Practice area
Immigration Law
Residence permits, citizenship and status regularization for foreigners in Chile, plus counsel for their employers.
What this area covers
- Temporary residence
- Citizenship applications
- Permanent residence applications
- Status regularization for minors
- Democratic Responsibility Visa mass closure cases
- Labor counsel for employers with foreign workers
- Judicial appeals for rejected or withdrawn applications
Frequently asked questions
Which residence permit applies to my situation?
Law 21.325 organises permits into categories — temporary residence with its sub-categories, and permanent residence — each with its own requirements and permitted activities. Applying under the wrong sub-category is one of the most common causes of refusal, so it is worth settling that before gathering documents rather than after.
How long does permanent residence take?
First you have to accumulate the time: permanent residence is applied for from a temporary permit that allows it, and the required period depends on the sub-category you entered under (Law 21.325). Then comes processing at the National Migration Service, whose timeframes vary. What matters most is not letting the temporary permit lapse while you wait.
My residence permit was refused — can I appeal?
Yes, but quickly: the administrative appeal against a refusal is filed within five days of notification, through the National Migration Service portal, and the remedies of Law 19.880 also apply. If the deadline passes without an appeal, the departure order stands — so the notification date is the first thing to check.
This is general information about Chilean law, not advice on a specific case: deadlines and requirements change with the facts.
Other practice areas
Need counsel in Immigration Law?
Tell us what happened and we will tell you whether we can help and how. Santiago and Valparaíso, Monday to Friday.