Eligibility quiz
Was either of your parents a Chilean citizen when you were born?
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 at a consulateApplying at a consulate
Find your consulate
Find the Chilean consulate responsible for the area where the birth took place.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Chilean consulate covers a birth in your city for inscripción consular de nacimiento?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the consulate.
See required documentsGet the application form
Ask the consulate for form C-9 if you need to agree on the order of your child’s surnames.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I get form C-9 for inscripción consular de nacimiento at the Chilean consulate in your city?”
Fill in your forms
Complete and sign the forms and declarations that apply to you. If you are registering your child, both parents must request and sign the registration.
Get help with formsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I complete the forms for Chile inscripción consular de nacimiento?”
Book an appointment
Book an appointment with your consulate for the birth registration. Some consulates ask you to request an appointment by email.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I book an appointment for inscripción consular de nacimiento at the Chilean consulate in your city?”
Go to your appointment
Bring the completed forms and original supporting documents to the consulate; the original birth certificate will not be returned. If you are registering your child, both parents must attend, and your child must attend if older than six.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I attend an inscripción consular de nacimiento appointment at the Chilean consulate in your city?”
Wait for registration
Wait for your birth to be recorded in Chile and a RUN to be assigned. Respond to any questions or requests for more documents from the consulate.
See how long it takesSearches DuckDuckGo for “How long does Chile inscripción consular de nacimiento take after a consulate appointment?”
Get your birth certificate
Once the birth is registered and a RUN has been assigned, request the Chilean birth certificate. You can then apply for a Chilean identity card or passport.
Request your certificateSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I request a Chilean birth certificate after inscripción consular de nacimiento?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Bring your original birth certificate and an up-to-date Chilean birth certificate for your Chilean parent. If your Chilean parent was born abroad, bring their original birth certificate and, if they are already registered as Chilean, your Chilean grandparent’s birth certificate. If a Chile-born relative makes a relationship declaration because your Chilean parent has died, bring the Chilean birth certificates showing every link between you and that relative.
Family identity documents
Bring your Chilean parent’s current Chilean identity card and, if your other parent is not Chilean, their current passport or national identity document. If your Chilean parent was born abroad and is already registered as Chilean, also bring your Chile-born grandparent’s identity card.
Marriage certificates *
Bring your parents’ marriage or civil-union certificate. Get it from the office that registered their marriage or union.
* Only if your parents married or formed a civil union.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationParent’s death certificate *
Bring your Chilean parent’s death certificate. If they died outside Chile, the death must first be registered or registered at the same time as your birth.
* Only if your Chilean parent has died.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationRelationship declarations *
If you are an adult, your Chilean parent born in Chile makes a simple sworn declaration of your relationship. If that parent has died, a Chile-born adult relative makes it instead: a grandparent, then an aunt or uncle, then a first cousin, in that order. If your parent was born abroad and is not registered as Chilean, your Chilean grandparent makes a consular sworn declaration of your relationship.
* Only if you apply at a consulate and are an adult with a Chile-born parent or your parent was born abroad and is not registered as Chilean.
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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