🇨🇱Chile

The visa part, which is simple

• Most visitors get 90 days on arrival with no visa, including citizens of the EU, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Russia and Taiwan.
• Malaysia and Singapore get 30 days.
• India, Cambodia and Saudi Arabia need a visa in advance, although Chinese and Indian nationals holding a valid US or Canadian visa with at least 6 months to run may enter without a Chilean visa for up to 90 days.
• Your passport must be valid for your stay and there is no six-month rule.
• Reciprocity fees are gone. The old charges for US, Canadian and Australian passports were abolished years ago; anyone quoting one is out of date.

The declaration everyone forgets

Every traveller must file a sworn declaration - the Declaracion Jurada - about what food and plant material they are carrying. This is not optional and it is not the same thing as immigration.

• File it online at ingresoachile.cl, up to a day before you travel. It takes five minutes and produces a QR code.
• You can also fill in the paper form on the plane, but the queue at Santiago moves on the digital one.
• Chile is an agricultural island in practice - desert to the north, ice to the south, ocean and Andes on the sides - and it protects that with real enforcement.
• Fruit, seeds, nuts, honey, meat, cheese, wooden handicrafts and plants must be declared or surrendered in the bins before the checkpoint.
• An undeclared apple or sandwich means a fine, and the dogs at Santiago are good at their job. Eat it or bin it before the hall.

The tourist card, which is money

• Immigration issues a tourist card (tarjeta unica migratoria) when you enter. Photograph it immediately.
• Show it with your passport at hotel check-in and the 19% IVA comes off your room bill, because foreign visitors paying in foreign currency are exempt.
• Hotels do not volunteer this. Ask for the "exencion de IVA para turistas extranjeros" when you check in, not when you check out.
• The tax authority has told hotels they may not insist on dollar cash for the exemption; a card charged in a foreign currency qualifies.
• You must hand the card back when you leave. Lost it? The PDI replaces it online or at any office, free.

Where your nationality lands

• Extensions of 90 days are possible through the immigration service for a fee, in person and slowly. Most people leave and come back instead.

• Every arrival declares food, plants and animal products. The SAG inspection is universal, bags are X-rayed after baggage claim, and detector dogs work the hall.
• An undeclared item is fined even if it would have been allowed. The penalty starts in the hundreds of dollars and is issued on the spot, which is why the bins before the checkpoint are full.
• Fresh fruit, seeds, nuts, honey, meat and dairy are the categories that get seized, along with wooden items and anything that has been on a farm.
• The allowance is 400 cigarettes and 2.5 litres of alcohol per adult, generous by regional standards.
• Cash equivalent to USD 10,000 or more must be declared.
• Easter Island has its own controls, with an entry form and a park fee checked before the flight.

Medical care

• Private clinics in Santiago are first-rate: Clinica Alemana, Clinica Las Condes, Clinica Santa Maria.
• They are expensive and want payment or a guarantee up front. Insurance is not optional.
• Public hospitals will treat an emergency and are slower and more basic.
• Pharmacies (Cruz Verde, Salcobrand, Ahumada) are everywhere and pharmacists will advise; many drugs are sold over the counter.
• In Patagonia and the Atacama, serious care is a flight away, which is what evacuation cover is for.

Altitude

• San Pedro de Atacama sits at 2,400 m and the standard day trips go to 4,300 m at the El Tatio geysers, at dawn, having got up at 04:00.
• Spend a day at San Pedro before the high tours. People routinely do the geysers on their first morning and feel dreadful.
• Drink water, skip alcohol the first night, and go slowly. Coca tea is offered and helps a little.
• Headache, nausea and breathlessness that do not settle mean going down.

Sun, water and food

• UV in the Atacama and the far south is extreme. The ozone thinning over southern Chile is real; burn times in Patagonia are shorter than the temperature suggests.
• Tap water is safe in Santiago and most cities and is very hard and heavily chlorinated. Many visitors prefer bottled for taste; both are fine.
• In the far north the water is high in minerals and can upset stomachs. Bottled there.
• Food hygiene is good. Ceviche and raw shellfish are excellent and are the usual culprits when something goes wrong; eat them where it is busy.
• Red tide (marea roja) closes shellfish harvesting in the south at times, and the ban is publicised and enforced.

Before you go

• No vaccinations are required. Hepatitis A and the usual boosters are sensible.
• There is no malaria and no yellow fever in Chile.
• Bring prescription medicine with the prescription, since names differ.
• Insurance should cover hiking and altitude if you are going to Patagonia or the Atacama, and evacuation if you are going anywhere remote.

Where to stay

• Santiago: Providencia and Lastarria for visitors, Bellas Artes for nightlife, Las Condes for business hotels. The centre empties at night.
• Valparaiso: Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepcion, in restored houses on the hills, and it is worth the stairs.
• San Pedro de Atacama is small, adobe and expensive for what you get. Book ahead in season.
• Patagonia is refugios, domes and lodges, all of them booked far in advance and priced accordingly.
• The Lake District around Pucon and Puerto Varas has the best mid-range guesthouses in the country.

Booking

• January and February are the Chilean holidays, and the whole country moves to the coast and to Patagonia. Book by winter.
• Torres del Paine refugios open bookings months ahead and sell out, and the park will turn you away without a reservation.
• Shoulder months are much easier: October, November, March and April.
• Airbnb is widespread and legal, and often the best value in Santiago and Valparaiso.

Practical

• Ask for the IVA exemption at check-in, passport and tourist card in hand.
• Heating in the south is often a wood stove that goes out overnight. Ask before booking in winter.
• Hot water in older buildings is a californ (gas heater) and can be temperamental.
• Earthquake standards are high and modern buildings are engineered for it; the reason nobody panics is that they are used to it.
• Wi-fi is good in cities and unreliable in Patagonia, where satellite is normal and video calls are not.

The registration law changed the advice

• Registration of prepaid lines became compulsory for everyone on 20 August 2026. Operators had been running identity checks on new contracts through 2025; since that date every prepaid number in Chile must be tied to a named holder, verified in person or online, with biometric checks among the methods allowed. The systems are built around Chilean ID.
• Shops can register a foreign passport - passport number, a photo of the passport and a selfie - but plenty of branches simply refuse, and the refusals are not consistent between shops of the same network.
• This is why an eSIM is now the safer plan for a short trip, which is the opposite of the advice in most of South America.
• If you want a local SIM, buy it at an official carrier shop in a mall, not a kiosk, and take your passport. Airport shops are the most used to foreigners.

The networks

• Entel has the widest coverage, including the Atacama, the Carretera Austral and most of Patagonia.
• Movistar and Claro are close behind in the cities and thinner in the far south.
• WOM is the cheapest and the most urban.
• A prepaid bundle runs CLP 5,000 to CLP 15,000 for a week or a month with generous data, if you can get one issued.

eSIM

• Saily's Chile plans are USD 4.99 for 1 GB over 7 days, USD 17.99 for 5 GB over 30 days and USD 27.99 for 10 GB.
• Buy and install it before you fly, while you still have wi-fi you trust.
• All four networks support eSIM if you would rather buy one locally.

Coverage in the places you are going

• Santiago, Valparaiso and the Lake District are fully covered.
• San Pedro de Atacama has signal in town and very little in the desert around it, including at the El Tatio geysers.
• Torres del Paine has patchy coverage at the refugios and none on much of the circuit.
• The Carretera Austral drops out for long stretches, and so does Route 5 through the far north.
• Download offline maps. Distances here are the kind where a wrong turn costs two hours.

Sockets in Chile are Type C, L and F at 220 V, 50 Hz - the three-in-line Italian socket is the national standard.

• Type L is the official standard, three round pins in a row with the earth in the middle, the same as Italy's 10 A version.
• A Europlug fits it. Chargers and laptop bricks need no adapter.
• Schuko sockets turn up on high-power appliances and in newer buildings, so a room can have both.
• British, American and Australian plugs need an adapter.
• 220 V, so American 120 V-only equipment needs a converter. Argentina next door uses the angled Type I plug, which fits nothing here.

Language

• Chilean Spanish is famously fast and dropped. Final s disappears, and the slang is its own dialect.
• "Cachai?" means "you get it?", "al tiro" means right now, "po" is added to everything.
• English is limited outside Santiago hotels and tour operators. A translation app earns its keep here more than in Argentina or Peru.
• Chileans are warm and formal at once: a handshake or a single cheek kiss, and "usted" with anyone older.

The day

• Lunch, from 13:00 to 15:00, is the main meal, and the "menu del dia" is the best value in the country.
• Once, at around 19:00, is tea with bread and avocado and often replaces dinner entirely.
• Dinner in restaurants starts at 21:00.
• Sunday is quiet. Many shops and restaurants close, particularly in small towns.
• Working hours are 09:00 to 18:00 with a long lunch outside the cities.

