Chile Forum

I am a UK citizen and I have been coming to Chile on a regular basis since 2005. In October 2009 I married the love of my life, who happens to be a Chilean. I got married in Santiago. But due to work committments I had to return to London. I will retire in October and of course want to join my wife in Chile. I have read much of the blog but I am not quite sure what I need to do to get permanent residency on the sole basis of being married to a Chilean.

I would be really grateful if someone could tell me if my intrepretation of the process is correct: - I assume I enter Chile as a tourist and then apply to the Dept. of Foreigner's and Migration or by post using appropriate form (Requistos Pcorreo3)for permananet residency with my Mrs.

I should have with me my passport, my birth certificate (I have a Malaysian birth certificate), Chilean marriage certificate, certificate of registraion by international police ( what is this?), passport size photos ( x3), personal letter stating the reasons for seeking permanent residence, the tourist visa issued on entry, proof of the receipt of regular income or pension and my wife should bring with her ID card/passport. Obviouly there will be fees to pay.

Would it advisable to get this done through a specialist immigration solicitor and if so how much would it cost?

Would I have to get anything done in the UK with my documents before coming to Chile?

Thanks in anticipation.

Met0069,

Don't be put off if you don't immediately receive an answer to your post. Most people on the board are focused on today's presidential elections. Try back tomorrow . . . and welcome to Chile

This is what I did (I'm married to a Chilean citizen):
Took my birth and marriage certificates to the Chilean consulate in my home city to be legalised and translated, then entered Chile as a tourist. Started the process here and had my temporary residence within about 4 weeks.

We handle these from time to time for people married to Chileans, but for the most part you can do it yourself. Patients is the only thing you really need in any quantity.

You do not need to legalize or translate your birth certificate, or even provide your birth certificate at all. The consulates will at times make you jump through all kinds of silly requirements, that you do not need to do if you are inside the country. So skip the consulate, and just come in under a regular tourist visa and apply.

You should have a copy of your marriage certificate from Chile however.

The process works just like it does for a retirement and income visa for the most part, accept there is less proof of resources and they normally do not question anything. It is kind of rubber stamp process (not really any faster unfortunately). You just need to show you have sufficient means during the application process, and it does not need to be "periodic" in nature. As I recalled when I did it, I just showed a bunch of ATM and exchange house receipts from my day to day spending. You just need to show resources to live on.

You still need to go through the temporary residency period, then switch to permanent after you complete your one year.

If you screw it up, they are much more forgiving. My mother in law is a gringa married to a Chilean. She has lost her residency a bunch of times by being out of the country too long (I think 3 times in 17 years, got be record or something), then reapplied. She has to go through the whole temporary residency thing all over again and they are little more annoyed with her every time she does it, but she gets it in the end.

Muchas gracias a todos por su consejo. Muy apreciado. When in Rome... etc..cheers again

Sorry to ask again, but I need to clarify something:

After I come into Chile on a tourist visa and go to get a temporary residence visa what documents do I need to have with me?

Do I need a : letter laying out reasons for applying for a visa, Criminal Record Certificate. Medical Certificate, Valid passport, passport photos.
Chilean marriage certificate? or just my passport and wedding certificate and proof of ability to support myself ( my pension).

If I need the former then do I need to translate and legalise the criminal record certificate and medical certificates - because, obvioulsy, I will have to get them here in the UK and bring them with me.

All advice welcome.

Thanks

Your over thinking it. Relax.

Passport, proof of means, letter of intent, copy of marriage certificate should be about all you need. They might (might) ask you to legalize your proof of income, but with a marriage type situation they likly will not ask for that.

xxx

Good stuff to know! Lana
moving in June/married to a Chilean

I will relax now.

Thanks for help.

I thought i would complete the picture and maybe it will be useful to others in the same position as me. So , I finally arrived in Chile at the end of October , and as advised I entered the country on a tourist visa.

