Chile Residency, Citizenship, tourism and Criminal records

[admin]

Just seen a stat that over 10% of the population of venezuela has left, in the last year alone. Considering there crisis has been going on for over a decade, probably over 50% since easy has left since the bus driver took the wheel.

[eeuunikkeiexpat]

Always get a chuckle when I see the corny Venezuela public service and political TV ads broadcast on many of the VTR cable channels here in Chile.

[Aceofbass101]

Canadian travelling to chile in a few weeks. I have a "criminal record" in Canada for a DUI, which happened just over a year ago. Was wondering if this will be an issue when i go to chile for 90 days.

Any advice is appreciated

[DLPurser]

Yet another immigration situation.

I’m at a loss as to my next move. My wife is Chilean and I am American. We were married in Chile in 2009 and we moved to the US in 2012. For some time we had been planning to return to Chile permanently and made a brief trip back just before the pandemic. Being optimistic and since the wheels were already in motion, she returned to Chile, found work, and has rented a house for us. I have been planning to join her in December, however, after reading the recent posts on this site I think I’ll find it difficult to obtain temporary residency as I had done when we were originally married. If I need to leave Chile after 3 months to avoid issues with overstaying my entry visa, who knows if I’ll be able to return. I was encouraged to read about the announced opening of the borders, but on reflection that may not solve the immigration dilemma that myself and others on this site find ourselves in.

Despite the border closure I found information allowing me to enter Chile based on my marriage. The question remains as to whether or not I can remain in the country legally after filing for residency. Any thoughts?

[alextrombone]

If you’re married it’s pretty simple to get a temporary visa. Once you’ve submitted all the paperwork you’ll be able to stay until your visa is approved. That’s what happened to me.

[admin]

Yet another immigration situation.

I’m at a loss as to my next move. My wife is Chilean and I am American. We were married in Chile in 2009 and we moved to the US in 2012. For some time we had been planning to return to Chile permanently and made a brief trip back just before the pandemic. Being optimistic and since the wheels were already in motion, she returned to Chile, found work, and has rented a house for us. I have been planning to join her in December, however, after reading the recent posts on this site I think I’ll find it difficult to obtain temporary residency as I had done when we were originally married. If I need to leave Chile after 3 months to avoid issues with overstaying my entry visa, who knows if I’ll be able to return. I was encouraged to read about the announced opening of the borders, but on reflection that may not solve the immigration dilemma that myself and others on this site find ourselves in.

Despite the border closure I found information allowing me to enter Chile based on my marriage. The question remains as to whether or not I can remain in the country legally after filing for residency. Any thoughts?

This is probably the most repeated answer on the forum over the last 15 years, but what hell. One more time for good measure.

ONCE YOU FILE FOR RESIDENCY YOU DO NOT NEED TO RENEW YOUR TOURIST VISA EVER!!!!!!

If it takes the government 8 months to aprove your visa, you do not need to leave the country; and, yes you can come and go as you like (pandemic permitting).

[ghibli]

Wow Admin. I just posted suggesting that people not try to leave if their permanent residency had not been approved or if approved had not been finalized. I'm sure that you know much more about it than I do, but still the fact is that the PDI would not let me leave the country when my residency had been approved, but I had not been able to receive the certificate. (Estranjeros misplaced it for several months.)

Once again, thank you for providing this forum!

[DLPurser]

Yet another immigration situation.

I’m at a loss as to my next move. My wife is Chilean and I am American. We were married in Chile in 2009 and we moved to the US in 2012. For some time we had been planning to return to Chile permanently and made a brief trip back just before the pandemic. Being optimistic and since the wheels were already in motion, she returned to Chile, found work, and has rented a house for us. I have been planning to join her in December, however, after reading the recent posts on this site I think I’ll find it difficult to obtain temporary residency as I had done when we were originally married. If I need to leave Chile after 3 months to avoid issues with overstaying my entry visa, who knows if I’ll be able to return. I was encouraged to read about the announced opening of the borders, but on reflection that may not solve the immigration dilemma that myself and others on this site find ourselves in.

