Overview
Chile is one of the most interesting countries in the world, in terms of its geography. Chile looks like a thin strip of land on the western coast of South America continent. It stretches almost 4270 km from North to South but even with such a massive length, Chile averages only 177 km in width, from East to West. It extents to the southern tip of South America, up to the point where the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Oceans converge.
In the North, Chile has borders with Peru Bolivia and In the East it has along border with Chile which extends to the Southwards till the end of the land. In the West, there is the majestic Pacific Ocean and in the East there is the Andes mountain range. Entire Chile is concealed between these two natural marvels. Even in such a narrow territory, there are so many different terrains and climatic conditions, which make Chile really unique.
In the Great Far North region, there is the desert plateau of Atacama and ice-capped mountains of Andes; but if you go to the Far South Austral region, there are vast swathes of tundra lands around Chonos Archipelago. The capital of Chile is Santiago and it is situated in the center of Chile. The central part of Chile is home to the majority of the population and most of the metro cities of Chile. Central Chile exists in the valley of two mountain ranges - Andes mountain range and the Chilean Coastal mountain range. Chile offers you an amazing cultural, culinary and climatic experience. Here is the complete Travel and Visa Guide for Chile.
Application Process
The Visa process for Chile can be done Online only. The applications are not accepted through courier/ post. There are four main types of Chile Visa that a foreigner can apply for.
1.Tourist Visa and Business Visa [VISIM, VISMUL and VISMUL - Business].
2.Work Visa subject to Contract [VISCONTI and VISCONDE].
3.Student Visa and [VISESTI and VISESDE].
4.Temporary Residence Visa [VISRETI and VISREDE].
If an applicant wishes to obtain a Visa for recreational, sports, health, business, family, religious or other similar purposes, he/ she can apply for the VISIM (Simple Tourism) or VISMUL (Multiple Tourism) categories. Under these categories, immigration, residence or business activities are not allowed. In case, the applicant wants to engage in business activities, he/ she can apply for the VISMUL - Business (Multiple Business) category. Please note that these categories are applicable for Indian nationals only. VISMUL - Business Visa are not available for Bangladeshi, Nepalese and Sri Lankan nationals.
The Visa application for Chile can be submitted online only. Applicants can visit this link to apply for the Chile Visa. https://tramites.minrel.gov.cl/Solicitudes/visa.aspx
There are six main sections of the application form and the applicant needs to furnish correct information in all the fields marked with ‘*’. Furnishing false information will lead to rejection of the application.
Section 1 - Details of trip: Fill all the details requested in the form such as your birth date, passport details, trip details, and most importantly - select the correct category of Visa for application. Indian nationals can select ‘Nueva Delhi, Seccion Consular’ as their choice of Consulate Office for submitting the Visa application.
Once you select the Visa category, the online portal will show the details of the Visa category, Visa fees and Visa validity on the screen.
Section 2 - Applicant’s identification: Fill in the details of your personal information for identification such as names, gender, birth place, nationality of origin, and appearance. Fill the names as they appear on the passport only, any mismatch may lead to cancellation of the application.
Section 3 - Contact and Family: Fill in the details about your residence address, contact number, marital status, and family’s details such as names, surnames, nationalities and country of residence. Make sure that the names you enter here are the same as mentioned in the passport.
Section 4 - General Description: Select the appropriate category for your educational and professional information. The applicant also needs to furnish at least one contact in chile. Fill in details such as name, nationality, address, contact number, and the type of relationship with the contact in Chile.
Section 5 - Activity in Chile: Furnish the details of your activity such as type of activity, name, address and city of activity in Chile. Also, add the details of your other foreign trips in the past, if any.
Section 6 - Attached Documents: This is the most important part of the application process. The applicant needs to attach their photograph, passport and other relevant documents as per their Visa category. The applicant’s photograph must be at least 90 pixels (w) x 120 pixels (h), and it must be below 100 kb in size. The face must be clearly covering 70% - 80 % of the photograph. The attachments can be in JPG or PDF format.
The documents issued in India, must be apostilled by the competent authority from the Ministry of External Affairs - India.
At the end of the application process, the portal will display an application summary, which you can print or save for your future reference.
After the online Visa application is processed, the Visa officials may ask the applicant to appear for a person interview, if required. The personal appearance may be waived off for the outstation applicants upon furnishing a duly notarized Authority Letter in the form of Power of Attorney.
After your Visa application is successfully processed and approved, the applicant must pay the Visa fees as per the regulations of the Consular Office. Based on the Consular Exchange Rate fixed by the Consular Section, the applicant also needs to pay the dollar currency difference charges (which is usually 10%).
The applicant has 90 days to pay the fees and other charges, either in cash or through bank deposit, and enter Chile as per the conditions of Visa.
Documents Required:
Scan copy of the front and the last page of the Passport. The passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into Chile.
The applicant needs to attach a covering letter describing the reasons behind his/ her visit to Chile.
The applicant needs to attach a Police Clearance Certificate that is issued by competent local authority. Also, the Police Clearance Certificate should not be older than 6 months and it must be authenticated and apostilled by competent authority.
Round-trip flight ticket booking for Chile.
If the purpose of visit to Chile is tourism, the applicant needs to attach the hotel booking details along with the application.
Documents establishing the financial security of the applicant such as bank statements, Income Tax Return, etc.
If applicable, the applicant needs to furnish the original invitation letter/ sponsorship letter, on the letterhead, clearly mentioning the name, address and contact number of the contact in Chile. The letter must be notarized by competent authority too.
If applicable, the applicant needs to submit a letter of recommendation from the organization he/she is working with; membership certificate or letter of recommendation from relevant Chamber of Commerce and Industry such as FICCI, CII, FIEO, ITPO, Export Promotion Council, etc.
The applicant should also attach the copies of Visa obtained in the past from Chile or any other country.
Also, it is advisable to attach a recent medical certificate, duly signed and stamped by a competent medical authority in the last 6 months.
Important Update for Indian citizens
Since April 01, 2019, all Indian travellers who hold a valid USA Green Card, B1/ B2 Visa or a Resident Permit valid at least for the next 6 months, do not need to obtain Chilean Visa such as Tourist Visa and Business Visa [VISIM, VISMUL and VISMUL - Business].
This provision is not applicable to the USA Transit Visa.
Fees for Chile Visa:
For Indian Nationals, the fees for VISIM Visa - valid for 90 days, is approx. 50 USD. The applicant can enter Chile only once using this Visa.
The fees for VISMUL Visa - valid for 90 days, is approx. 81 USD; and the fees for VISMUL - Business Visa - valid for 180 days, is approx. 81 USD. The applicant can enter and exit multiple times during the validity period of Visa.