Chile Temporary Investor Residency for US Citizens

Overview

Important — the program changed. Since Ley 21.325 (Chile’s 2021 migration law) took effect, Chile no longer offers a fixed-threshold “investor residency program.” The passive-income path for US citizens today is the temporary-residence subcategory “Jubilados y rentistas” (retirees and rentiers), administered by SERMIG (Servicio Nacional de Migraciones).

Key features of the jubilados-y-rentistas subcategory:

  • No fixed minimum income in the regulations — you must show income that is regular and sufficient to cover your basic needs in Chile (pension, rents, dividends, interest, or similar passive sources)
  • Apply from OUTSIDE Chile through the SERMIG digital portal (not at a consulate window, not in-country)
  • The permit grants temporary residence for up to 2 years, with a later path to permanent residence (definitiva)
  • Unofficial practitioner benchmark: facilitators commonly consider roughly US$1,000-1,500/month (plus about US$500-600/month per dependent) comfortably approvable — this is not an official threshold; SERMIG evaluates sufficiency case by case

General requirements

This section details essential requirements for the jubilados-y-rentistas subcategory:

  • Valid US passport — SERMIG says it must be valid for at least one year from the application date for applications submitted abroad
  • Proof of regular, sufficient passive income (pension statements, rental contracts, dividend/interest records)
  • For applicants over 18: a criminal-record certificate or equivalent from the competent authority of the country of origin or of any country of residence in the last 5 years, legalized or apostilled as applicable
  • Documents legalized/apostilled and translated to Spanish where required
  • Initial financial proof

Document dates, translations and photograph

SERMIG (checked October 23, 2026):

  • SERMIG requires the criminal and/or judicial record certificate from the country of origin to be no more than 60 days from its date of issue.
  • SERMIG requires documents issued by private parties to be submitted within 30 days from issuance.
  • SERMIG requires documents issued by public institutions and agencies to be presented within 60 days from issuance unless the document expressly states its validity.
  • For retirees, SERMIG requires the latest pension-payment receipt available at application, legalized or apostilled as appropriate.
  • SERMIG requires documents in languages other than Spanish and English to include a translation authorized by a certified body.
  • SERMIG requires a photo taken as close as possible to the application date, uploaded to the platform in JPG or PNG format.

Step-by-step process

  1. Apply from outside Chile through the SERMIG digital portal (tramites.serviciomigraciones.cl)
  2. Upload evidence of regular passive income and supporting documents
  3. SERMIG resolution: if approved, the visa is stamped/issued for entry
  4. Temporary residency: up to 2 years under jubilados y rentistas
  5. Permanent residency (residencia definitiva) after the qualifying period
  6. Citizenship: possible after 5 years of total residence (general rule)

US tax obligations as expat

⚠️ Critical: as US citizen, you remain obligated to file US federal taxes.

  • Form 1040 annual with worldwide income
  • FEIE Form 2555: exclude up to $132,900 (tax year 2026) if you qualify — the IRS requires foreign earned income, a tax home in a foreign country, and passing the bona fide residence test or the 330-day physical presence test; residing abroad alone is not enough
  • Foreign Tax Credit Form 1116: avoid double taxation
  • FBAR FinCEN Form 114: if foreign accounts >$10K aggregated
  • FATCA Form 8938 — living abroad, the thresholds are higher: if you must file a US income tax return, file Form 8938 if your specified foreign financial assets exceed $200,000 (single) or $400,000 (married filing jointly) on the last day of the year, or $300,000 / $600,000 at any point during the year. The $50,000 / $100,000 figures are the thresholds for filers living in the US.

See: US obligations abroad

Services and banking

As expat in Chile, consider:

  • Local bank account (for daily expenses)
  • Maintain US account (for Social Security, Medicare)
  • International transfers: the 1% remittance excise tax (IRC § 4475, on transfers after December 31, 2025) reaches only transfers the sender funds with cash, a money order, a cashier’s check, or any other similar physical instrument (as determined by the Secretary). Section 4475(d) exempts transfers funded from an account at a US financial institution or with a US-issued debit or credit card — which covers an ordinary Wise or bank transfer.
  • Credit card: many US ones don’t work; get country one

Healthcare

Medicare generally does NOT cover in Chile. Options:

  • Local insurance: country’s national coverage
  • International insurance (Cigna Global, AXA): worldwide coverage
  • Traveler’s private insurance (short term)

Last verified: 2026-09-10.

General information — not legal advice. Consult immigration attorney in destination country for specific cases.