Despite the border closure I found information allowing me to enter Chile based on my marriage. The question remains as to whether or not I can remain in the country legally after filing for residency. Any thoughts?

This is probably the most repeated answer on the forum over the last 15 years, but what hell. One more time for good measure.

ONCE YOU FILE FOR RESIDENCY YOU DO NOT NEED TO RENEW YOUR TOURIST VISA EVER!!!!!!

If it takes the government 8 months to aprove your visa, you do not need to leave the country; and, yes you can come and go as you like (pandemic permitting).

Thanks Admin for taking the time to post this information again.

[Marosa]

Canadian travelling to chile in a few weeks. I have a "criminal record" in Canada for a DUI, which happened just over a year ago. Was wondering if this will be an issue when i go to chile for 90 days.

Any advice is appreciated

Hi, I think you need a PARDON, did you went to Chile finally?

[Marosa]

Hi, does a PARDON allows to these people with criminal record entering to Chile?

[admin]

Hi, does a PARDON allows to these people with criminal record entering to Chile?

probably not.

A pardon implies admitting to committing the crime.

Everyone needs to keep in mind, although there are classes of crimes that chile does not consider serious, or as serious, that is ultimatly up to the police at the boarder or the immigration department anyalist that looks at your documents. None of them are in the buisness of retrying your case.

For example, Chile has a hard no entry policy on felony drug charges. In many u.s. states, at least until recently, even a possession of a seed was a felony punishable by up to a year. In Chile, it would be semi-illigal, but 99% time it would be little more than a fine if a cop bothered at all with even a charge. definitely no jail time involved.

The PDI at the boarder reviewing that charge in say the INTERPOL database is not going to have the information nor the time and inclination to distinguish a pot smoking kid from pablo escobar.

That becomes particularly complicated in places where they like to pile on charges, like the United States durring prosecution. A relatively harmless say possesion of marijuana gets blown in to a trafficking charge, simply because they were caught smoking a joint in a car vs. standing next to the car.

Thus, if it apears on your record, that is how they are going to interpret it. There is an apeals process of sorts, but it is long and expensive. worth it probably for immigration purposes, if you have a borderline case, for permanent residency immigration purposes. If you are just a tourist, not really.

[cortes]

Hi, does a PARDON allows to these people with criminal record entering to Chile?

probably not.

A pardon implies admitting to committing the crime.

Everyone needs to keep in mind, although there are classes of crimes that chile does not consider serious, or as serious, that is ultimatly up to the police at the boarder or the immigration department anyalist that looks at your documents. None of them are in the buisness of retrying your case.

For example, Chile has a hard no entry policy on felony drug charges. In many u.s. states, at least until recently, even a possession of a seed was a felony punishable by up to a year. In Chile, it would be semi-illigal, but 99% time it would be little more than a fine if a cop bothered at all with even a charge. definitely no jail time involved.

The PDI at the boarder reviewing that charge in say the INTERPOL database is not going to have the information nor the time and inclination to distinguish a pot smoking kid from pablo escobar.

That becomes particularly complicated in places where they like to pile on charges, like the United States durring prosecution. A relatively harmless say possesion of marijuana gets blown in to a trafficking charge, simply because they were caught smoking a joint in a car vs. standing next to the car.

Thus, if it apears on your record, that is how they are going to interpret it. There is an apeals process of sorts, but it is long and expensive. worth it probably for immigration purposes, if you have a borderline case, for permanent residency immigration purposes. If you are just a tourist, not really.

But does every US crime get put into Interpol? I have multiple felonies (some were as a juvenile, a couple of them were drug charges) and Ive visited Chile twice. I've written off the idea of ever immigrating, but if someone with a rap sheet like mine can visit Chile, I really wonder what it takes to be banned from entering