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Pathway

Chile Employee Temporary Residence

Chile Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Chile’s work residence route accepts a qualifying signed contract or formal job offer from a Chilean employer. Apply from abroad; the offer option starts with only 90 days and requires the final contract within 45 days of entry.

Job offer required?
Yes — signed contract or formal offer
Signed-contract route
Contract of at least 3 months; permit up to 2 years
Formal-offer route
90 days initially; submit the final contract within 45 days of entry

Summary

If a Chilean employer has offered you a job, you can apply for temporary residence using either a signed employment contract or a formal job offer. Both processes start outside Chile and require the prescribed notary and consular steps.

A signed-contract permit can last up to two years. A formal offer initially gives 90 days; after entry, you have 45 days to submit the final contract with the same employer and proof of its electronic registration.

Start with a signed contract or a formal job offer
  1. Check which job documents you have Follow the checklist and notary requirements for your signed contract or formal offer.
  2. Apply from outside Chile Apply to Chile’s migration service with your personal documents and your employer’s records.
  3. Complete the required steps after entry If you started with an offer, submit the final contract with that employer and proof of registration within 45 days of entry.

A formal offer initially gives you 90 days of residence. You must submit the final contract within 45 days of entering Chile. An informal offer does not qualify.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

If you have a signed contract

You need an employment contract under Chilean law with an employer based in Chile or with a branch there. The contract must last at least three months. If the employer’s activity requires registration with Chile’s tax authority, SII, the registration must be current and the job must match that activity.

The employer signs before a Chilean notary, and you sign before the responsible Chilean consulate. Approval can give up to two years of residence starting when you enter Chile. The employer must also meet the Labor Code’s contract and electronic-registration deadlines.

If you have a formal job offer

The Chilean employer must have the offer formally entered in a notary’s records, a step called protocolization. You accept it in writing before the responsible Chilean consulate. Initial approval gives 90 continuous days of residence.

Within 45 continuous days after entering Chile, submit an authorized notarized copy of the final contract and proof of electronic registration. It must be with the same employer. SERMIG, Chile’s National Migration Service, describes a one-year extension after that submission. If you do not complete the contract, it can cancel the 90-day permit and require you to leave.

Documents from you and your employer

Your employer must show that it exists legally, that the person signing has authority, and that it can pay you. The records depend on the employer:

You need a passport with at least one year remaining, a current photo, and—if over 18—a criminal-record certificate from your country of origin or a country where you lived during the last five years. That certificate must be no more than 60 days old.

Authenticate foreign documents by apostille or legalization where required. Documents in languages other than Spanish or English need the official translation SERMIG specifies.

What This Route Allows

You can live and work in Chile under the approved permission. The signed-contract option can last up to two years. The initial 90-day offer permit has stricter conditions: you must complete the final contract with the employer that made the offer.

Once you hold the ordinary employment-based temporary permit, ending that job does not by itself cancel residence. Decree 177 and SERMIG allow a change of employer without notifying SERMIG. This does not apply in the same way to the special 90-day offer permit.

To extend ordinary employee residence, you need current employment, proof of lawful paid work for at least 60% of the residence period, and enough financial support for the next period.

Eligible family members can apply separately as dependents. Permanent residence also requires a separate application. The usual requirement for recent temporary residents is 24 months in Chile, but absences over two months can increase it to 30, 36, or 48 months. Work, income, tax, social-security, and other compliance records also matter.

What This Route Is Not

An interview, verbal promise, unsigned letter, or ordinary email offer is not enough. You need the required signed contract or formally notarized offer.

This is not a general remote-work permit for a foreign company without a Chilean base or branch. Independent service providers should compare the self-employed route.

There is no published route-wide minimum salary, degree requirement, occupation list, labor-market test, or skills ranking. Your pay and role must meet Chilean law, and regulated professions may need separate qualification recognition or licensing.

An employer-paid return ticket is not mandatory in every contract; the parties may agree to it voluntarily. Permanent residence and citizenship each require their own application.

Next Steps

  1. Choose the signed-contract or formal-offer process and follow its specific checklist.
  2. Confirm the employer’s Chilean base, registrations, financial records, and authority to sign.
  3. Complete the required notary and consular steps. For a formal offer, plan around the 90-day permit and 45-day contract deadline.
  4. Prepare your passport, photograph, and recent criminal-record certificate, with authentication and translations where needed.
  5. Apply from outside Chile through SERMIG’s Digital Procedures Portal. Start work only when the immigration and labor requirements allow it.
  6. After entry, ensure the employer completes electronic registration with the Labor Directorate.
  7. Keep contracts, pay records, pension and health contributions, tax records, and travel dates for renewal or permanent residence.

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