Chile · Startup Visa
Chile Startup Visa: Founder Permit Options
Chile does not issue a startup visa. Start-Up Chile, run by Corfo, funds and accelerates founders but is not an immigration permit, so foreign entrepreneurs apply to SERMIG for the temporary residence subcategory that matches their investment or job.
- Startup route
- No startup visa; investor or work-based temporary residence
- Minimum capital
- USD 500,000 for the investor subcategory
- Permanent residence
- 24 months of temporary residence (12 in some cases)
- Citizenship
- 5 years from the temporary permit's stamping
Residencia Temporal: Investors and related personnel (Subcategory 13)
Subcategory 13 of Chile's temporary residence is the main route for foreign investors and the executives who arrive with an investment. Individuals, legal representatives and senior managers of a foreign company qualify when they plan to invest at least USD 500,000 in Chile, provided the money goes into producing goods or services. A second group covers executives, senior managers and specialist technical staff hired by a Chilean company controlled by a foreign investor holding at least 10% of the voting rights. Every application needs a sponsorship letter from InvestChile, the foreign investment promotion agency, and must be filed from outside Chile through SERMIG's online portal.
- Investment
- USD 500,000 or more in producing goods or services
- Sponsor
- InvestChile letter, valid for 60 days
- Where to apply
- From abroad, on SERMIG's Portal de Trámites Digitales
- Family
- Dependents under Article 74 of Law 21.325
- Government fee
- Varies; confirm with SERMIG
- Leads to
- Residencia Definitiva after qualifying residence
Requirements
- Plan an investment of at least USD 500,000 that goes into producing goods or services in Chile.
- Obtain an InvestChile sponsorship letter and file it within its 60-day validity.
- Provide a passport valid for at least one year and a criminal record certificate no older than 60 days.
- Submit a document describing the investment's purpose and amount and the functions you will perform.
- If already a partner in an established company, add its start-of-activities certificate, tax folder and municipal license proof.
How to apply
- Request the sponsorship letter through the matching InvestChile online form.
- Create a SERMIG account or log in with ClaveÚnica on the Portal de Trámites Digitales.
- File the Subcategory 13 application from outside Chile with all documents attached.
- Pay the fee when SERMIG asks for it and travel once the permit is granted.
Residencia Temporal: Lawful remunerated activities (Subcategory 2)
Founders who will draw a salary in Chile can look at Subcategory 2, which covers work under the direction of an employer with a domicile or branch office in the country. An employment contract gives a permit of up to two years, which can be extended for successive two-year periods while the holder keeps carrying out lawful paid work. A formally accepted job offer from a Chilean person or company leads instead to a 90-day permit, and the contract must then be filed within 45 calendar days of entry. Self-employed applicants qualify only with a prior services contract of more than 90 days with a Chilean or a permanent resident, executed at a Chilean consulate.
- Validity
- Up to 2 years with a contract; 90 days with a job offer
- Extension
- Successive two-year periods
- Self-employed
- Needs a 90+ day services contract signed at a consulate
- Job change
- Does not by itself revoke a contract-based permit
- Family
- Dependent permits available
- Leads to
- Residencia Definitiva after at least 24 months
Requirements
- An employment contract with an employer domiciled or with a branch in Chile, or a formally accepted job offer.
- Proof that the employer can pay the agreed remuneration.
- A passport valid for one year, a recent criminal record certificate and a photo.
- Apostilled or legalized foreign documents, with certified translations where needed.
How to apply
- Sign the contract or formally accept the job offer.
- Apply from abroad through the Portal de Trámites Digitales.
- If entering on a job offer, file the employment contract within 45 days.
- Extend for further two-year periods while the work continues.
Where Start-Up Chile fits
Start-Up Chile describes itself as the first public accelerator for startups and is run by Corfo, the national economic development agency. It offers equity-free funding through its Build, Ignite and Growth programs and opens founder calls by generation; the BIG 12 call is shown as closed. Taking part does not create a residence permit. In August 2023 SERMIG signed an agreement with InvestChile and Corfo that gives Start-Up Chile a way to follow the progress of temporary residence applications, which helps participants, but each founder still needs a subcategory that fits their situation.
SERMIG lists 15 temporary residence subcategories, and none is designed specifically for startups or technology founders. Besides investment and salaried work, a founder who visits often without moving can use Subcategory 14 for multiple-entry business management, which allows total stays of up to six months in each calendar year. Most subcategories must be requested from abroad, and only family reunification, humanitarian cases, people in prison-service custody and people in Chile by court order can exceptionally file from inside the country, so entering as a visitor and switching later is not the normal path.
Questions and answers
Does Start-Up Chile give participants a visa?
No. Start-Up Chile is a Corfo acceleration program that provides equity-free funding and support; it does not issue immigration permits. Participants apply to SERMIG for an ordinary temporary residence subcategory. A 2023 agreement between SERMIG, InvestChile and Corfo lets Start-Up Chile follow the status of those applications, but the permit rules are unchanged.
How much must an investor put into Chile to get residence?
For individuals and representatives of foreign companies, Subcategory 13 requires a planned investment of at least USD 500,000 that funds the production of goods or services. Executives and specialist staff of a Chilean company controlled by a foreign investor with at least 10% of voting rights can qualify without that personal threshold. Both need an InvestChile sponsorship letter.
Can I apply for Chilean temporary residence from inside Chile?
Generally not. SERMIG states that temporary residence subcategories are requested from abroad. Only four subcategories can exceptionally be filed from inside the country under Article 4 of Decree 177 of 2022: family reunification, people in the custody of the prison service, people in Chile by court order, and humanitarian cases.
Is there a Chilean permit for frequent business trips?
Yes. Subcategory 14 covers foreigners who must enter Chile regularly for executive or management work linked to businesses or investments of companies in Chile. Total stays under it cannot exceed six months in each calendar year, and the application, filed from abroad, explains the reasons for the visits and the commercial interests involved.
Official sources
- Investors and related personnelserviciomigraciones.cl
- Foreigners engaged in lawful remunerated activitiesserviciomigraciones.cl
- Residencia Temporal subcategoriesserviciomigraciones.cl
- Carta de Patrocinio de InvestChilewww.chileatiende.gob.cl
- SERMIG firma convenio para facilitar llegada de inversionistas extranjeros y capital humano avanzadoserviciomigraciones.cl
- Start-Up Chilestartupchile.org
Reviewed October 2026. Immigration rules change often. Confirm the current requirements with the official authority or a licensed adviser before applying.
Your path in Chile.
Startup visa
No startup visa; Start-Up Chile funds founders but grants no permit
02Temporary residence
Subcategory 13 for USD 500,000 investors, or Subcategory 2 for salaried work
03Permanent residence
Residencia Definitiva after 24 months of temporary residence
04Citizenship
Carta de nacionalización after 5 years, filed from inside Chile