Chile Forum

It is very difficult to choose a location without visiting Chile first, so I won't. However, I have a general idea of what I am looking for. I'm wondering what areas will qualify so I can have a list of areas to visit when I arrive and start searching for a place to live.

Here is my "wish" list for a location in Chile.

1. Small town 25,000 or less
2. Some big town amenities (flexible)
3. Within travel distance of other places to visit (bigger towns or scenic destinations)
4. Safe for older single women (over 45)
5. Wonderful views
6. Easy traveling options
7. Welcoming to Gringos
8. Gentlemen's farming options
9. No extreme temperatures. Not too hot, not too cold
10. Not a big city person except for vacations

Other suggestions are welcome. I will allow some time when I arrive to explore and find the right place.

MariaandMe wrote:It is very difficult to choose a location without visiting Chile first, so I won't. However, I have a general idea of what I am looking for. I'm wondering what areas will qualify so I can have a list of areas to visit when I arrive and start searching for a place to live.

Here is my "wish" list for a location in Chile.

1. Small town 25,000 or less
2. Some big town amenities (flexible)......

Why Chile?

Are you ready for riots, high costs, poor services, high costs, the world's worst spoken Spanish, high costs, the endemic desire of nearly every chileno to cheat and deceive every foreigner, inescapable petty thievery, marginal restaurant eating, recalcitrant banks, abysmal automobile drivers, a superstitious and undereducated proletariat (and sizable lumpen-proletariat), shoddy craftsmanship, legions of loose dogs, excessive noise, limited selection, high degrees of public alcoholism, and high costs of living?

Then welcome to Chile. And welcome to the foro.

patagoniax wrote:

MariaandMe wrote:It is very difficult to choose a location without visiting Chile first, so I won't. However, I have a general idea of what I am looking for. I'm wondering what areas will qualify so I can have a list of areas to visit when I arrive and start searching for a place to live.

Here is my "wish" list for a location in Chile.

1. Small town 25,000 or less
2. Some big town amenities (flexible)......

Why Chile?

And welcome to the foro.

I agree that this should be the first question one should ask oneself. Apart from the weather part, OP just described Canada. If people only knew how cheap land is in Canada compared to Chile. Especially on the prairies. I don't know how many hectares gentleman farmer entails but be ready for sticker shock.

Well that wasn't the response I was expecting

I have researched S. American locales for quite awhile. I am well traveled, however I have not traveled in South America yet. However, of all the places I have been and those I am drawn to, Chile seems to fit best into climate, opportunities, ect. I do not want to retire in Canada, Europe or anywhere I could not get a second citizenship as part of my retirement. I am looking to retire in warmer climes

I am looking to move to a S. American locale with a slower pace, simpler life and a nice climate (no frigid winter and no searing summer heat). A smaller location not a big city. Argentina is out, though there are beautiful and appealing locales there, I have ruled it out for government reasons. Uruguay is a distant second choice.

I am not making the move for another year, so there is plenty of time, but this is not a rash decision... I've been "lurking" here reading lots for quite awhile.

Visit and then draw your own conclusions.

Might I suggest Roatan, Honduras? That would cover many things on your list. Also, it is much more pleasant than Chile. If you are not being forced to move here...why? You should DEFINITELY come for a lengthy visit before making a move here.

px is having a bad chile day. I think he is feeling left out of the recent protests.

8. Gentlemen's farming options

why does that sound like a sleazy nightclub or something?

Seriously, though what you are describing is more southern chile.

Short list, Puerto varas, Frutillar, Puerto Octay, villarica, perhaps Pucon (nasty weather) are some options. South of the Bio Bio river, North of Puerto Montt.

Much depends on your idea of temperate climate, and how remote you want to be.

patagoniax wrote:
Why Chile?

Are you ready for riots, high costs, poor services, high costs, the world's worst spoken Spanish, high costs, the endemic desire of nearly every chileno to cheat and deceive every foreigner, inescapable petty thievery, marginal restaurant eating, recalcitrant banks, abysmal automobile drivers, a superstitious and undereducated proletariat (and sizable lumpen-proletariat), shoddy craftsmanship, legions of loose dogs, excessive noise, limited selection, high degrees of public alcoholism, and high costs of living?

Then welcome to Chile. And welcome to the foro.

No one passes unnoticed by Chile's Gate Keeper, Chile's Welcome Wagon. He left out the " Welcome to Chile...here, have a grape or a lump. And yes, we would love to know your reasons for your desire to leave your country. Tomorrow will be our third year in Chile and I can attest to his statements, to the point that my health has been compromise due to all the aggravation I have been put thru ( and I was born here!!!)

MariaandMe wrote:I do not want to retire in Canada, Europe or anywhere I could not get a second citizenship as part of my retirement.

My family is mixed Canadian-Chilean, with me being Canadian and my wife being Chilean and from my experience it seems way easier to get citizenship in Canada then it is in Chile.

For both of us residency was the easy part, I showed up in Chile and applied in downtown Santiago and had residency in 3 months or something like that. For my wife, we filed out the required forms submitted them and she was approved in 6 months. But after that everything changes...

Now that she has lived in Canada for 3 years all she is required to do is fill out the appropriate paperwork, pay the fee, take the test and wait for the approval.

In Chile, I am not even sure where to begin. Last time we were in Chile we tried to get the ball rolling for our sons dual-citizenship... and I cam to one conclusion everyone in the department of immigration has no idea what the procedures are. We go so many different answers I don't even know where to start... one person told us he could only have both until he was 21 then he had to drop one, another person told us we had to get rid of the Canadian-citizenship before they would give him Chilean-citizenship and then we had another person tell us it just wasn't possible because he wasn't born there. From what I know his case should be pretty cut and dry, he is entitled to Chilean-citizenship for life through his mother.

