceed the period granted to the main holder.Decreto Nº 177 of 2022; Decreto Exento Nº 4.236 of 2022, Decreto Nº 177 art. 72, art. 75 and art. 76; Decreto Exento Nº 4.236 art. 11, 2022-12-27 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. If the main holder dies or the link is dissolved, SERMIG may grant the dependants a permit as main holder, taking into account their prior residence and the other requirements. Dependants who are not granted one get 6 months to leave Chile. Dependants who are victims of domestic violence and have started court proceedings get their own permit as main holder, for at least 12 months where there is a conviction.Ley Nº 21.325; Decreto Exento Nº 4.236 of 2022, Ley Nº 21.325 art. 77; Decreto Exento Nº 4.236 art. 10, 2021-04-20 official text · verified 2026-10-26

5. Foreigners linked to a Chilean or to a permanent resident can obtain temporary residence for family reunification as spouse or equivalent partner, father or mother, minor child, child with a disability, unmarried child under 24 who is studying, or a minor in their care or guardianship. The application is filed by the Chilean or permanent resident sponsor through SERMIG's platform with ClaveÚnica, and family reunification is one of the cases that can be filed from inside Chile. Holders may work.Decreto Nº 177 of 2022, Art. 4, art. 12, art. 13, art. 15 and art. 16, 2022-05-14 official text · verified 2026-10-26

6. Dependants of a temporary resident may apply for permanent residence without having to meet the time periods themselves, provided the main holder has completed the residence period required and holds a subcategory that admits permanent residence. Direct ascendants of a foreigner who becomes a permanent resident, or of the spouse or cohabitant, can also obtain permanent residence if they are in that person's care or maintenance because they lack means of their own.Ley Nº 21.325; Decreto Nº 296 of 2021 (Reglamento), Ley Nº 21.325 art. 80 and art. 81; Reglamento art. 67 and art. 68, 2021-04-20 official text · verified 2026-10-26

7. Family ties with Chileans or permanent residents are one of the grounds on which the Director of SERMIG can reduce the permanent residence period below 24 months, to no less than 12. Applicants for permanent residence with a Chilean spouse, and minors, are exempt from the permanent residence fee.
Cost to do it: Permanent residence: CLP 142,726 in general, about US$144.67; exempt for applicants with a Chilean spouse and for minors.
Example: CLP 0 for a foreign spouse of a Chilean. / US$0.Decreto Nº 296 of 2021 (Reglamento); SERMIG aranceles migratorios (updated 1 October 2026), Reglamento art. 66 letter a); Ley Nº 21.325 art. 79, 2022-02-12 official text · verified 2026-10-26

8. Children and adolescents who apply for temporary residence receive it immediately and with full validity, whatever the immigration status of their parents or carers, and their permits are requested by the parent, guardian or carer. The 2020 fee table SERMIG links to exempts residence permits for minors and sets US$15 for children, spouses and parents of Chileans and for dependants.
Cost to do it: US$15 for a dependant or a family member of a Chilean under the 2020 table, about CLP 14,546; minors exempt.
Example: About CLP 14,546. / US$15.Ley Nº 21.325; Resolución Exenta Nº 129194 of 3 July 2020, Subsecretaría del Interior, Ley Nº 21.325 art. 41; Resolución Exenta Nº 129194 notes 6 and 7, 2020-07-03 official text · verified 2026-10-26

Sponsor	Route	Who qualifies	Where to file	Rule
Temporary resident	Dependant temporary residence	Spouse or cohabitant; children under 18, with a disability, or 18 to under 24 and studying	Abroad with the holder, or inside Chile for a change of quality	Ley Nº 21.325 art. 74; Decreto Nº 177 art. 4 and 72
Chilean citizen	Family reunification temporary residence	Spouse or equivalent, parent, minor child, child with a disability, unmarried child under 24 studying, minor in care	Filed by the sponsor, can be inside Chile	Decreto Nº 177 art. 4, 12 and 16
Permanent resident	Family reunification temporary residence	Same list as for Chileans	Filed by the sponsor, can be inside Chile	Decreto Nº 177 art. 12 and 16
Permanent resident	Permanent residence for ascendants	Parents of the resident or of the spouse or cohabitant who depend on them	Inside Chile	Ley Nº 21.325 art. 80; Reglamento art. 67

Which family route applies

Worked example

A German manager moves to Santiago on a paid activities permit for 2 years with his wife and two children aged 10 and 19; the elder studies at a Chilean university. All three apply as dependants with birth and marriage certificates and his notarised sworn statement of support (Ley Nº 21.325 art. 74; Decreto Nº 177 art. 73 and 74).
His wife takes a job in Chile without a separate permit, since dependants may work (art. 74). The children's permits run only as long as his (Decreto Exento Nº 4.236 art. 11).
Under the 2020 fee table the dependants are charged US$15 each, about CLP 14,546, and the 10 year old is exempt as a minor (Resolución Exenta Nº 129194 notes 6 and 7).
When he completes 24 months and applies for permanent residence, his wife and children can apply too without their own time requirement (art. 81). If the elder child stops studying before then, they lose dependant status and need a permit of their own.
Had he married a Chilean instead, his wife could have sponsored him under family reunification from inside Chile and he could ask to cut the permanent residence period to 12 months, with no permanent residence fee (Decreto Nº 177 art. 12 and 16; Reglamento art. 66 letter a)).

Step by step

List each family member and match them to the dependant or reunification route in the table.
Obtain apostilled civil status documents (marriage, birth, cohabitation statements) and translations.
Prepare the main holder's notarised sworn statement of support and proof of income (Decreto Nº 177 art. 74).
File the dependants together with, or after, the main holder's application; for reunification, the Chilean or permanent resident sponsor files with ClaveÚnica.
Request each adult's cédula within 30 days after the permit takes effect.
Track birthdays: a child stops qualifying as a dependant at 18 unless disabled or studying, and at 24 in any case.
Plan permanent residence for the whole family once the main holder qualifies.

Common traps

A dependant permit never outlasts the main holder's, so a late renewal by the holder affects the whole family (Decreto Exento Nº 4.236 art. 11).
Cohabitants need a consular sworn statement ratified by the partner; an informal relationship without these documents will not qualify (Decreto Nº 177 art. 73 letter d)).
After a divorce or the holder's death, dependants who do not obtain their own permit have 6 months to leave (Ley Nº 21.325 art. 77).
Adult children who stop studying lose dependant status and need their own subcategory.
Dependants of seasonal, Gendarmería custody, court order and medical treatment permit holders cannot move to permanent residence (Decreto Nº 177 art. 76).

Sources

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