appointments at Registro Civil to renew ID

[thisisreallycomplicated]

How important is it to have an appointment at Registro Civil to renew your ID? Do they usually process your stuff at the time of your appointment? My only experience with government appointments here, is with extranjeria in Coquimbo or La Serena (can't remember which) when I got my permanent residency. And it didn't really seem to matter if you had an appointment. But that was a long time ago, and this is a different thing. So I'm wondering if you make an appointment, are you still going to have to wait in line for a really long time (hours, which seem like days)? I realize it could be different, depending on which Registro Civil you go to. But anything would help. Thanks.

[dmwbmw2]

Totally depends on where you are. My wife went in to registro civil in Concepcion on Oct 11 to renew carnet with no appointment, took a number and was served two minutes later. Five minutes and a few thousand pesos later they said it would be ready in 3 weeks and would be posted on the website when ready. She had previously picked up her certificate of viajes and that her visa was valid from PDI. This also was without appointment but this took an hour in a line.

Then Oct 18 happened so 3 weeks was out the window, but it was ready in 5 weeks and it was posted on the website tracking app. when ready for pickup.

So in this case the system worked great.

[thisisreallycomplicated]

Thanks. So it sounds like an appointment isn't necessary, and probably doesn't matter if the line is short. It probably wouldn't hurt to have one though, in case it speeds things up when they're busier. I've only been to Registro Civil in La Serena a few times, and the lines were always long.

[jehturner]

You want an appointment in La Serena, otherwise it can take hours (at least it did before the appointments). I've found that if you get there at the scheduled time, they call you within about 10 minutes, but you have to keep an eye on the board or you can miss your slot...

[paladin]

I found the reservation system worked fine in Lo Barnechea. It’s getting the PDI cert that’s the real bastard.

[thisisreallycomplicated]

You want an appointment in La Serena, otherwise it can take hours (at least it did before the appointments). I've found that if you get there at the scheduled time, they call you within about 10 minutes, but you have to keep an eye on the board or you can miss your slot...

Ok, now I'll definitely make an appointment. I've never seen a short line there. It's always been out the door, and down that (not sure what it's called) outdoor hallway. And it never seemed to move very fast.

[thisisreallycomplicated]

I found the reservation system worked fine in Lo Barnechea. It’s getting the PDI cert that’s the real bastard.

I don't remember PDI in La Serena being that bad. I had to wait a while the couple times I was there, but at least they had a bathroom I could use. I hope it hasn't changed.

[tiagoabner]

Quick question on this point: is it possible to renew your cédula at any registro civil, or does it have to be at the one nearest to where you live? The government's website wasn't really helpful on this.

[Jamers41]

Quick question on this point: is it possible to renew your cédula at any registro civil, or does it have to be at the one nearest to where you live? The government's website wasn't really helpful on this.

Last time I went to renew the ID (2017 I believe) all foreigners in the RM (Región Metropolitana) had to go downtown to Huérfanos.

Supposedly outside of the RM you could go to any of them (so basically they will not serve you at a Registro Civil in any other part of Santiago that's not the Huérfanos office, but out in the "regiones" in the rest of Chile there are no issues).

If this has changed since, I'm not aware.

[GAminer]

Quick question on this point: is it possible to renew your cédula at any registro civil, or does it have to be at the one nearest to where you live? The government's website wasn't really helpful on this.

I live in Santiago, but registered my perm residency certificate and renewed my cedula in Concepción without an appointment. Zero issues.

[tiagoabner]

I went to Registro Civil in Colina and it all worked out in the end. It seems that they have been getting way more people than usual due to them being one of the closest to Santiago that doesn't require you to get a time in advance, so I was on the line for about 2 hours. But the actual procedure was quite simple and easy, and they will send my ID to be picked up at Registro Civil Las Condes for no additional cost. I also took the chance to take care of my clave única, which I never got before.

[paladin]

I went to Registro Civil in Colina and it all worked out in the end. It seems that they have been getting way more people than usual due to them being one of the closest to Santiago that doesn't require you to get a time in advance, so I was on the line for about 2 hours. But the actual procedure was quite simple and easy, and they will send my ID to be picked up at Registro Civil Las Condes for no additional cost. I also took the chance to take care of my clave única, which I never got before.

How was the situation at PDI, in Santiago, with their cert ?