Work Visas in Chile

How to get a work permit and which routes actually exist

Chile grants temporary residence with work rights through several published categories, the most used being residence based on an employment contract and residence for people with recognised professional or technical qualifications. Under the 2021 law these are applied for at a Chilean consulate before travelling, and a contract-based permit no longer ties the holder to the employer who signed it.

What the 2021 law changed

The Ley de Migración y Extranjería that took effect in 2021 replaced a framework dating from the 1970s. It created the Servicio Nacional de Migraciones, set out residence categories in regulation rather than administrative practice, and removed the long-standing route by which a visitor already inside Chile applied for a residence permit without leaving.

The practical consequence is that most guides written before 2021 describe a process that no longer exists. The current expectation is that the temporary residence application is lodged with a Chilean consulate in the applicant's country of residence, and that the applicant enters Chile with the permit already granted.

A tourist stamp is now, for most purposes, exactly what it says it is. Working on it is not permitted, and converting it into residence from within the country is available only in the narrow situations the regulations name.

The categories that carry work rights

• Employment-based temporary residence. Granted on the basis of a Chilean employment contract meeting the form requirements set out in the regulations, including clauses on repatriation and social security.
• Professional and technical qualifications. A category for holders of recognised degrees or technical titles, which does not depend on a named employer.
• Family ties. Residence for spouses, civil partners, children, and parents of Chilean nationals or of permanent residents.
• Investment and business activity. Residence tied to an investment or a commercial project, assessed on the substance of the activity rather than on a fixed headline sum.
• Seasonal work. A category aimed at agriculture and other seasonal sectors, granting permission for defined periods of the year.
• Mercosur-related residence. Nationals of associated South American states can commonly use a simplified residence route based on nationality rather than on a job offer.

The employer tie is gone

Under the previous system the visa sujeta a contrato was attached to the employer who signed the contract. If the employment ended, the permit ended with it, which left holders bargaining from a weak position.

In the current framework a temporary residence permit granted on employment grounds authorises work generally, and a change of employer does not by itself extinguish the permit. Reporting obligations still apply, and the permit's renewal is still assessed against the grounds on which it was granted.

After arrival

Registration with the police and the issue of an identity card through the Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación follow entry. The card carries the RUT, the national identity number, which is required to open a bank account, sign a lease, register with a health insurer, and enrol children in school.

Tax registration is handled separately by the Servicio de Impuestos Internos, and employees are enrolled by their employer in the pension and health contribution system.

Official sources

• Servicio Nacional de Migraciones — residence categories
• Chilean consular and government portal
• Servicio de Impuestos Internos

Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.

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