The calendar

• 18 and 19 September - Fiestas Patrias - shut the country for the best part of a week. Everything books out, transport is full, and it is the best party of the year.
• January and February are the summer holidays and prices and crowds peak.
• Easter week is busy, and Good Friday is quiet everywhere.
• Shops close on the main public holidays in a way they no longer do in Europe.

Practical

• 220 V and sockets are type C and type L, the Italian three-pin. A European two-pin fits; a British or US plug needs an adaptor.
• Chile has no daylight saving in the far south (Magallanes) but the rest of the country changes clocks. Check flight times in September and April.
• Water is safe and the tap is normal.
• Do not compare Chile to Argentina and do not assume the food is spicy - Chilean cooking is mild, and merken is the one local heat.
• Cannabis is decriminalised in tiny amounts for personal use and selling is not. Do not test the boundary.
• Photographing military and police installations is prohibited, and Carabineros are treated with formality.
• Recycling and littering rules are taken seriously in the parks, and a discarded cigarette in a fire season is a criminal matter.

Cards and cash

• Chile is a card country. Restaurants, shops, buses, market stalls and taxis nearly all take contactless.
• Carry some cash for the far south, small towns and tours, where terminals fail or the signal does.
• ATM fees are high: around CLP 3,500 to CLP 6,000 per withdrawal, plus your bank's charge. Banco Estado is usually the cheapest.
• Always decline the machine's offer to charge you in your own currency.
• Notes are CLP 1,000 up to CLP 20,000, and breaking a 20,000 in a small shop is a nuisance.

The cuotas question

• At the terminal the assistant will ask "en cuantas cuotas?" - in how many instalments.
• Say "una" or "sin cuotas". Chilean cards can split a purchase over months; a foreign card cannot, and the wrong answer just makes the transaction fail.
• "Debito o credito?" is the other question, and either usually works.

The hotel tax exemption, again

• Foreign visitors are exempt from the 19% IVA on accommodation. It is worth more than everything else on this page.
• Show your passport and tourist card at check-in and ask for it explicitly.
• The rate must be settled in foreign currency, which a card charged in your home currency satisfies.
• Some hotels quote net of IVA and some quote with it. Ask which, because it is a fifth of the bill.

Tipping and prices

• 10% is standard in restaurants and is usually printed as a suggested "propina" on the bill. It is optional in law and expected in practice.
• Do not tip taxis; round up if you like.
• Tour guides: CLP 5,000 to CLP 10,000 per person for a day tour is normal.
• Chile is the most expensive country in South America and visitors from Argentina or Peru feel it immediately.
• Wine, seafood and lunch menus are the value. A "menu del dia" at lunch is a fraction of the same food at dinner.

Distances, honestly

• Chile is 4,300 km long and 180 km wide on average. Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama is a 22-hour bus or a 2-hour flight.
• Fly the long legs. LATAM, Sky and JetSmart compete hard and a domestic ticket booked ahead is often cheaper than the bus.
• Watch the baggage rules on the budget carriers. JetSmart and Sky sell fares with no hold bag and charge heavily at the gate.
• Buses are excellent for anything under 10 hours: Turbus and Pullman run modern coaches, and "cama" and "semi-cama" mean seats that recline nearly flat.
• Book buses online or at the terminal. In January and February the popular routes sell out.

Santiago

• The metro is fast, clean and cheap, and it closes around 23:00.
• Buy a bip! card (CLP 1,550) and load it; it works on the metro and the buses.
• Avoid the metro at rush hour with luggage; it is genuinely packed.
• Uber, Cabify and DiDi all work and are the normal way to move at night.
• Street taxis are metered and generally fine, but the apps remove the argument.

The two trips everyone takes

• San Pedro de Atacama: tours are booked in town the day before, and the El Tatio geysers mean a 04:00 start at 4,300 m. Altitude is the issue, not the cold.
• Torres del Paine: park entry is booked through CONAF's site in advance, and the refugios and campsites on the W and O circuits sell out months ahead, often by August for the following January.
• You cannot walk into Torres del Paine and find a bed. The park checks reservations at the entrance.
• Both places are cheaper and emptier in the shoulder months, October and March.

