Chile visa requirements

[Suzy Q]

This is very confusing. I've done a cut & paste here from the U.S. Department of State web site. What exactly is accurate?:confused:

 

 

CHILE - *Passport required. Visa not required for stay of up to 90 days. Entry fee of $100 (U.S.) charged at airport. Exit Requirement: Dependent children under age 18 (including the children of divorced parents) who are traveling alone, with one parent, or in someone else's custody, must present a notarized document certifying that both parents agree to their travel before the child will be allowed to exit Chile. This document must be notarized before a Chilean consular officer in the United States. For further information, consult the Embassy of Chile, 1732 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202/530-4106) or nearest Consulate General: CA (323/933-3697 and 415/982-7662), FL (305/373-8623), IL (312/654-8780), PA (215/829-9520), NY (212/980-3366), TX (713/621-5853) or PR (787/725-6365). Internet: http://www.chile-usa.org

[greatam]

Yes, Suzy Q, "the RULES" are VERY confusing in South America. We own a global logistics company and do the logistics planning for about 40% of the South American grapes that are imported into the US in the winter. We deal with changing government rules and regulations all the time-lots of times it's a literal "hand out", not a rule change. And the US government cannot help much. It is a foreign, sovereign nation you are dealing with. Their rules, their game. Even the embassy's in the US of foreign countries do not have the EXACT rules lots of times. There is plenty of corruption in a lot of parts of South America. You won't be exposed to it much, but this is a small example of different rules for different circumstances.

 

My best advice still stands-take the cash- 5 $20's for each and every person.

 

If you are arriving by plane, you will definitely need the cash. IF you are arriving by ship and leaving immediately by plane, it is a toss-up. Some will get have to pay, some may not. The fee is supposed to apply to everyone, but evidently it is still applied very unevenly.

[Suzy Q]

greatam--well, you're right. Quoting U.S. State Department info probably won't serve us well in a Chilean airport as we attempt to fly home after our cruise! Plan for the worst and hope for the best. Maybe I'll have $200 seed money for our next trip to Vegas!!;) We travel to Mexico often and your point is well taken. Nuff said.

SQ

[Keith1010]

I wanted to add some comments. Prior to us flying into Chile this past January I got conflicting information from the various web sites on the entry requirements. Finally, through this board I got the information I needed.

 

As I mentioned, when we flew into Santiago as a US Citizen we were required to pay $100.00 per person for an entry fee. Once you do this and they mark your passport then you don't have to pay for future visits to Chile. We paid cash and I highly recommend that those planning this trip bring sufficient cash. Be sure that the bills are crisp as when my wife and I paid they didn't like one of the $100.00 bills that we presented them with as it had a very slight tear so I had to give them another bill instead.

 

While I believe you can also pay with credit card I just wouldn't chance it as what happens if their system is down and they can't verify the card. I would play it safe and have the cash on hand and then once on line if you can use a credit card that's fine but if you can't then you don't have to worry.

 

The reason for the high fare is that this is reciprocal based on what we charge Chili citizens for visiting our country.

 

Our trip ended in Buenos Aires, Argentina and when we left that country we had to pay a small fee at the airport. The fee was significantly less than the $100.00 per person we paid in Chile.

 

We had a wonderful cruise in South America.

 

Keith

[coiran]

OK - after reading all of the posts - I am confused!! Do you pay the $100 if arriving by ship and flying out or do you not?

Ron

[gerena]

Ron,

 

This is how I understand it. You will not pay when arriving by ship, car, or any other means. You only pay when you arrive by air. For example--we are arriving by air in Santiago. Before we even leave the airport, we have to pay the $100 reciprocal airport tax. Perhaps some other Cool Cruiser can support this. Check Kanna's entry on November 15 on this page.

[greatam]

OK - after reading all of the posts - I am confused!! Do you pay the $100 if arriving by ship and flying out or do you not?

Ron

 

This is a much debated point. I just got back from Chile and was told by authorities and business colleagues alike that "it depends". That answer helps NO one. Best advice-make sure you have $100.00pp cash.

 

If you happen to be on one of the cruiselines (or ships) which has made "arrangements" with the Chilean government not to charge their passengers, you save $100.00pp. The big question-which cruiselines-no one REALLY knows.

 

Otherwise, if you are not prepared, you could be like the group I saw who was charged the fee and they didn't have it. ATM ran out of cash and they couldn't leave the airport. 1/2 missed the flight to Miami.

