Can I extend my Chile tourist visa?

score:6

Accepted answer

I'm a German, living in Chile and extended my tourist visa several times in the past, the last time in January this year. This information is based on my personal experience.

In short: Yes, you can extend your tourist visa for 90 more days for a fee of 100 US$.

In detail: It is possible to extend your tourist visa once for another 90 days. To do so you have to go to an Extranjeria (Foreigners Office) before your visa expires but within the last 30 days of your visa (it is possible to go on the very last day but try to avoid it! [Edit from 21st of June 2017: do not start this on the last day! Some Extranjerias have changed the way they work and even getting an appointment may require you to go a day in advance. For your own good, start this process at least a week before!])

To find your nearest Extranjeria go to http://www.extranjeria.gob.cl/contactenos/ and scroll down to "En regiones". You'll have to take your passport and the Tarjeta de Turismo (Tourist card), that you got when you entered the country from the PDI. You may have to present a photocopy of both documents (I never had to). I advice you to get to the Extranjeria very early (before they open) as usually people queue up and they may only attend to a certain number of people each day (for example 80 in La Serena) [Edit from 21st of June 2017: This changed. Ideally investigate how you will be attended before you go there!].

After taking your data you will be issued a paper in order to pay 100 US$. You will pay this in local currency (at the moment about Ch$ 70,000) at any bank (not the Extranjeria itself!). They will retain your Tarjeta de Turismo. You can collect your extended visa usually about a week later, presenting proof of payment (the stamped paper). Ask how long it will take! Anyway, it is not strictly necessary to collect your visa extension within the expiration period of your tourist visa. I advice to go at least one day later than advertised by the Extranjeria staff as your visa extension may still be filed in inaccessible parts of their system. Yes, Chilean bureaucracy is not the most efficient ...

Don't be surprised if they just hand you back your Tarjeta de Turismo with a handwritten slip of paper stapled to it.

Some other points:

  • If you overstayed your visa you have to go to the Policía de Investigaciones (PDI) first.
  • You should be able to speak an intermediate level of Spanish as the staff will most likely not speak English!
  • The procedure may vary slightly from region to region and probably in Santiago, check the official information and take a copy of your passport and Tarjeta de Turismo just in case.
  • The alternative to extending the visa is to leave the country. I advice to stay at least one day outside of Chile as I heart several stories about people being uncomfortably questioned when returning the very same day.
  • If you plan to leave the country do so with anticipation! The weather can be rough and routes to neighbouring countries close very frequently especially during winter time. Attempt to leave the country at least one week before the visa expires.
  • An expired tourist visa is not a dramatic thing. You may have to pay a small fine (or it may be waived) but it is a bureaucratic hassle, especially if you don't speak Spanish. More here: Overstaying a tourist visa in Chile, any other penalties despite a small fine?
  • You can ask for another extension of the tourist visa after having re-entered Chile, essentially only having to leave the country every 180 days. I have done this for 1,5 years without any question from the authorities whatsoever.
  • I do not recommend to leave the country instead of asking for an extension to the tourist visa. It is next to impossible to leave Chile and re-enter on a budget of 100 US$ and you will loose time also (unless you would like to visit a neigbouring country).
  • Chilean migration procedures are quite time-consuming but Chile is surprisingly open to tourists moving across the borders as often as they please, in my experience! The latter is worth stressing! Depending on your nationality you might get a more negative impression, especially if you are from Bolivia, Peru or Colombia (based on talk overheard while waiting for hours in offices of the Extranjeria).

Upvote:0

If you decide to stay in Chile for more than 90 days as a tourist, you have three options: obtain a visa, buy a 90 day extension for $100, or leave Chile and come back. For many people the latter is the best choice, as the narrow shape of Chile makes it a short trip to leave the country.

Obtaining a visa extension:

You may receive a one year tourist visa with the proper paperwork. It is not difficult to receive, but you must prove that you will not be a financial burden to the country. Copies of bank records showing sufficient funds are helpful, but they may ask you what activities you are doing in Chile. It may be necessary to provide a certificate proving you are doing beneficial work in Chile, even if it is volunteer work. This is not set in stone, and different people have had different results. If you are doing nothing in Chile that is deemed beneficial, and are asked for a certificate, you can volunteer to teach English in any school, even if it is only for a few weeks.

Upvote:1

If you need to request an extension, you may do so at any Departamento de Extranjería y Migración.

You need to present:

  • Photocopies of the valid passport (identification pages, number and, granting and expiration date, plus the page with the seal or stamp of the last entry to Chile). Do not forget to present the original passport.
  • Photocopy of the valid Tourism Card.
  • A fee of US$100 equivalent in local currency regardless of their nationality

An alternative to that is leaving Chile briefly and re-entering (known as a visa run). Based on the link in Nathan's answer, it seems to be a popular method but there's no mention of how kindly Chilean authorities will look to that.

Upvote:1

I performed the visa extension recently (March 2019) in Santiago and here are some Santiago-specific details to add to the accepted answer which is still largely correct.

  • The official guide mentions what you need: photocopy of: passport photo page, passport page with Chilean entry stamp, copy of "Tarjeta de Turismo" which a receipt with the words "PDI" on it given to you on entry (you should always keep this in your passport. I had these photocopies, but it seems like the agent would have been willing to copy them for me if I didn't have them (but don't rely on it).
  • In principle you are supposed to book an appointment at this website, but in practice everything is booked up due to the huge influx of immigrants from other South American countries, so you may be waiting weeks or months on the waiting list of an appointment. Since you can only apply for the extension in the last 30 day of your 90 day initial visa, making an appointment online is pretty much impossible unless you get lucky with the timing.
  • Instead, simply go to the immigration center at Matucana 1223, some time before 11 AM. There will be a crowd of people at the door, mostly entering with their appointments booked online. Make your way to the front of the crowd and tell the person taking appointments that you want "prorroga de turismo" and that you are leaving Santiago soon and won't be able to return to an immigration office soon.
  • You will be let in and have to wait for an appointment (in my case about 15 minutes) and then the process is more or less as the accepted answer describes. Overall it took me about 2 hours after being let in the first time.
  • The main problem is if they don't let you in the front door. They may ask you how much longer you have on your current visa and tell you to come back another day. If you make it clear you cannot, they should let you in. You can also sneak in the exit door if it is unguarded, which is at the back of the building directly opposite the entrance (walk around the block to get to it), once inside ask anyone official about the "prorroga de tourista" and they should direct you to the right place.

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