I did have a difficulty prior to departure from London though - as I had bought a one way ticket. Iberia who I was travelling with refused to let me board the aircraft citing that the Chilean authorities had instructed them (and other airlines) that passengers should have return tickets or have appropriate visa authorization prior to entry to Chile or the airline would be fined. The airline staff said that the Chilean authorities would refuse entry. I finally managed to argue that I could say that I have sufficient funds to pay for a flight back and that I would take a chance. In any event I was not asked when I was returning when I went through immigration control here. Maybe I was lucky a British national. .

Well, a week after I entered I did two things. I got myself a RUT number and applied for temporary residency. Getting the RUT number was straightforward and I got it in half an hour.

How did I get the RUT: I completed a Form F4155 Inscriptión al Rol Ünico Tributario y/o Declaración de inico de actividades. The form can be obtained from http://www.sii.cl/formularios/imagen/4415.PDF (you will need three copies if you use the form from the internet) or better still go to an office of the SII , which is what I did : http://www.sii.cl/sobre_el_sii/resumen.htm. As at that stage I was not going to undertake any activity , the only parts I had to complete was my name, date of birth give my passport no and my place of origin, my address and telephone number. The only reason I got a RUT was so I could attempt to open a bank account and so I could buy a car etc. It took me about 30 minutes as I got to the office early.

The application for temporary residency process on the basis of being married to a Chilean citizen was straightforward.

The following web site explains what to do and I followed it to the letter i.e. (TE-1) Visa para Extranjero de vínculo con Chileno(a): http://www.extranjeria.gov.cl/filesapp/TE1%20ISO.pdf . I completed the following form http://www.extranjeria.gov.cl/filesapp/ ... O_2008.pdf

I needed to provide a copy of my passport (the page with your picture and details), an photocopy of the tourist visa ( the small piece of paper you get when you come through immigration), the page of the passport with the immigration entry stamp, 3 photographs ( special size in colour with your full name and passport number on it – get this done at many photo shops in town, original wedding certificate ( for me it was easy as I got married in Chile), if you were married abroad you need a legalized document). I also needed to provide an original birth certificate of my wife. Additionally I provided a letter introducing myself and y reason for application and informing them of my financial status and evidence ( in my case a legalized letter outlining my pension position.)

As I lived in Santiago I had to apply for the residency by post. So put all the above in a envelope and sent it via recorded delivery to advised office. I sent it on the 4th November and on the 16th I got a letter informing me that my visa was being processed and that extending my period of stay by an extra three months. I then received a letter in the post in early January , which appeared to have been posted in early December saying my application had been successful and instructions on what to do next.

What I had to do is go with the document to a Bank and pay a fee. This part confused me as I was expecting to pay something like 800 pounds sterling but all they wanted was $4,000 pesos. I wasn’t going to complain. Paid the amount, got the receipt , and then went o San Antonio 580, Piso 3 in Santiago , along with my passport and the letter I had received to get my passport stamped with the visa. It was hectic there but within 1.5 hours I had my temporary visa in my passport.

Next, I received clear instructions that I had 30 days to register with Policia International , and they were Calle Morande 672. I had to take my passport, and with the visa stamp . It cost me 800 pesos to register and they took the photo. I did not need to bring a photo. This took me about 20 minutes including waiting time as I arrived about 8am. The police gave me certiicate , which I needed to apply for my CEDULA de IDENTIDAD and to get m RUN no.

Off I went to the office called Pasaporte y Extranjeria in Moneda 1342 , where I got a number to queue – and I needed the form I got from the police, and my passport. No copies needed. They took my photograph and money .. about $4,000 pesos and my fingerprints. They gave me a temporary cedula with my RUN no and told me to come back a week later. And this week I got my Cedula.

A total of approx 2.5 months to get it. I would say that the process was smooth and quite professional. Now getting my bank account is a different story, but believe it or not I manage to open an account even without a visa. That´s a story for another day.

I hope this helps.

Yer not bad for a Brit