gpreiss3

I'm going to Chile next month. Can you tell me what a Visa will cost to get in the country and for how long is it good?

Percy

The fee is $45.00 and it is good for 90 days

Percy

raquel_z

I have to differ with percy...
First of all - you have not stated what kind os a passport you are travelling on. Assuming it is US. There is no visa needed. However you pay a $100.00 reciprocity fee if you fly into SCL airport. I do not think it is assesd if you come in overland by bus.

if you are a notional of somewhere else.. it will be different. Canadians pay $132 for the reciprocity fee. Many other countries pay Nada......

From the Embassy of Chile in US page
"VISA
No visa is necessary when you travel to Chile, only a valid passport. When entering Chile (By cruise, vehicle or plane), at customs, you'll need to fill out a Tourist Card that allows visitors to stay for up to 90 days and will allow multiple entries. You'll need to show this Tourist Card to Customs when leaving the country as well, so be sure you don't lose it. For more information on other type of Visa, go to the CONSULAR SECTION.
ENTRY FEE:
There is a reciprocity fee of 100 dollars to be paid in cash (U.S. dollars) or credit card. The one-time charge is good for the life of your passport.

raquel

Percy

I assumed that you are from the USA.

My source in Chile tells me that there is a cost of $45.00 PLUS the $100.00 receprocity fee!

I will have him double check all this ,as he is in Chile and I am in North America.

I read the same web page as raquel_z and I too would be confused.

I was in Chile in March and had a private tour guide met me at the airport.

I did not sign any paper for a visa !!nor did I have to hand anything in to customs when I left Chile.... hmmm, did I get away with something !?!

Thanks for correcting me raquel_z

Percy

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Percy, Percy, maybe you got away with something
Chile charges you whatever your country charges a Chilean to enter, hence the term "recipricity fee." As raquel said, if you're a U.S. citizen, that will be $100, since that's what the U.S. charges for a visa application. You fork it over at the reciprocity counter at SCL before you go through passport control. It takes the form of a stamp in your passport and a little receipt that gets stapled to the same page.

Raquel also mentions the tourist card. It's another small piece of paper. It's important not to lose it, as she says. I know people who have and it's a major hassle for them when it comes time to leave.

Huentetu

If you are a citizen of the USA you pay US$100 and it is good for the life of the passport, multiple entries. Citizens of the USA, Australia, Canada and Mexico pay different amounts.
Most people do not need a visa to enter Chile. The exceptions include New Zealand, Cuba, most African countries and some countries of Eastern Europe. Tourists can enter Chile for a 90 day period and renewal is possible.
Visas and the reciprocity fee are two different things.

Percy

Jeff I checked my passport again and I have nothing like a visa stamp or anything stapled into my passport.!!!!

I did go through passport customs though hmmmm!!!

Do you think my private guide could have got the visa on my behalf?
Wouldn't he need my passport though?? ( he made no mention of it.)

Boy I am confused now.

Psst!! Don't say anything.I do not want the Chilean Embassy here to come after me.

Percy

Jeff_Costa_Rica

You must have slipped by, Percy. Your guide would have to had your passport to pay the reciprocity fee. They'll get your $100 the next time you go to Chile.

Your secret is safe with me.

Percy

Jeff

I am thinking how I could have slipped by !!

I guess Soccer is a big thing in Chile.

I remember the Customs Agent saying to me, " Hey we are playing your country in the first round of the soccer match in June so take it easy on us ".

(This was news to me because I do not follow soccer that much that I would have known that.)

We joked a little back and forth as he flipped through my passport to find a page and space to place his stamp.
Then he handed me the passport and said "enjoy" our country."

Boy, I feel guilty( ) that I saved $100.00 , but not that guilty that I would send it over there.

Goodnight

Percy

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Percy, you smooth talker, you ...

Objectively, I agree with Chile's decision to charge these fees. It's completely fair of them to say turnabout is fair play. But when I have to pay it, I always say, "Ouch!" Last trip to Chile, I was sitting on the plane near a family of four (Americans) making their first trip. That was $400 they'd have to fork over the moment they landed, before spending a cent on dining or lodging or sightseeing.

Still, U.S. citizens get the better end of the deal. A Chilean pays a non-refundable $100 simply to apply for a visa with no guarantee that it will be granted. We don't need the visa and can just show up to enter.

Percy

Sometimes I wonder why we need a visa for a short stay.

They have our passport number logged into their computer !

I was in St.Petersburg Russia a few months ago ...I had a private tour guide so I did not need a visa , BUT if you do not have a local private tour guide, then even for a 1-2 days of touring you need a visa.

Is this a bit of a cash cow or does the visa requirement really help the local government keep track of you better !!

Percy

Debi

I flew to Chile a few months ago on business, paid my $100 which gave me my access for the life of my passport, which had to be renewed 2 months ago.... I didn't plan that very well, did I?????? They staple a small card in your passport which gives proof that you paid.... I also assume you're a tourist. There are some rules around business visitors - depending on what you're going for....

Huentetu

I know it pinches when you have to pay the reciprocity fee but you get off lighter than Chileans. As Jeff said, there is no guarantee you will get a visa. But aside from that, you pay the equivalent of US$14 for a three minute phone call to make an appointment for an interview, pay the US$100 and, if you get the visa, pay to have it fedexed to your home, which is about US$12 in Santiago. All interviews are in Santiago only, so if you live at the opposite end of this very long country, you will have to include the cost of a flight and hotel. To make it pinch a little less, and to show there are no hard feelings , foreign tourists do not have to pay the 19% sales tax on their hotel bill. You simply have to show, guess what, that little card stapled inside your passport! (or your tourist card if you don't pay a reciprocity fee)Neat, isn't it!

Percy

Debi

Yes , I am just a typical tourist, nothing special about me.

Guess I fell through the crack in Chile..so I will just keep quiet.( shhh)!

In Egypt , they did not staple anything into my passport but rather just pasted a little "stamp"

Percy

dfarmer

Is there not also a $26 departure fee for US residents?

Huentetu

Airport taxes on departure are for everyone and are usually already included in your ticket.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Huentetu, you are right that U.S. citizens get the better end of this deal.

I'm surprised that the United States has not included Chile in the list of visa-waiver countries, along with Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore. (I think that's all of them.)

Huentetu

It is a bit lopsided but I wish they would do away with the reciprocity fee here. It doesn't put any money back in someone's pocket if they had to pay for a visa to the USA, the government here gets the money, and the people who enter by land or sea (cruise ships!) don't pay it. It confuses people and they don't understand why some nationalities have been singled out.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I don't think we as U.S. citizens stop and think about how easily we can travel to other countries, while at the same time, people from other countries have to jump through a lot of hoops to come to the U.S.