Driving

• Chile drives on the right and the roads are the best in South America.
• Route 5, the Panamericana, is a toll road and the tolls add up; keep coins or a card.
• Renting to cross into Argentina needs paperwork from the rental company arranged days in advance, plus extra insurance.
• A 4x4 is only necessary for the Carretera Austral and some Atacama tracks, and rental agreements often forbid the gravel ones.
• Fuel is expensive and stations are far apart in the north and the far south. Fill up when you can.

Apps worth having

• Uber, Cabify and DiDi for rides.
• Metro de Santiago or Moovit for the bip! network.
• Recorrido or PasajeBus to compare and book intercity coaches.
• CONAF's booking site for the parks.

Interurban toll plazas and an electronic-only urban network in Santiago.

• Santiago's motorways charge through the TAG transponder with no barriers at all. A hire car must have one; without it, using the urban motorways generates fines rather than tolls.
• Interurban tolls on Ruta 5 are conventional plazas taking cash and cards.
• The alcohol limit is 0.03 %, above which the offence is "driving under the influence" with a licence suspension; 0.08 % is drunk driving with far harsher penalties.
• The country is 4,300 km long and rarely more than 200 km wide. Distances north-south are the constraint on any itinerary.
• Mountain passes to Argentina close in winter and the Cristo Redentor crossing can shut for days after snow.

Street crime, which is the real risk

• Phone snatching is endemic in central Santiago and in Valparaiso. Do not walk along holding a phone, and do not put it on a cafe table.
• Backpacks come off in the metro and in restaurants and go on your lap or between your feet.
• The classic scams are a spilled liquid, a dropped wallet and a punctured tyre, all designed to make you put your bag down.
• Bellavista and Suecia in Santiago have documented drink-spiking incidents. Watch your glass.
• Do not resist a robbery. Phones are insured; people are not.
• Valparaiso is beautiful and has a genuine street crime problem away from the two tourist hills. Take a taxi after dark.

Protests

• There is a risk of violent protest in Santiago, particularly on Friday afternoons and evenings, and around Plaza Baquedano.
• Three dates are reliably difficult: 11 September, the coup anniversary; 29 March, the Day of the Young Combatant; and 1 May.
• Police use tear gas and water cannon, and being caught in a protest as a foreigner can mean deportation.
• Avoid the area entirely rather than watch.

Earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes

• Chile has serious earthquakes and modern buildings are built for them. Stay inside, away from windows, and do not run for the stairs.
• On the coast, a quake strong enough that you cannot stand, or one lasting more than a minute, is your tsunami warning. Walk inland and uphill immediately; do not wait for a siren or an official alert.
• Evacuation routes are marked in every coastal town with green signs. Look for them when you arrive, not afterwards.
• Active volcanoes - Villarrica, Lascar, Copahue and others - close parks at short notice. Follow SENAPRED and CONAF alerts.
• Wildfires are severe in January and February, closing parks and roads. Open fires are illegal in national parks and the enforcement is real.

Regions and outdoors

• The FCDO advises caution in the Araucania, Biobio and Los Rios regions, where there have been attacks connected to land disputes, mostly on forestry and state targets rather than tourists.
• Tell someone your route before hiking, register at the CONAF station where one exists, and expect rescue to be charged for.
• Patagonian weather changes in minutes and the wind is the hazard people underestimate.
• The Atacama sun is at extreme UV and 3,000 m of altitude removes any margin. Hat, sleeves, factor 50.

The numbers

• Chileans remember them as ABC 123: Ambulancia 131, Bomberos 132, Carabineros 133.
• All are free from any phone and answered 24 hours; English is not guaranteed, so have your address written down.
• Bomberos in Chile are volunteers and turn out for far more than fires.
• 130 for a forest fire is worth having in summer, when a plume of smoke matters to everyone downwind.

If something goes wrong

• Theft: report it at a Carabineros station and get the constancia, the written report your insurer will want.
• A lost passport means the PDI and then your embassy in Santiago. The PDI also replaces a lost tourist card.
• After an earthquake, expect the mobile network to jam. Text and messaging apps get through when calls do not; agree a meeting point in advance.
• On the coast after a strong quake, move inland and uphill first and check the news later.

Worth saving now

• Your insurer's 24-hour number and policy number.
• Your embassy in Santiago, most of which are in Las Condes and Providencia.
• A photo of your passport and tourist card, stored offline.
• Chile's country code is +56, and mobile numbers are 9 followed by 8 digits.
• SENAPRED's alerts if you are travelling in volcano or wildfire country.