Chile

Investor Temporary Residence Permit

Chile's Investor Temporary Residence Permit (Permiso de Residencia Temporal — Subcategoría de Inversionistas y Personal Relacionado) allows foreign nationals planning to invest USD 500,000 or more in Chilean productive activities to reside in the country on a temporary basis. Established under Law No. 21.325 of 2021 (Ley de Migración y Extranjería) and implemented through Decree No. 177 of 2022, the permit is administered by the Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), with a mandatory preliminary evaluation by InvestChile (the government's foreign investment promotion agency). The program targets entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and investors seeking to channel capital into Chilean businesses or development projects.

Two categories of applicants are eligible: (1) foreign natural persons, legal representatives, directors, and senior managers of foreign legal entities intending to invest USD 500,000 or more in Chile; and (2) directors, senior managers, and specialized technical personnel contracted by a company established in Chile where a foreign investor holds at least 10% of voting rights.

• Commitment to invest USD 500,000 or more in productive activities in Chile (goods or services — purely passive real estate holdings without economic activity do not qualify)
• InvestChile Sponsorship Letter (Carta de Patrocinio) obtained prior to submitting the immigration application
• Valid passport with at least 1 year of remaining validity
• Clean criminal record from country of origin or last 5 years of residence
• For related personnel (second track): the Chilean company must be controlled by a foreign investor with at least 10% of voting rights
• Applications must be submitted from outside Chile; applicants already in Chile cannot switch to this subcategory without leaving first

• Valid passport (minimum 1-year validity)
• Criminal record certificate from country of origin or residence for the last 5 years (apostilled/legalized, issued within 60 days)
• Recent color photograph (white background, neutral expression, JPG or PNG)
• InvestChile Sponsorship Letter (Carta de Patrocinio)
• Investment project details or evidence of investment
• For established businesses: tax registration certificate, electronic tax folder, municipal business license payment proof, corporate articles and amendments, last 3 VAT payments, most recent tax balance and return
• All documents not in Spanish or English must include certified translations; foreign documents must be apostilled or legalized; uploaded in PDF format (max 2 MB per file)

The permit is valid for up to 2 years. Successive extensions of up to 2 years are available as long as investment requirements continue to be met. Extension applications must be submitted before the current permit expires and include: electronic tax folder, municipal business license payment proof, employment/income documentation, and evidence of investment progress.

Investors with active operating investments or businesses may apply for permanent residency (Residencia Definitiva) after 12 months of temporary residence; others must hold temporary residence for 24 months. Permanent residents who remain outside Chile for more than 365 consecutive days risk losing their status. Chilean citizenship (Carta de Nacionalización) requires 5 years of continuous residence from the electronic stamp date.

Spouse and dependent children may apply as dependants under Article 74 of Law No. 21.325. The dependant permit validity is tied to the principal applicant's permit expiry date. Dependants must submit their own criminal record certificates (if aged 18+), passport copies, photographs, and proof of the family relationship (apostilled/legalized). Dependants are not permitted to work independently; separate work authorization or their own residence permit in an appropriate subcategory would be required.

Foreigners establishing residency in Chile are taxed only on Chilean-source income for the first 3 years; this period may be extended upon application. After the exemption period, worldwide income is subject to Chile's progressive Global Complementary Tax (4%–35.5%). Tax residency is triggered by spending more than 6 consecutive months in Chile in a calendar year, or 6 non-consecutive months over 2 years. No local income taxes exist — only central government taxes apply.

The process follows two stages:

1. InvestChile sponsorship: Submit the investment project details through InvestChile's online portal (tools.investchile.gob.cl/carta-patrocinio). InvestChile evaluates the economic viability and productive nature of the investment and, if requirements are met, issues the sponsorship letter.
2. SERMIG application: With the sponsorship letter in hand, submit the temporary residence application through SERMIG's Digital Procedures Portal (tramites.serviciomigraciones.cl), uploading all required documents in PDF format. Processing takes 1–3 months. Upon approval, the applicant receives an electronic stamp (estampado electrónico) and has 90 days to enter Chile, at which point the permit validity begins.

Upon entering Chile, the permit holder must register with the Civil Registry (Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación) to obtain a Chilean foreigner ID card, register with the tax authority (SII) for business activities, and obtain a municipal business license (patente municipal) from the relevant local government.

Links

• https://serviciomigraciones.cl/en/residencia-temporal-permit/subcategories/investors/
• https://tools.investchile.gob.cl/en-carta-patrocinio
• https://serviciomigraciones.cl/en/residencia-temporal-permit/

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