Chile – COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Lifted in a Targeted Manner
Chile – Travel Restrictions Lifted in a Targeted Manner
Chile’s government announced that the country’s borders will reopen at 00.00 hours on November 23, 2020, for tourists and business travelers. This measure will only apply to the Santiago International Airport port of entry. All current sanitary/hygiene measures, which include completing a Health Sworn Statement at the port of entry, will continue to apply to travelers to Chile. The government is currently working on a revised sanitary/hygiene protocol.
As a follow up to our GMS Flash Alert 2020-176,1 on November 12, 2020, Chile’s government announced that the country’s borders will reopen at 00.00 hours on November 23, 2020, for tourists and business travelers.
This measure will only apply to the Santiago International Airport port of entry.2 All other ports of entry will remain closed with a few exceptions granted under a reciprocity agreement between Chile and Argentina. These include the San Sebastián and Integración Austral land borders in the south of Chile, that are currently open to Argentinian nationals and foreigners with Argentinian residency.3
This measure is a continuance of the Paso a Paso Plan4 implemented by the Chilean government that aims to protect the Chilean population by controlling and preventing the further spread of COVID-19.
WHY THIS MATTERS
This measure will allow foreign nationals with pending consular temporary residence or work contract visa approved requests, to stamp their visas, and (re)enter the country, thus resuming normal pre-COVID19 visa processing.
The reopening of the Chilean borders will allow tourists, business travelers, and consular visa applicants with stamped visas, to enter the country after a long border lockdown which has been in effect since March 18, 2020.5 This development should bring relief to companies which have had to overcome significant challenges to business continuity and sending employees to Chile or bringing foreign national employees into Chile.
It is expected that this measure could provide a boost to Chile’s economy.
KPMG NOTE
Travelers will continue to be required to comply with all the country’s other sanitary/hygiene measures, which include completing a Health Sworn Statement at the port of entry. The government is currently working on a revised sanitary/hygiene protocol aimed at this reopening, which will likely include the obligation of presenting a negative SARS-COV-2 test with a 72-hour maximum validity period.
FOOTNOTES
1 Dated April 16, 2020.
2 See the official government decree (in Spanish) published in Chile’s Diario Oficial.
3 See the official government decree (in Spanish) published in Chile’s Diario Oficial.
4 See the government’s Paso a Paso Plan’s website (in Spanish).
5 See the official government decree (in Spanish) published in the Chile’s Diario Oficial.
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* Please note that KPMG LLP (U.S.) does not provide any labor law or immigration services. However, KPMG Law LLP in Canada can assist clients with U.S. immigration matters.
The information contained in this newsletter was submitted by the KPMG International member firm in Chile.
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