Eligibility quiz
Have you been married to a Chilean citizen, with your marriage registered in Chile, for at least two years?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Chilean passport and ID
Chilean citizens can get an identity card and a Chilean passport, including a passport through a consulate abroad.
For an urgent return without a valid travel document, a 10-day emergency travel document may be available.
A passport can make travel easier, though entry rules vary by destination.
Live in Chile for life
Chilean citizens can live in and return to Chile without a visa or residence permit.
Nationality does not expire or depend on spending a set number of days in Chile.
Live and work in 9 countries
Study in Chile
Chilean citizens can study in Chile without an immigration visa or residence permit.
Work in Chile
Chilean citizens can work in Chile without an immigration visa or residence permit.
Get help abroad
Chilean consulates can help abroad after a serious illness or accident, or if documents are lost or stolen.
After assessing a case, a consular support programme may connect someone to local help or arrange an assisted return to Chile.
Vote and run for office
Chilean citizens can vote and run from age 18 if they are not serving a serious criminal sentence.
For voting abroad in presidential votes and national plebiscites, a valid Chilean ID or passport and more than a year previously living in Chile are needed.
Naturalised citizens must wait five years after their certificate to run for office.
How to apply
Applying onlineApplying online
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for your online application.
See required documentsFill in the application
In Chile, sign in to the digital application portal with ClaveÚnica or create an account, then choose the adult category for someone with a Chilean family connection and at least two years of residence and select “Cónyuge de chileno”. Accept the declarations, enter your contact, residence, work, property and identity details and the date of the temporary residence stamp that led to your current permanent residence, select your reasons for applying and upload your documents.
Fill in the applicationSubmit your application
Review your completed application and select “Finalizar” to send it through the portal.
Submit your applicationKeep your receipt
Keep the notice and receipt sent to your email. You can also open “Historial de Trámites” in the portal to confirm that your application was sent.
Find your receiptPay the fee
When payment is due, pay the fee following the payment instructions. The published fee for an applicant with a Chilean spouse is 7,949 Chilean pesos.
Find payment instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I pay the Chile nacionalización calificada application fee?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for the migration service to notify you using the contact details you provided. If your application is approved, citizenship is granted by decree.
See decision informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How long does a Chile nacionalización calificada application take and how is the decision notified?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Spouse's birth certificate
Get your Chilean spouse's birth certificate. The application guide also allows a copy of both sides of their valid Chilean ID card, but the general document list names the birth certificate, so include it even if you also provide their ID.
Marriage certificate
Get a certificate of your marriage registered in Chile. This route is for a spouse, not an unmarried partner, and you must have been married to your Chilean spouse for at least two years.
Shared home evidence
Provide documents showing that you and your Chilean spouse share a home at the time you apply and have done so for the previous two years. If serious reasons kept you apart, the living-together rule may not apply.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Military service for men
Chilean men enter the military service pool when they turn 18 and may be selected in an annual draw.
Those selected must report unless an exemption or exclusion applies.
Voting duties and limits
Eligible voters with an electoral address in Chile generally must vote or may face a fine.
Voting abroad is voluntary, but an outdated Chilean electoral address can lead to a fine for not voting.
Naturalised citizens must wait five years after their certificate to run for elected office.
Citizenship can be lost
You can lose Chilean nationality by formally giving it up or through cancellation of a naturalisation certificate, including in cases involving fraud or false statements.
Nationality granted as a special favour can also be withdrawn by law.
These routes cannot leave you without any nationality; losing nationality also ends citizenship.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Santiago Chile English Speaking Expats
English Facebook group for people living in Chile interested in Chilean local life
Join on FacebookExpats in Chile - Chile Information Project (CHIP)
English Facebook group for people living in Chile interested in Chilean local life
Join on Facebookr/chile
Reddit group for people interested in Chilean local life (Spanish & English)
Join on RedditConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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