What is Chile's Residencia Temporal — lawful remunerated activities?

Foreigners with an employment contract under a subordinate or dependent relationship with an employer domiciled or holding a branch office in Chile. It lasts up to 2 years. Residencia Definitiva after a qualifying period of temporary residence, and Chilean nationality is a separate later step.

What is Chile's Residencia Temporal for students?

Students accepted onto a course at a recognised Chilean educational institution. It lasts up to 2 years, renewable while studies continue. Study time counts toward Residencia Definitiva, and graduates of Chilean institutions can move onto the work subcategory.

What is Chile's Residencia Temporal for seasonal workers?

Workers doing specific seasonal jobs for limited, one-off or inter-annual periods — largely agriculture, fruit export and fishing. It lasts up to 5 years, extendable by a further 2 — but the stay may not exceed 6 months in any calendar year. Weak. Because the permitted stay is capped at 6 months a year, it accumulates residence far more slowly than the ordinary work subcategory.

GlobeQuest

Moving from France to Chile

What your passport gets you at the border — and what it takes to actually stay.

France

ChileShort stay

Visa-free · 90 days

France passport holders can enter Chile without a visa and stay up to 90 days.

This is short-stay visitor policy only. It does not let you work, study or settle in Chile — that needs a residence permit.

Passport Index · updated 17 February 2026Chile's official immigration service

Long stay

How you actually move to Chile

Work / sponsoredHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

Residencia Temporal — lawful remunerated activities

Foreigners with an employment contract under a subordinate or dependent relationship with an employer domiciled or holding a branch office in Chile.

What you need

An employment contract with an employer domiciled or with a branch office in Chile
Application lodged from outside Chile via SERMIG's Portal de Trámites Digitales
A portal account or ClaveÚnica
Passport and a criminal record certificate, legalised or apostilled

How long it lasts: Up to 2 years.
Path to permanent residence: Residencia Definitiva after a qualifying period of temporary residence, and Chilean nationality is a separate later step.
Cost: SERMIG publishes fees by subcategory and by nationality, and some nationalities pay reciprocity-based amounts. Check the current schedule on serviciomigraciones.cl; apostilles and certified translations are frequently the larger cost.
Processing time: Variable and often long since the 2021 law. Plan in months.

Worth knowing

You must apply from outside Chile. The pre-2021 practice of entering as a tourist and converting to residence in-country was abolished, and a great deal of surviving online advice still describes it. Arriving first can leave you with no legal path forward.
The employer must be domiciled in Chile or have a branch here — a foreign employer with no Chilean presence does not satisfy this subcategory.
Chile has no digital nomad visa. What it does have is an exemption from tax on foreign-source income for the first three years of tax residency, extendable to six on application to the SII. For a remote worker that runway is the real attraction, but the residency route remains the binding constraint.
The provisional RUT from the SII, obtainable with a passport and visa via form F4415, is what lets you bank and transact before your cédula exists.

Sources:SERMIG — foreigners engaged in lawful remunerated activities SERMIG — Residencia Temporal SERMIG — Residencia Definitiva

FamilyMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Residencia Temporal by international reciprocity (Mercosur)

Nationals of Mercosur member and associated states — the lightest route into Chile by a wide margin, and one that dual nationals routinely overlook.

What you need

Nationality of a Mercosur member or associated state
Passport or national identity document
Criminal record certificate
Application through SERMIG's portal

How long it lasts: Up to 2 years.
Path to permanent residence: Leads to Residencia Definitiva on the same basis as other temporary residence subcategories.
Cost: Published by SERMIG; generally lower than the employment subcategory.
Processing time: Typically faster than the employment route, as it requires no employer.

Worth knowing

No job offer is required, which is the whole point — this is a nationality-based route rather than an employment-based one.
If you hold Argentine, Brazilian, Uruguayan, Paraguayan, Bolivian, Colombian, Ecuadorian or Peruvian nationality alongside another passport, check this route first. People with dual nationality frequently apply the hard way on their other passport without realising.
The exact list of qualifying states follows Mercosur membership and association agreements, which change — confirm your nationality qualifies before relying on it.

Sources:SERMIG — residence by international reciprocity (Mercosur)SERMIG — temporary residence subcategories

StudentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Residencia Temporal for students

Students accepted onto a course at a recognised Chilean educational institution.

What you need

Acceptance from a recognised Chilean institution
Evidence of means of support
Passport and criminal record certificate
Application from outside Chile through SERMIG's portal

How long it lasts: Up to 2 years, renewable while studies continue.
Path to permanent residence: Study time counts toward Residencia Definitiva, and graduates of Chilean institutions can move onto the work subcategory.
Cost: Published by SERMIG. Chilean public university tuition for foreigners is far below North American or UK levels.
Processing time: Apply well ahead of the academic year; processing has been slow since 2021.

Worth knowing

The permit is tied to your enrolment — dropping the course puts your residence at risk.
Work rights on a student permit are restricted; check the conditions rather than assuming you can take a job.
Spanish-language ability is the practical gate for most programmes, as English-taught degrees are far less common than in Europe.

Sources:SERMIG — student temporary residence permit

Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Residencia Temporal for seasonal workers

Workers doing specific seasonal jobs for limited, one-off or inter-annual periods — largely agriculture, fruit export and fishing.

What you need

A seasonal job in Chile within the scope of the subcategory
Application through SERMIG's portal
Passport and supporting documentation

How long it lasts: Up to 5 years, extendable by a further 2 — but the stay may not exceed 6 months in any calendar year.
Path to permanent residence: Weak. Because the permitted stay is capped at 6 months a year, it accumulates residence far more slowly than the ordinary work subcategory.
Cost: Published by SERMIG.
Processing time: Varies with the season and the employer.

Worth knowing

The unusual shape of this permit is the thing to understand: a long overall validity, but a hard 6-month-per-year ceiling on actual presence. It is designed for people who return each harvest, not for settling.
It is the one temporary residence subcategory not capped at 2 years, which makes it look more generous than it is.
If you intend to live in Chile continuously, this is the wrong permit however easy it looks to obtain.

Sources:SERMIG — seasonal workers SERMIG — Residencia Temporal

Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Residencia Temporal under international agreements

People covered by bilateral or multilateral agreements Chile is party to — including working holiday arrangements and professional mobility agreements.

What you need

Coverage by a relevant international agreement between Chile and your country
The documentation that specific agreement requires
Application through SERMIG's portal

How long it lasts: Up to 2 years, depending on the underlying agreement.
Path to permanent residence: Counts toward Residencia Definitiva on the ordinary basis.
Cost: Varies by agreement; published by SERMIG.
Processing time: Varies by agreement.

Worth knowing

This subcategory is a wrapper around many different agreements, so there is no single set of requirements — you have to identify the specific instrument covering your nationality.
Chile has working holiday agreements with a number of countries, and where one exists it is often the fastest way in for people under the age limit.
Check this subcategory before assuming the employment route is your only option; it is the least-known of the SERMIG list.

Sources:SERMIG — temporary residence subcategories SERMIG — Residencia Temporal

On the ground