Chile Forum

So apparently a Chilean with his or her cédula de identidad can cross into neighboring countries without any issue. The card doubles in a sense as a passport for border crossings. Has anybody actually tried this? I am particularly asking any foreigner with a cédula. I know my cédula has "extranjero" and my nationality on it (US citizenship). I have crossed into Argentina numerous times but always had my passport in my hand and I am wondering if I can cross into Bolivia without having to pay the 130 US entrance fee they charge US citizens.

as far as I can tell, you can leave a chilean land border on your carnet, but you cannot get in anywhere on just your carnet as a non chilean.

Also, I specifically asked the Bolivian consulate, and they said no. Good news is that it only costs $100 if you do it at the consulate ahead of time, and not at the border, or at least it did when I did it, which was (I believe) Dec 2008.

bearshapedsphere wrote:as far as I can tell, you can leave a chilean land border on your carnet, but you cannot get in anywhere on just your carnet as a non chilean.

Also, I specifically asked the Bolivian consulate, and they said no. Good news is that it only costs $100 if you do it at the consulate ahead of time, and not at the border, or at least it did when I did it, which was (I believe) Dec 2008.

Shucks! Oh well, it was a nice try.
I have the address to their consulate in Providencia,I can go ask and confirm again. They require a yellow fever vaccination - which I don´t have yet. Hopefully that will not be too hard to get in Santiago.

I believe forum poster and permanent resident gringalais also confirmed that for Bolivia and Brasil you definitely need passport and visa to enter as a USA citizen whereas Argentina you do not.

I just recently got back from Bolivia. You do need to get a visa. As of mid-August when I went, the consulate in Santiago was not issuing visas. They didn't have the stickers to put in your passport and had no idea when they would be getting them. I was told there that it was US$135 no matter where you got it. I ended up getting it at the border, crossing from Arica, with no problems. Definitely call the consulate before you go to see if they are currently issuing visas at this time or not to avoid wasting your time. At the border, I had to show my Chilean Cédula too since I didn't have a tourist card to turn in, instead I had to fill out the same exit form the Chileans do.

For Brazil as far as I could find out a visa is required too.

The last time I went to Argentina, they actually scolded me for using my passport and not my Cédula. I was not aware then that you could just enter with that. They told me Uruguay also lets you travel on your ID card. I have permanent residency, if you are on some type of visa, sujeto a contrato, etc. it would probably be good to confirm that the same rule applies, it may just be for permanent residents.

yellow fever you can do at the vacunatorio at hospital salvador, I think until 1, but might be noon. You follow the appropriate colored line (one of the ladies in red will help you), tell the person in the office what you want, go pay for it at the caja that's right there, and then go back and get your jabs. make sure you end up with the certificate (yellow book) at the end, and don't be surprised if you don't feel great the next day. The first time I had mine done I felt lousy for a day. The second time I didn¡t notice anything odd.

I did this all a while ago, so if anything has changed, please report back. Also if you're not flying RT you can write a note telling them what your plan is in Bolivia, where you plan to go, etc. You need one night booked in Bolivia as well. I booked on hostel bookers the cheapest I could find in Uyuni which was the first night I'd be staying somewhere, except I actually missed the night and spent it on a bus to La Paz.

if you have any other questions about Bolivia visa issues, let me know.

I have been told repeatedly that I cannot cross with just my cedula, and I've had definitive residency for a few years. You need both the passport and the carnet. I finally started leaving that laminated certificate at home at least. That for sure you do not need. oh wait, it may have been land borders to arg are ok with just the carnet, and flying requires both. I will try the next time I go overland to Argentina. It's better not to fill up the old passport with so many stamps, at any rate.

I was not aware that the Bolivian consulate in Chile was out of stickers. My friends traveling around Peru were able to get the visa in the consulate there recently for the $100, not $135. Or it might have been Ecuador, actually, bu I know the lesser rate applied as of two weeks ago, because that's when they did it.

Interesting that you were told something very different as far as Argentina. The international police agent at the airport told me it was preferrable that I travel with just my Cédula and would have just processed my exit that way if I hadn't put my passport number on the exit form. So, I don't know what would have happened if I had actually entered Argentina without my passport having been stamped. Once crossing the border by land, the guy only stamped my tourist card, not my passport on entering Argentina and when I tried to leave, they kind of gave me a hard time about the missing stamp. The Argentinian immigration official said that the other person probably just stamped my tourist card because I could travel with just my Cédula. I guess next time I go there, I will see what happens if I just show my ID card.

As far as Boliva, they may have the stickers now, they may not, since it was August when this happened to me. I just mentioned it since it is probably better to call and see what is going on rather than spending time going there and waiting to talk to someone only to be told they can't issue a visa. The man said they had been waiting well over a month already for more stickers to arrive. He had said that last he knew the Arica consulate was still able to issue visas, but that didn't really work for us since we were arriving in Arica on a Saturday morning and wanted to head straight to La Paz from there. It would seem to make more sense to use a stamp like Brazil, then the whole problem could be avoided.

I'm guessing that the stemp vs sticker thing has to do with fraud and trust. You can't tell how many times a stamp has been stamped, and it's easier to inventory stickers. Though it's not like Brazil is graft-free and here in Chile the sujeto a contrato visas are stickers too, so who knows.

We will have to get to the bottom of the border crossing with carnet thing. I don't have any immediate plans to go to Argentina, though you never know so I'll be sure to report back. For Bolivia though, it's a sure no-go, sad to say. At the border crossing near San Pedro de Atacama, the guys in the little immigration building seemed a little disappointed to not get to watch me (the only American at that time) fork over the cash. bummer for them! Score one for the very planrific gringa.

Thanks for the repiles. It sucks we have to pay for the visa but I guess we get the same treatment we (the US State Dept actually) give to other nations. I had to pay it for Chile as well, but I am not going to be down here for only a few days. I just wish I knew whether my money was going to a good cause. I´m a 15 minute walk from the Bolivian consolate here in Santiago, If I do seriously have the time to make a Bolivia trip, I will look into it further and post back. As for the cédula, I would always carry my passport with me as a backup and since according to the US state dept, it is required to enter Bolivia along with most other countries, but you know they don´t keep tabs on things like the Chilean cédula. Anybody have an idea of the approximate cost of a yellow fever vaccine? I stupidly spaced out on bringing my vaccination records even down to Chile with me, hopefully that doesn´t cause any problems.

A couple of years ago, the cost of the vaccine itself was 22,000 pesos per shot (plus whatever the clinic will charge you to administer it). That's what the distributor told me they charge for it.

BTW, it has to be administered something like a couple of weeks in advance if I remember correctly and can have flu-like side effects (better not to be ill at an inconvenient location...).

James.

A note on the Yellow Fever vaccine... I entered Bolivia 4 times in the last 15 years (and lived there for a year in 94) and never been asked about a Yellow Fever vaccine. I think it's something to do with where you are arriving from, not a blanket requirement. I'm a New Zealand citizen and we don't require Visas to enter Bolivia.