Chile Forum

Good evening everyone.

Towards the end of the year (in December) I will be going to Santiago and staying for a minimum of 6 months to up to a year. I work in a free-lance profession and do a lot of my work on my computer but I am planning on working in local projects while I'm in Chile.

My mom is Chilean and I went to my local Chilean consulate a few weeks back and applied for citizenship (I was born in the US) so I could stay in Chile for more than the maximum tourist requirement of 3 months and also so I could obtain a RUT, because we all know how important the RUT number is for any type of transaction in Chile. As I would like to buy a car, get a license, rent an apartment, etc., it is crucial for me!

Anyways, I gave a consulate employee my drivers license, moms birth certificate, and her carnet. He came back with an official document that I signed and was stamped officially, it basically states my full name, place of birth and parents name. I don't have the document in front of me at the moment but it was titled something "Inscripcion".

I decided to call the consulate today and find out how long would the process take in order for me to recieve my RUT. The lady over the phone informed me that it would take 6 months to process. It's making me nervous knowing that I will be arriving at the begining of December and it will also be the 6 months mark of when I applied. I'm extremely nervous because without the RUT number I wont be able to do much in Chile but have been informed that foreigners can recieve some sort of temporary RUT number if they are going to Chile (an exchange student told me he got one). I started thinking of the idea of applying for a Visa in case something happened and I am not given my RUT in December but the secreatary at the consulate told me it would take a year and a half to get a work visa.

Here are my questions:
(main question)Once I get citizenship, will I be able to work in Chile because I am a citizen? or do I need to do some more paperwork?
In December, when I contact the embassy and get my RUT, what should I do next while I am in Chile, do I go to the "Registro Civil" and give them my RUT along with a copy of my birth certificate and passport and get my carnet? Or is there other "tramites" that I need to do?

What happens if the usual Chilean mess happens and I call in December and they say that they have no record of my application or it hasn't been processed (because just from past experience, this could happen!!), what do I do, basically am I stuck i.e, can't work in Chile and will have to leave Chile and come back in order to renew my 3 month visa? (this is what I really want to avoid).

I have 3 months to get any paperwork filled out and processed so that when I arrive, I can do everything I need to do, somewhat flawlessly.

I really appreciate any advice! Thank you!

If were going to be in chile anyway, you kind of were wasting your time with the consulate. It is a fairly straight forward procedure at the civil registry, and generally much faster. Two different branches of the chilean government.

The big issue is legalizing your birth certificate outside of chile.

Until you get it sorted out you are just a tourist.

Hi Charles,

Once the process is done, will I be able to work in Chile with no problem?
Is the maximum 6 months or is it the minimum for this kind of a process?

Thanks!!

My husband´s citizenship took about 2 weeks, we went to registro civil downtown and they processed him on the spot. Once you´re a citizen, you´re a citizen. I don´t really understand the question/confusion. If you are a citizen, you can do anything that other citizens can do, which obviously includes working, purchasing property and voting.

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You can get permission to work for up to 30 days even if you are on a tourist card. You have to request it. It's intended for such people as tour guides who are only in Chile for a short time and may be getting paid outside of Chile. But it may be of interest to you.

La autorización para trabajar con permiso de turismo, se podrá otorgar a quienes tengan la
condición de turista vigente y requieran desarrollar actividades laborales en nuestro país, sean
éstas remuneradas en el país de origen o en Chile. El Ministerio del Interior podrá autorizarlos
para que, en casos calificados, trabajen en el país por un plazo máximo de 30 días, prorrogables
mientras se mantenga vigente el permiso de turismo.

http://www.extranjeria.gov.cl/filesapp/ ... jo_ISO.pdf