How to Get Citizenship of Chile? (International)

Chile is a beautiful place to be with some of the most fragile and tasty fruits being grown there. Who wouldn’t want to gain citizenship of Chile? The place is also family friendly. When you are granted citizenship in Chile, your children are also granted the right to apply for citizenship even if they have never lived in Chile. What a wonderful possibility for family’s world- wide.  The Chilean Constitution provides for both native born citizens of Chile and naturalized citizens of Chile to pass on citizenship to their children.

You need to be a permanent resident of Chile for at least five years in order to qualify to apply for full citizenship in Chile. You don’t have to be a citizen of Chile in order to still live there. You can continue to simply be a Permanent   Resident of Chile   but there are benefits to applying for full citizenship. Among other rights, you are allowed to obtain a Chilean Passport, while maintaining or having any other Passport to another Country. Once you have your Chilean Passport you can travel to over 149 countries without a Visa.

Start with an application for a temporary residency Visa which can take about 2-5 months.  The temporary residency period in Chile is 180 days of living there.  The earliest you can apply after receiving your temporary residency approval in Chile is 9 months so relax and enjoy the beautiful weather there. Permanent residency in Chile is at least 5 years of living there counting from the time your temporary residency was granted. The actual Application for Citizenship can take a while. Current reports indicate that the wait can be at least one year for the full process to be approved.  You will maintain your Permanent Residency   and all rights during this time.

Decedents of Chileans or people born in Chile can now apply for dual citizenship in Chile without renouncing their current citizenship and may obtain a second Passport in Chile along with other rights of Chilean citizens. People born outside of Chile can become a citizen if they have either a   parent or grandparent that was a Chilean citizen   at one time. In order to obtain citizenship, you must have documents proving the relationship between the one   applying.  If this is a grandparent, you must show the link of relationship through documenting the chain of relationship. Usually birth certificates are the only documents needed but they will accept other documentation as well.

Submit a form at the Chilean Civil Registry requesting that the person be incorporated into the Civil Registry. This can be done at Chilean Consulates around the world or in Chile most of the time. In difficult situations, involving foreign documents or involving relatives who are not registered in the Civil Registry, you may contact the help from a Chilean Immigration Attorney who will look through archives to provide adequate documentation.  Information must be provided in reference to the relatives you are basing your Citizenship on.  Good Luck in your efforts to becoming a Citizen of Chile!