The first weeks in Chile: to the Registro Civil within 30 days, the rest follows
In your first weeks in Chile everything turns on one deadline: within 30 days of arrival you request an appointment at the Registro Civil for your cédula. With that card you then arrange your ClaveÚnica, your bank, your healthcare and school. Clocks also run for your household goods, your address, your driving licence and your tax.
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The first weeks in Chile have one hard deadline: within 30 days of your permit taking effect, you request an appointment at the Registro Civil for your cédula de identidad para extranjeros. If you received your temporary residence from abroad, that period starts on the day you enter Chile. Anyone who is late first pays a fine of half to two UTM. Almost everything that follows runs through that cédula.
| What | Deadline | More |
|---|---|---|
| Entering after downloading your Estampado Electrónico | within 90 calendar days | the residence routes |
| Cash or a pet at customs | on arrival | household goods to Chile |
| Appointment for the cédula | within 30 days of entry | registration and numbers |
| Collecting the cédula | after about 20 working days, 4,270 pesos | |
| Household goods | up to 120 days before or after your arrival | household goods to Chile |
| Reporting a new address to SERMIG | within 30 calendar days | |
| Joining FONASA | online, answer within 3 days | healthcare in Chile |
| Dutch driving licence | only as long as you are a tourist | car and driving licence |
| Tax resident of Chile | after more than 183 days within twelve months | AOW, pension and tax |
| Voluntary AOW insurance | within a year of no longer being insured | SVB |
What do you do at the airport?
You enter on your temporary residence, within 90 calendar days of downloading the Estampado Electrónico. Your permit runs from that day. If you carry more than 10,000 dollars in cash or negotiable instruments, you report to customs for a declaration. If you travel with a dog or cat, you fill in a sworn declaration for the SAG and customs, and have the certificate or EU pet passport checked; see pets to Chile.
What do you arrange in the first two weeks?
The appointment at the Registro Civil. You book it online, under "Primera obtención extranjero/a", in the region and municipality of your choice. You pay 4,270 pesos and collect the card after about 20 working days. Registration with the PDI is no longer needed for permits granted after 12 February 2022.
The 30 days count from your entry, even if you are still at a temporary address. Do not wait for a permanent home; book the appointment in your first week.
If you move from your temporary address to a permanent home, report the new address to SERMIG within 30 calendar days (article 5 of the migration law). For a rented home read renting in Chile, for a purchase buying a house in Chile.
And once the cédula is ready?
With the cédula you apply at the Registro Civil for your ClaveÚnica, the digital key for government services. You must be 14 or older. With the ClaveÚnica, or with your RUN and the serial number of your cédula, you sign up online with FONASA; the answer comes within three days. If you choose an ISAPRE, you sign a contract with your cédula and your pension slip. See healthcare in Chile.
After that you open a CuentaRUT at BancoEstado with your cédula; see banking and payments. If your child does not yet have a RUN, you apply to the Ministry of Education for a provisional pupil number, the IPE; see school in Chile.
Which other clocks are running?
The household goods. Your shipment may arrive up to 120 days after you, and no earlier than 120 days before you. You declare it at the customs office where it comes in.
The driving licence. Your Dutch licence is valid as long as you are a tourist. Anyone who comes to live gets a Chilean licence with an exam from the municipality.
Tax. After more than 183 days in Chile within a period of twelve months you are tax resident. In Chile foreign income stays untaxed for the first three years; the Netherlands keeps taxing your AOW and your pension.
Your permit. Temporary residence is valid for two years at most and can be extended by two years. As a rule you apply for permanent residence after 24 months, and no earlier than 90 days before the temporary permit expires.
AOW build-up. If you have not yet reached AOW age, you have a year after you are no longer insured to insure yourself voluntarily with the SVB; see AOW when you emigrate.
The order of all these steps is in the route to Chile. Working after arrival is covered in working in Chile.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 2 of 5 of the journey, step 2.7: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Chile or go straight to step 2.7 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- SERMIG — the Estampado Electrónico, 90 days to enter and 30 days for the cédula — serviciomigraciones.cl
- ChileAtiende — the cédula de identidad para extranjeros (Registro Civil) — chileatiende.gob.cl
- Ley 21.325, articles 5, 43 and 106: change of address, cédula and fine (BCN) — bcn.cl
- Aduana — frequently asked questions for travellers, cash and animals on arrival — aduana.cl
- Aduana — household goods up to 120 days before or after arrival — aduana.cl
- ChileAtiende — the ClaveÚnica — chileatiende.gob.cl
- ChileAtiende — joining FONASA, answer within three days — chileatiende.gob.cl
- SERMIG — the residencia temporal, at most two years and renewable — serviciomigraciones.cl
- SERMIG — the residencia definitiva, after 24 months and the application window — serviciomigraciones.cl
- Ley sobre Impuesto a la Renta, article 3: the first three years only Chilean income (BCN) — bcn.cl
- Código Tributario, article 8: resident after more than 183 days in twelve months (BCN) — bcn.cl
- SVB — voluntary AOW insurance, to be requested within a year — svb.nl
Read on
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Banking and payments in Chile: first the cédula, then the CuentaRUT
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Updated 15 October 2026
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Children of foreigners have the right to education in Chile, under the same conditions as Chilean children. As long as your child does not yet have a RUN, you apply to the Ministry of Education for a provisional number, the IPE. The Netherlands has no education treaty with Chile, so your child is enrolled provisionally while the level is determined. The school year starts in March.
Updated 15 October 2026