Eligibility quiz
Is or was one of your grandparents by blood a Chilean citizen?
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 your application
In Chile, sign in to the National Migration Service portal with ClaveÚnica or create an account, then complete your personal, travel, activity, passport and residence details, give your reasons for applying and upload the requested documents. Choose “Mayor de edad con vínculo con Chileno, con al menos 2 años de residencia en Chile” and then “Nieto de abuelo o abuela chileno(a)”; if you entered Chile as a child, give the date of your first entry.
Fill in the applicationSubmit your application
Review your application and press “Finalizar” to send it. The National Migration Service will email you a notice and proof of submission.
Submit the applicationConfirm your submission
Sign in to the portal and open “Historial de trámites” to see that your application was sent.
Confirm your submissionWait for the decision
To follow your application, sign in to “Consulta estado de trámite”, choose its ID and press “Buscar”. If it is incomplete, return to your portal inbox and press “Realizar” to finish it.
Follow your applicationDocuments needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get your birth certificate and the birth certificates of your parents. Request each certificate from the office that registered the birth; Chilean certificates are available from the Civil Registry.
Grandparent's citizenship record
Get your Chilean grandparent's birth certificate or another document proving they are a Chilean citizen. Chilean birth certificates are available from the Civil Registry.
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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