Overall6/10Easier visas than about 55% of cities
Good to know
Good to Know
- For most nomads from the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, entry to Chile (and therefore Valparaíso) is visa-free for up to 90 days as a tourist — no advance application, no fee at the border.
- The 90-day figure is not universal: some nationalities get only 30 days, and border officers can shorten it further at discretion, so always check the actual number of days stamped on your Tourist Card, not just the general rule.
- You can extend a tourist stay once for another 90 days via SERMIG for a fee equivalent to about USD 100 — after that second period, you must leave; there's no further renewal.
- Since 2022 you generally cannot switch from tourist status to a residency visa while inside Chile, so anyone planning to stay long-term needs to apply for the right visa category before arriving.
- Visa-exemption rules are nationality-specific and have changed recently (a 2025 decree added prior-authorization requirements for over 100 countries under the temporary stay category), so it's worth double-checking your own passport's current status rather than relying on older blog posts.
- Because Chile has no dedicated digital nomad visa, working remotely for foreign clients while on a tourist stay sits in a legal gray area — it's widely done, but it is not an explicitly licensed 'work' status, so nomads should not expect a formal remote-work permit at the border.
- If you plan to stay long-term, track your days carefully: crossing 183 days in a 12-month period triggers Chilean tax residency even if your visa status hasn't changed, which brings annual filing obligations (Form 22, due April 30) and requires getting a RUT number from the SII.
- The 3-year 'foreign-source income tax holiday' for new tax residents is a genuine perk for nomads who cross into tax residency, but it is not indefinite and an extension request (toward a possible 6 years total) requires proactive paperwork before the initial period expires — it isn't automatic.
Visa Free Entry
- Baseline Rule
- Chile's tourist entry (Permanencia Transitoria) is granted at the border, not a pre-arranged 'visa-free scheme' in the Schengen sense, but functions the same way for most nomads.
- Who Qualifies
- Most Western nomad passports — including the US, UK, all EU member states, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — do not need a visa in advance and are admitted as tourists on arrival.
- Funds Requirement
- CLP 46,000
Approximate CLP equivalent of the roughly USD 46/day in demonstrable funds that immigration can require tourists to show; figure is denominated in USD by source, CLP shown is an approximate conversion at current rates.
- Process On Arrival
- There is no advance application for eligible nationalities — you present a valid passport (or, for Mercosur/Andean Community citizens, a national ID card) at the port of entry, show proof of onward travel, and are issued a Tourist Card (Tarjeta de Turismo) confirming the permitted stay. This card must be kept and surrendered on departure.
- Recent Policy Shift
- Since September 2025, Chilean Decree No. 359 introduced a prior-authorization/visa requirement under the 'Temporary Stay Permit' category for nationals of 104 specified countries, so the visa-exempt list is not static — it should be reverified per nationality rather than assumed from older guides.
- Important Legal Change
- Since Chile's Ley 21.325 migration overhaul (in force since 2022), tourists generally can no longer convert a tourist permit into a temporary residence visa from inside the country — long-term-stay categories must be applied for from abroad, with limited exceptions (e.g. family reunification, pregnancy).
- Standard Duration Days
- 90
- Easter Island Exception
- Regardless of nationality, the maximum stay on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) — a special territory of Chile — is capped at 30 days, not 90, and requires proof of accommodation and a return ticket; this is a separate rule from mainland Chile entry (which includes Valparaíso) and is not affected by a traveler's general 90-day mainland entitlement.
- Duration Notes
- The 90-day figure is the norm, but it is nationality-dependent: some nationalities (notably a number of Asian and Caribbean countries) are only granted 30 days on the same visa-free basis, and the immigration officer can shorten the period at their discretion, so the actual number stamped/recorded at entry is the legal limit, not the general rule.
Extension
- Visa fee
- CLP 93,000
Extension fee is officially quoted as USD 100 payable in the Chilean peso equivalent; CLP figure here is an approximate conversion at current rates, not a fixed peso price set by the government.
- Process
- A one-time extension of up to a further 90 days can be requested online through SERMIG (Servicio Nacional de Migraciones) before the initial 90 days expire.
- Available
- Yes
- Cannot Renew Twice
- Yes
Digital Nomad Visa And Tax
- Summary
- Chile has no visa category formally named or marketed as a 'digital nomad visa.' Remote workers currently rely on either extended tourist stays or Chile's general Temporary Residence Permit (visa de residencia temporaria) system under Immigration Law 21.325 (2021), which was not designed specifically for remote-income nomads but can in practice be used by people with independent/foreign income ('rentista'-type applications) or a local sponsoring contract.
- Visa Status
- No dedicated digital nomad visa
- Visa Ease Tier
- moderate
- Visa Ease Tier Rationale
- Chile offers a workable but administratively generic path (extendable ~90+90 day tourist stays plus a non-employer-sponsored temporary residence route) rather than a purpose-built digital nomad visa, and tax residency automatically triggers at 183 days with only a time-limited (3, extendable toward 6 year) exemption on foreign-source income.
Tax Notes
- Resident Rates
- Once tax-resident, individuals are taxed under Chile's progressive Global Complementary Tax scale, with rates reported as ranging from 0% up to 40% depending on income level.
- Nonresident Rates
- Nonresidents (before acquiring tax residency) are taxed at a flat 15% rate on income from professional or technical services rendered, and other Chilean-source income is generally taxed at 35%.
- Filing
- Annual tax returns (Form 22) covering the prior calendar year's income must be filed, generally by April 30, and tax residents must first obtain a RUT (Rol Único Tributario) number from the tax authority (SII).
- Double Taxation
- Whether double taxation is mitigated depends on whether Chile has a tax treaty with the nomad's home country; treaty coverage varies by country of origin.
- Tax Residency Trigger
- Residence for Chilean tax purposes is acquired once an individual remains in Chile, consecutively or not, for more than 183 days within any 12-month period.
- Foreign Source Income Holiday
- Foreigners who become Chilean tax residents are taxed only on their Chilean-source income during their first 3 years in the country; after that, worldwide income becomes taxable, though an extension of this holiday can be requested in specific cases.
- Extended Holiday Note
- Some guidance describes the possibility of requesting an additional 3-year extension of nonresident-style taxation, meaning some expats may go up to roughly 6 years before worldwide income is taxed, though this extension is not automatic and requires supporting documentation filed with the tax authority in advance.
Tourist Stay Baseline
- Extension
- The tourist permit is typically valid for a set period and can be extended once for an additional period at the immigration office, after which continued legal stay requires switching to a residence permit.
- Cited Basis
- A permit to carry out limited activities is tied to the validity of the tourist permit, described in professional tax/immigration guidance as usually 90 days, renewable for an additional 90 days, and staying more than 180 days requires a temporary residence permit.
- Initial Stay
- Most nationalities (including US/EU/UK) receive a tourist entry permit on arrival.
Closest Equivalent Pathway
- Name
- Temporary Residence Permit (Visa de Residencia Temporaria) — general/independent-means route
- Who Its For
- Foreigners who can demonstrate sufficient, stable income (commonly foreign pensions, rental income, dividends, or remote-work/freelance earnings) without needing a Chilean employer sponsor, as opposed to the 'Sujeta a Contrato' visa which requires a local employment contract.
- Renewal Path
- Temporary residence permits are generally issued for a limited period and can lead toward permanent residency after continuous legal residence, but renewal terms depend on the specific subcategory granted and are assessed by immigration authorities on a case-by-case basis.
- Income Requirements
- No income figure specific to remote workers/digital nomads could be confirmed as an official published threshold, since this is not a dedicated nomad category; applicants generally must show consistent, documented foreign income sufficient to support themselves, verified case-by-case by Chile's immigration authority.
Documents Commonly Required
- Valid passport
- Proof of income (bank statements, pension/dividend/rental statements, or freelance/remote-work income documentation)
- Background/criminal record check from country of residence
- Proof of accommodation in Chile
- Application filed through Chile's official immigration portal (Servicio Nacional de Migraciones)
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this visas research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Valparaíso
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.