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Chile · Relocation guide

Moving to Chile: permission and practical setup

Chile’s temporary residence, electronic permit and foreigner identity card are connected but separate. The work, job-offer, family, study and investment subcategories require different evidence, while tax and health enrolment follow their own facts.

Content updated 12 September 2026. Individual source-check dates are listed below.

Choose the residence subcategory before applying

Use SERMIG’s specific subcategory for an employment contract, a job offer, investment, study or qualifying family link. A transitory visitor admission is not the default route to settle or take Chilean employment, and most first residence applications made from abroad require the overseas process.

A permit based on a job offer has a follow-up contract step after arrival. A family application and a dependant’s ability to work are separate questions; read the issued electronic permit rather than copying another family’s conditions.

Choose the residence subcategory before applying
PlanCatalogue routeCritical evidence
Signed or qualifying workTemporary Residence - Lawful Remunerated ActivitiesContract or service basis
Job offerTemporary Residence - Job Offer PathwayNotarised offer and post-arrival contract
Qualifying familyTemporary Residence - Family ReunificationCivil link to eligible sponsor
StudyTemporary Residence - StudentsRecognised enrolment and support

Prepare legalised, time-sensitive documents

SERMIG asks for a valid identity document, criminal record evidence for relevant adults and the category-specific records. Foreign documents generally need apostille or legalisation, and documents outside Spanish or English need an authorised translation. Some public and private documents have short validity rules, so order them against the filing date.

Keep the electronic application, payment and notification trail. Correct errors in the electronic permit before using it for employment, the identity card or travel; preserve entry evidence because a permit granted abroad starts through the arrival sequence.

Move from electronic permit to the identity card

After residence is granted, use the electronic permit and current SERMIG instructions to obtain the cédula de identidad para extranjeros from the Civil Registry. New-law permits do not use the old PDI registration step, so avoid obsolete checklists.

The RUN/RUT used in daily administration is not a residence permission. Keep names and dates aligned across SERMIG, the Civil Registry, employer, health and tax records, and update SERMIG contact and domicile information when required.

Choose an address that supports daily administration

Test the real commute, seismic safety, heating or cooling, building charges, internet and utility responsibility before signing. Verify the owner or authorised agent, deposit, inventory, rent adjustment and notice terms; retain the contract and every payment.

Ask the bank, health provider and school what address evidence they accept. Do not treat a lease, RUT or company registration as proof that immigration or work permission is complete.

Separate payroll, tax residence and health enrolment

Ask the employer to complete payroll and social-security onboarding against the approved work basis. Tax residence and domicile are fact-specific and can affect foreign income; keep entry, travel, income and account records and use SII guidance before relying on a simple day-count slogan.

Fonasa affiliation is an application, not an automatic consequence of obtaining a cédula. Check whether Fonasa, an Isapre or another lawful basis applies, confirm dependants and keep interim cover until enrolment and provider access are active.

Coordinate school and family records

Each family member needs their own status, identity-card and healthcare sequence. Preserve apostilled birth, marriage, custody and consent records. A partner taking employment should confirm that the issued status supports it and then complete individual tax and health onboarding.

Contact the local education authority or school about placement and validation of prior study. Bring vaccination and academic records and test the school commute before fixing long-term housing.

Check licence recognition and animal entry

Chile does not provide a single nationality-independent promise that every foreign licence can be exchanged. Ask the competent traffic authority for the rule tied to the issuing country and municipality before driving or buying a vehicle.

SAG controls animal entry and publishes the sanitary certificate process. Match identification, vaccination, parasite treatment and carrier evidence to the origin and species before travel. Track cédula, residence and passport dates and start any extension while status is valid.

Your moving checklist

Tick off the tasks that apply to you. The timing is a planning order, not a substitute for the deadlines on your permission or an official instruction.

0 of 13 tasks completed

Before you move
On arrival
Your first month
Later and before renewal

Sources and checks

The linked authorities set the rules. VisaAtlas explains how the steps fit together; planning suggestions are not a decision on your immigration status, tax residence or entitlement to services.

Plan your next step