Today Chile and the USA signed an agreement to implement the visa waiver status for Chileans visiting the USA. It will be a few months until it is put in place, probably around May of this year. As soon as it is up and running, US citizens will not have to pay the US$160 reciprocity fee to enter Chile as tourists. Citizens of visa waiver countries pay US$14 to register with ESTA before traveling to the US and it is not clear whether Chile will charge a similar fee on entry, but probably not. This is good news for both Chileans and US citizens.

This is great news, thanks.

Great news.

There are two posts at FlyerTalk from people who have arrived at SCL in past couple of days. Both say that U.S. citizens are no longer being charged the reciprocity fee. They are being sent directly to passport control, even if this is their first trip to Chile, and that UNITED STATES has been removed from the sign showing people who must pay. Nothing has changed for the other nationalities subject to the fee.

I'd want to hear more official confirmation than this.

Jeff, here's confirmation of the visa waiver program from the US Embassy in Chile:

http://chile.usembassy.gov/2014press...e_vwp_eng.html

I wasn't very clear. I'm sorry. I know the Visa Waiver Program agreement has been signed for Chile. I saw it in the news and our trustworthy Huentetu is there to report it.

I was referring to the timetable for abolishing the reciprocity fee. The website of the Chilean Embassy in Washington says that it is still in effect. I'd want to see something more official than the Flyer Talk posts I mentioned.

It has gone! Yippee!
http://www.aeropuertosantiago.cl/tr-...acionales.html

But if you look at the English, the U.S. is still there:

http://www.aeropuertosantiago.cl/eng...acionales.html

The Spanish page has had a revamp. The old one looked just like the English version. It may be a while until they get around to revamping the English page. Chile isn't good at English versions because no one ever wants to pay to get things properly translated. Official information about the reciprocity fee has always been difficult to come by and forums like this have been the best source, certainly better than consulates. It is definitely gone, Jeff.

It's true!

Arrived at SCL today. On the way to immigration and then customs, we saw several Reciprocity Fee counters and all were deserted with no signs of activity. Everyone just ignored them as they breezed by. Ahhh!

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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie