Temporary Residence Visa for persons with their own means (rentista) (Chile): Requirements
Chile residence route
Temporary Residence Visa for persons with their own means (rentista)
Retirees with a documented pension or investment income.
- Income threshold
- $1,500 / month
- Minimum age
- None
- Validity
- One year, renewable once.
- Permanent residence
- Two years of temporary residence.
- Processing
- 4 to 12 months
The legal basis
Law 21.325 on Migration and Foreigners and its regulations, in force since 2022.
The financial test in detail
Chile does not publish a fixed threshold for this category. Consulates assess whether your income is sufficient to support you and any dependants without working in Chile. Applicants generally present at least 1,200 to 2,000 U.S. dollars a month plus savings, and more for a couple.
Savings
Not fixed, but a strong liquid position materially helps because the test is discretionary.
What the status gives you
- Renewal
- Renewed for a further period, after which permanent residence is available.
- Work rights
- This category is for people supporting themselves without local work. A separate authorisation is needed to work.
- How much time you must spend there
- Permanent residence is lost if you are absent for more than a year without a permit, and applications are assessed on genuine residence.
- Citizenship
- Five years of residence, with a language and civics examination. Chile permits dual citizenship.
- Government fees
- Visa: 250 USD. Residence permit: 100 USD.
- 1 Apply from outside Chile This is the central rule since the 2022 law. Applications are filed through the Chilean consular system while you are outside the country. Entering as a tourist and converting is not available.
- 2 Apostille and translate Apostille U.S. documents, then translate into Spanish. Chile operates a digital apostille system that its officials verify online.
- 3 Register with the PDI within 30 days of entry Register with the Policía de Investigaciones and then obtain your RUT tax number and Chilean identity card.
Your action Documents and authentication Government processing
Your document checklist for this route
11 documents in total, of which 6 need authentication: 2 through the U.S. Department of State and 4 through a Secretary of State. All authenticated documents also need certified translation into Spanish.
- U.S. passport Identity and the physical book the visa is placed in. Lead time: Routine renewal takes weeks; check current published times
- Passport-format photographs Every application. Specifications differ by country and are enforced strictly. Lead time: Same day
- National long-stay visa application form The core filing. Almost always country-specific and often only valid if printed from the consulate portal. Lead time: Same day
- FBI Identity History Summary (background check) U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications (federal) Apostille Almost every retirement and long-stay residence visa requires a national-level police clearance. For Americans that means the FBI Identity History Summary, not a local police letter, because consulates want a federal record covering all 50 states. Lead time: 1 to 10 days to obtain, then federal authentication
- Certified birth certificate Secretary of State for the issuing state Apostille Proves identity, nationality and, where relevant, family relationships for dependants. Lead time: 3 to 20 days depending on state
- Certified marriage certificate Secretary of State for the issuing state Apostille Required whenever a spouse is included as a dependant, and to prove joint income or joint savings. Lead time: 3 to 20 days
- Social Security benefit verification letter U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications (federal) Apostille The single most-used proof of "guaranteed lifetime pension" for pensionado-style visas. Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador all key on it. Lead time: Same day online
- Private pension, annuity or 401(k)/IRA income letter Secretary of State for the issuing state Apostille Used where Social Security alone does not meet the threshold, or where the visa requires a lifetime guaranteed payment. Lead time: 5 to 20 days
- Bank and brokerage statements Proof of savings or liquid assets, used either instead of income or alongside it. Lead time: 1 to 10 days
- Medical certificate or health declaration Secretary of State for the issuing state Apostille Required by Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and several Latin American programs; usually a simple statement that you are free of specified communicable diseases. Lead time: 3 to 14 days
- Certified translation of the authenticated set Non-English-speaking destinations require the document and its apostille translated by a translator they recognise. Lead time: 2 to 7 days
Why applications on this route fail
- Attempting to apply from inside Chile on a tourist entry. The 2021 migration law closed that route deliberately and it is enforced.
- Underestimating consular processing times, which lengthened significantly after the law change.
- Assuming there is a published income number. There is not, which makes presenting a strong, clear financial file more important than in countries with a fixed threshold.
Apply here
- Servicio Nacional de Migraciones Residence categories and the current law.
- Chile Atiende: visa applications Official procedure guidance.
- 1 Obtain the record Order certified copies from the issuing authority. Do not use photocopies, scans or hospital souvenir certificates.
- 2 Notarise if required Letters and affidavits need a notary acknowledgement before any state can authenticate them. Government-issued vital records do not.
- 3 County clerk (some states) A handful of states require the county clerk to certify the notary commission before the Secretary of State will act.
- 4 Authenticate State-issued documents go to the Secretary of State of the issuing state. Federal documents go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.
- 5 Apostille or legalise Hague Convention destination: an apostille finishes the chain. Non-Hague destination: the document then goes to that country embassy or consulate for legalisation. For Chile the apostille ends the chain.
- 6 Certified translation Translate the document together with its apostille. Translating first means paying twice.
- 7 File with the consulate Book the appointment at the consulate with jurisdiction over your state of residence and bring originals plus copies.
The expensive mistake: translating before the document is authenticated. The apostille or legalisation certificate is itself part of what the receiving government reads, so it has to be inside the translation. Do it the other way round and you pay for the same translation twice.
Temporary Residence Visa for persons with their own means (rentista): common questions
How much income do I need for the Temporary Residence Visa for persons with their own means (rentista)?
The published threshold is about $1,500 a month for a single applicant. Chile does not publish a fixed threshold for this category. Consulates assess whether your income is sufficient to support you and any dependants without working in Chile. Applicants generally present at least 1,200 to 2,000 U.S. dollars a month plus savings, and more for a couple.
Do I need savings as well as income?
Not fixed, but a strong liquid position materially helps because the test is discretionary.
Can I work on this visa?
This category is for people supporting themselves without local work. A separate authorisation is needed to work. This is the field applicants most often misread, and in several countries remote work for a U.S. employer counts as work performed locally.
What documents need an apostille?
For this route we count 6 documents needing authentication: 2 federal, through the U.S. Department of State, and 4 state-issued, through the Secretary of State of the issuing state. Chile is a Hague Convention country, so an apostille completes the chain.
How long does it take?
4 to 12 months
How much time must I spend in the country?
Permanent residence is lost if you are absent for more than a year without a permit, and applications are assessed on genuine residence.
Does it lead to permanent residence?
Permanent residence: Two years of temporary residence.. Citizenship: Five years of residence, with a language and civics examination. Chile permits dual citizenship..
Verified Sep 7, 2026
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This resource is provided free by Federal Apostille as an educational tool. It is not legal, tax, immigration or financial advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Immigration rules, income thresholds, fees and processing times change frequently and often without notice, and consulates apply them differently. Always confirm current requirements with the official government source and the specific consulate that has jurisdiction over your U.S. state of residence before you act. Every figure on this site carries the date we last verified it and a link to the primary source.