As a foreigner you do not have that entitlement and while it is possible it takes a long time and from what I have read on here costs a bit of money with the legal fees and court hearings. And maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong, I am not a law expert, but Chile does not have Common Law so just because the courts grant one foreigner citizenship without having to renounce his citizenship of birth doesn't mean that becomes the rule.

There are still many hurdles and hoops to a foreigners getting citizenship in Chile.

ohhh, so need to nip this last one in the bud.

None of the above is true. More than likely you are talking to the wrong people, that simply do not know anything about it. Your local immigration office does not handle those applications. Applications for Citizenship are bureaucratic top level application, through the main offices in Santiago (involves more than immigration also, many other departments are involved). Thus, why the little people at the desk at immigration will likely never be told that anything has changed or what needs to be done. They simply do not handle it. You would likely be better off talking to the local gas station attendant.

Any person with more than 5 years of permanent residency (some other requirements also) is now eligible to apply for dual citizenship (yes, you can keep your other citizenship).

Any decedent of a Chilean, based relationship as far back as grandparents, are eligible for dual citizenship. We have handle a lot of these, for people living all over the World. Some with some fairly thin or sketchy documentation regarding their ties to Chile, like grandmother was born in a mining camp at the turn of the century owned by a foreign company and left after a few months, never to have the birth certificate included in the national civil registry. The records can be recreated with some work, even in such far removed cases to qualify. So, if the connection to Chile is still alive, all the better.

This is not some made up set of rules, that changes based on the whim of some secretary at immigration. It is legislation passed in 2004, and it does apply to everyone. It does not involve a court hearing (unless you are unjustly denied, which is a whole different matter).

If you are really having that much trouble with it, give us a call.

admin wrote:ohhh, so need to nip this last one in the bud.

None of the above is true. More than likely you are talking to the wrong people, that simply do not know anything about it. Your local immigration office does not handle those applications. Applications for Citizenship are bureaucratic top level application, through the main offices in Santiago (involves more than immigration also, many other departments are involved). Thus, why the little people at the desk at immigration will likely never be told that anything has changed or what needs to be done. They simply do not handle it. You would likely be better off talking to the local gas station attendant.

Any person with more than 5 years of permanent residency (some other requirements also) is now eligible to apply for dual citizenship (yes, you can keep your other citizenship).

Any decedent of a Chilean, based relationship as far back as grandparents, are eligible for dual citizenship. We have handle a lot of these, for people living all over the World. Some with some fairly thin or sketchy documentation regarding their ties to Chile, like grandmother was born in a mining camp at the turn of the century owned by a foreign company and left after a few months, never to have the birth certificate included in the national civil registry. The records can be recreated with some work, even in such far removed cases to qualify. So, if the connection to Chile is still alive, all the better.

This is not some made up set of rules, that changes based on the whim of some secretary at immigration. It is legislation passed in 2004, and it does apply to everyone. It does not involve a court hearing (unless you are unjustly denied, which is a whole different matter).

If you are really having that much trouble with it, give us a call.

I didn't intend to make it sound like it isn't possible, just more difficult than it should be due to the lack or knowledge or caring by the people on the front lines.

Before we went into the office I remembered reading about the legislation passed in 2004 so I knew it was possible... but no one we talked to at any of the desks in the office in Santiago knew anything about it... no one. If you ask me that is a pretty big law to know nothing about... especially when it is your job to know these things and are the first line of information for people looking for answers. With out a lawyer or help of some sort it doesn't appear to be an easy process since there is obviously no literature available in the immigration office and no one there even knows that it is even possible.

When we got back to Canada we contacted the Consulate in Vancouver to see if they would be any help in regards to my son's citizenship... turns out they are actually more informed than the people down in Santiago. They gave us a list of stuff to mail to them, asked for $17 and said they can take care or the rest (wished i had known that before we went to Chile, since Our son flew in as Canadian and we have to pay the entry fee.)

j. Ro wrote:

MariaandMe wrote:


In Chile, I am not even sure where to begin. Last time we were in Chile we tried to get the ball rolling for our sons dual-citizenship... and I cam to one conclusion everyone in the department of immigration has no idea what the procedures are. We go so many different answers I don't even know where to start... one person told us he could only have both until he was 21 then he had to drop one, another person told us we had to get rid of the Canadian-citizenship before they would give him Chilean-citizenship and then we had another person tell us it just wasn't possible because he wasn't born there. From what I know his case should be pretty cut and dry, he is entitled to Chilean-citizenship for life through his mother.

As a foreigner you do not have that entitlement and while it is possible it takes a long time and from what I have read on here costs a bit of money with the legal fees and court hearings. And maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong, I am not a law expert, but Chile does not have Common Law so just because the courts grant one foreigner citizenship without having to renounce his citizenship of birth doesn't mean that becomes the rule.

There are still many hurdles and hoops to a foreigners getting citizenship in Chile.

What you are describing couldn't be further from the truth. My husband is Chilean, I am not and our child has duel citizenship. It is very easy to do and it is not expensive at all. I don't even understand the part about courts, you do not need to go to court and you do not need to renounce your other citizenship. When I was getting my residency and then later permanent residency visas I was shocked at how easy it was. Yes there are annoying parts like you need to go to 3 different offices to get paper work, but that is the worst part about it and it is very inexpensive as well. If you come here, you will learn that is is very different than what you might hear from afar.