Chile Visa for Indians - Definitive Guide

At the time when you are planning to travel abroad or enter another country, there are certain formalities and a protocol that is needed to be followed in order to be permitted to do so. In the case of Chile, one such formality and the most important one is a Chile visa. It is a grant or permission given to the traveller to be allowed to enter the country. With the visa, the holder can tour the country, doing business in the country, visit their friends and family, study or even work in the country. The validity of the visa will also vary as per the type of visa.

The process to apply for a visa to Chile is offline. In order to get the visa issued, the applicant will have to apply to the embassy. The step by step process for the same is as follows:

• Visit the embassy website and fill out the Chile visa application form online.
• Fill in the information correctly as per the details on your travel documents.
• Attach the copies of required documents online.
• Pay the required fee for the permit.
• The application will then be approved by the Chile Immigration.
• After the approval, you can then submit the rest of the documents along with the original passport that are asked by the Immigration.

While filling out the form, it is important that you provide all the correct information as there are chances that with false or unverifiable information, the visa may get rejected. To avoid the visa rejection for sure, it is better to consult the professionals.

There are different types of visas based on the purpose of visit and other factors. The visas can be mainly classified as long term and short term visas. These can further be categorized into other kinds. Some of the common ones are given as follows:

• Short term: The visas that are issued for a limited period of time. The visas that are issued for short stays in Chile are classified under this category. The common types of short stay Chile visa are listed as follows:
• Chile Tourist Visa: A tourist visa is issued at the time when the traveller is willing to visit the country for tourism and other leisure activities like cultural tours, attending concerts and exhibitions, etc.

• Chile Business Visa: When a business person is travelling to Chile for carrying out business-related transactions or attending business meetings, conferences and exhibitions, a business visa is needed for the same. The span for the business visa depends on your purpose of visit. This visa is not quite preferred by many as there is a lot of documentation is required and the processing may take a while as well.

• Chile Visit Visa: This is issued to the travellers who are visiting their friends or family members living in Chile. The norms are quite similar to the tourist permit except for the purpose of visit and the respective documents.

• Long term: The visas that are issued for long-term stays which generally exceed a period of 6 months or more are classified under this category. Common types of long-term visa for Chile are mentioned as follows: 

• Chile Student Visa: This kind of visa is issued for the individuals who are looking forward to pursuing an education in Chile. The validity of the visa is dependent on the time span of the course that has been applied for. This can even be categorized under the short term visas but it is generally issued for a longer period of time.

• Chile Work Visa: Also called an employment visa, it is issued for the ones who already have a job in Chile and require a permit to stay in the country for the same.
• Chile Dependent Visa: A dependent permit is issued to the dependent spouses, parents or children of the work permit holder staying in Chile. This allows them to stay with the earning individual in the country.

There are different kinds of documents that are required for the issuance of a visa to Chile. The list of Chile visa requirements is as follows:

• An original passport valid for at least 6 months ahead of the date of travel.
• Coloured photographs as per the photo specifications
• A cover letter with all the required details
• Confirmed flight tickets
• Proof of accommodation - invitation letter, hotel reservation, etc.
• Proof of sufficient funds - bank statement or any other equivalent document.
• Income Tax Returns proof
• Authority Letter
• Proof of identification - PAN card, Adhaar card
• Letter of recommendation from the organisation where the applicant is working.
• Copy of valid older visas (if any) - USA, UK, Schengen, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Chile.
  

• Two copies must be provided
• Photo size: 35 mm x 45 mm.
• Coloured copy must be provided
• The head must be about 1 to 1.4 inches of the photo frame. 
• Head should well-centred.
• The picture must not be older than 6 months.
• The background must be white
• Neutral expressions
• Glasses are not permitted.
• Headgears are not allowed except for religious reasons.
• Clothing shouldn’t match the background.

The fees for the visa is to be paid to the embassy. The prices range depending on various factors which include the type of the visa, the embassy’s requirements, the urgency of the requirement of the visa and others. The fee is to be paid along the submission of the online application form.

In order to check the status for the visa processing, you can contact the embassy in various ways. However, you must keep in mind that you are not supposed to contact the embassy before the processing time, it is not expected. After the required processing time, you can contact the embassy and book yourself an appointment for collecting visa and your documents.

In order to apply for a visa to Chile, you need to get the form online from the embassy’s website. After the filling of the form and the payment of the fee, you can now wait for the approval of the application for the further process to begin. The forms and the documents must be submitted to the embassy and you must also take note that visa applications 20 days prior to the trip to Chile are not accepted. There is an alternative, you can apply through professionals, which way, you wouldn’t have to do the process yourself.

The process may seem complicated and the formalities involved can seem difficult to be carried out individually. In such cases, professional visa consultation can be considered from the visa agencies. This will allow you to have your documents handled professionally and the procedure may even be quicker than the normal process.