Four things to do before you board: check the offer with the destination's own authority, know your rights, carry the right papers, and get the practical details in writing.
Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG)
Temporary residence for paid work needs a dependent relationship with an employer or a formal job offer from a Chilean person or company, and the application is made from outside Chile through the SERMIG digital portal.
Dirección del Trabajo (labour complaints): 600 450 4000
Last checked 29 September 2026. Links go to official sites we do not control; treat each site as the authority, not this page.
What the government and the ILO publish, in plain words. Laws change: your contract and the official page always win over this summary.
SERMIG offers a free online Habilitación Laboral certificate, with a QR code, that shows an employer you hold a residence permit or authorisation that lets you work in Chile. It is issued under Law 21.325 and is requested only through SERMIG's own digital procedures portal.
SERMIG news item: step-by-step Habilitación Laboral (Spanish), published 18 August 2026, read 8 October 2026A temporary residence permit for a worker employed by an employer with a domicile or branch in Chile is valid for up to two years and can be extended for two years in succession. You apply from outside Chile through SERMIG's digital procedures portal. The employment contract must be signed by the employer at a Chilean notary and by you at the competent Chilean consulate, and your passport must be valid for at least one year.
SERMIG: Foreigners engaged in lawful remunerated activities (English page, updated 18 December 2025), read 8 October 2026With a formal job offer from a Chilean person or company, you can get a 90-day permit. After you enter Chile you have 45 calendar days to give SERMIG a notarised copy of the signed employment contract and proof of its electronic registration. If the contract does not materialise, SERMIG ends the 90-day permit and orders you to leave, whatever liability the party who made the offer may face.
SERMIG: Foreigners engaged in lawful remunerated activities (English page), read 8 October 2026Losing the job that supported your permit, or changing employer by your own choice, does not by itself end the permit, and you need not tell SERMIG, except for 90-day permits granted on a job offer. The contract must follow Chile's Labour Code, and the two sides may agree that the employer pays your return ticket; that is a matter of agreement, not an automatic right.
SERMIG: Foreigners engaged in lawful remunerated activities (English page), read 8 October 2026Anyone who knows of a breach of labour, social-security or workplace-safety rules, or of a violation of fundamental rights, can file a confidential complaint so the Dirección del Trabajo inspects the employer. File online through the Mi DT portal with a ClaveÚnica, or in person at the nearest Inspección del Trabajo.
Dirección del Trabajo (Chile): labour complaint procedure (Spanish), read 8 October 2026For harassment and fundamental-rights complaints, the Dirección del Trabajo investigates and may mediate. If there is no agreement the case goes to the courts, where a complaint must be filed within 90 working days of the violation.
Dirección del Trabajo (Chile): labour complaint procedure (Spanish), read 8 October 2026The Dirección del Trabajo telephone line is 600 450 4000.
Dirección del Trabajo (Chile): home page and complaint procedure page, read 8 October 2026Checked against the linked pages on 2026-10-08. This is general information, not legal advice.
Keep your own passport with you. If anyone asks to hold it, do not hand it over before you have checked the rights above and talked to your specialist.
Details such as pickup, housing and how pay reaches you differ by employer and city. We do not guess them for you; ask, and get the answer in a message or document you can show later.
Local practicalities such as phone plans, banking and transport are not covered here because we do not publish anything we have not verified. Your specialist and employer can tell you what applies to your city.
Full pre-departure checklist · Sending money home · When your contract ends · For your family
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