[xpcdoojk]

We just returned, and we ended our cruise in Valporaiso and Santiago. We stayed a night before flying to Lima, and we didn't have to pay the $100, but I had hoarded two crisp bills from my wife who kept spending my cash on souvineers. :D Woohoo. We were on HAL.

 

In Peru they charged us about $5 per person per flight except the last when they told us for americans it was prepaid. IE they stiffed me for $20. So it definitely depends. :D

 

jc

[greatam]

In Peru they charged us about $5 per person per flight except the last when they told us for americans it was prepaid. IE they stiffed me for $20. So it definitely depends. :D

 

jc

 

No ripoff!! Intra Peruvian flights (Lima/Cusco/Lima) and some intra-South America flights (Santiago to Lima, etc.) all have the flight fee. However, your last flight, which I will assume was to the US, does have the flight fee included in the price of your "out of South America" ticket. It is truly confusing in South America.

 

Glad you came home with $200.00. Some will pay and some won't. Just depends. The South American way of life.

[emecruise]

We just returned from S.A. cruise on Millennium that ends in Valparaiso and flew back from Santiago. NO $100 fee at airport. Only keep the paper you will receive with your passport before disembarkation and present them together to immigration officer at airport.

:) Ed

[dileep]

We just returned from S.A. cruise on Millennium that ends in Valparaiso and flew back from Santiago. NO $100 fee at airport. Only keep the paper you will receive with your passport before disembarkation and present them together to immigration officer at airport.

:) Ed

 

We will disembark the Millennium in Valparaiso on Feb 5! And fly out of Santiago on Feb 8.

[greatam]

We just returned from S.A. cruise on Millennium that ends in Valparaiso and flew back from Santiago. NO $100 fee at airport. Only keep the paper you will receive with your passport before disembarkation and present them together to immigration officer at airport.

:) Ed

 

Are the cruise ships now giving an EXTRA paper, in addition to the customs form ? Or is it all in one form? Sounds like the Chilean government and the cruiselines have finally gotten together and just added the fee into the "PORT" charges or some other "extra charge, over and above cruise fare", which is what I was told had been done on a ship by ship basis in November.

 

Will be making my last business trip to Chile and Peru for the year in Feb. Would like to check this out further. For those of us that have already paid the fee at some point in time, IF it is being added into cruise fees (and who knows in which of the many "extra" lines the fee would be incorporated into), then Americans who have already paid the fee at the airport would be ripped off if we had to pay again. Oh, well, it is South America after all.

[crazy4cruisn]

I understand the the $100 fee is for those beginning their trips in Santiago.

[kannna]

HI,

 

My DH and i were on the Millie 12/24 cruise.

 

The form they gave us was a proof of entrance form. It basically said we had legally entered Chile in Arica by ship. They stamped it on the bottom with the same stamp they used in the passport. We got them with our passports when they were returned to us by the ship. Then when we went through immigration in the satiago airport we handed them over to the agent and he stamped both the passport and the paper saying we were legally leaving and kept the paper. It wasn't really a big deal.

 

In addition we did not have to pay the $100 reciprocity fee because we did not enter the country by plane. We did not have to pay anything to leave at all.

[greatam]

HI,

 

My DH and i were on the Millie 12/24 cruise.

 

The form they gave us was a proof of entrance form. It basically said we had legally entered Chile in Arica by ship. They stamped it on the bottom with the same stamp they used in the passport. We got them with our passports when they were returned to us by the ship. Then when we went through immigration in the satiago airport we handed them over to the agent and he stamped both the passport and the paper saying we were legally leaving and kept the paper. It wasn't really a big deal.

 

In addition we did not have to pay the $100 reciprocity fee because we did not enter the country by plane. We did not have to pay anything to leave at all.

 

Thank you for the information. Proof of entrance form means SOMEWHERE in all the misc fees you paid for your cruise you also paid the Chilean entry fee. Probably lumped into the port charges, as that is what I had been told in November. And that explains the mystery of why some cruise passengers arriving by ship have had to pay the $100.00 but most have not. The cruiselines have individually negotiated with the Chilean government to include the fees in the port charges.

 

You didn't have to pay the air tax on your flight (which is different from the $100.00 entry or reciprocity fee) because all plane tickets booked US RT include the Chilean air tax in the price of the ticket.