Current travel situation to Chile
 

So last January I found a premium economy "mistake fare" on AA from the USA to Chile. I booked it for this coming December, figuring that with the vaccine and such, things would be good by December. Wrong. :) I had already scrubbed a trip for early 2021 due to Covid.

I see that USA citizens are still not permitted to enter Chile. Is anything happening on that front? And, if the rules do change, would I WANT to visit Chile now? How normal are things? I was planning on spending a little time in the wine regions around Santiago and then heading to Patagonia.

I'd appreciate any insight on all this. Thanks.

Beginning October 1:

Scroll to page 14.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/gobcl-prod/...egidas_V05.pdf

As is typical Chile, lots of details have to be worked out and will probably be addressed after the new policy is in effect...

Suerte.

So Americans are supposed to be eligible to enter beginning Oct. 1? Looks like the usual Covid test within 72 hours. Any idea how the medical insurance thing would work? Before the world closed down, I was actually thinking of getting some int'l medical insurance and I recall it wasn't expensive. But my recollection is now hazy.

Beginning October 1, foreigners can enter if they have previously registered their completed COVID shot regimen at mevacuno.cl along with a 72 hour PCR negative test, c19.cl declaration and proof of insurance. For the insurance, ask the company that you need a policy that specifically conforms to Chile's foreign visitor COVID requirements.

On arrival, you will probably receive another PCR test and must quarantine for 5 days within 2 hour distance max from the airport. Only private transportation (airport official taxis are included) can be taken to this home or hotel and one cannot leave it for any reason or receive visitors so the logistics of groceries and meals must be planned in advance (remember most local online delivery services do not work with foreign cards).

After the quarantine, assuming the PCR test was again negative and no other symptoms developed, you can travel to most anywhere as nearly the entire country has advanced out of quarantine and semi-quarantine with a c19.cl declaration for internal travel when traveling between regions. If different comunas fallback into quarantine restrictions, the travel logistics can become complicated.

The authorities will track and communicate with you during the 14 days upon entry and you must answer any communication and take any requested test during that time.

Fines for breaking the rules can run up to CLP 30 million.

With fines that large, I'm surprised they aren't quoted in UF :D

Until the mandatory quarantine goes away, Chile will remain a de facto impossibility for tourist travel.

As for insurance, I recently purchased a Travelex policy that covers $50K of medical, including COVID, for well under $100 (one week of travel, nominal trip expense as it is mostly a miles/points trip - and obviously not to Chile).

Still a 5-day quarantine? Yikes! I guess I won't be visiting Chile in December. Time to make other plans, I suppose, and see what AA will do for me.

No one can predict the future, but the quarantine may be modified as the months continue into the summer season.

I guess I'll wait and see what happens. I'm in the habit of vacationing in Patagonia in December because the weather and daylight is counter-seasonal to the USA. I can't really duplicate the experience elsewhere but, hey, the world is still messed up.

I was planning a three-day business trip from BsAs. One day in Santiago and two in Iquique.

But it looks like that this sort of trip will have to wait.

What does Chile's 5-Day Quarantine Mean?
 

My wife and I are scheduled to be in Chile for 2 weeks in December. We're both fully vaccinated and understand the testing requirements to enter the country. What we are not certain about are the details of the mandatory 5-day quarantine. We're flying into Santiago and have a hotel reserved in the city. Does the quarantine require that we stay in our room only? May we venture into the hotel's lounge? Hotel restaurant(s)? Other? Also, by December is there any hope that Chile will reduce/eliminate this requirement for fully vaxed folks?

I think you may have more luck posting this in a forum that isn't the Marriott Bonvoy forum.

https://chile.gob.cl/chile/en/ingres...de-el-exterior

TO CONSIDER:

The isolation of the traveler is equivalent to that carried out by positive cases and close contacts (but without a medical license). This means that, during their isolation, the traveler and his co-inhabitants CANNOT:

• Leave home
• Leaving the hotel room (in case you voluntarily decide to isolate yourself in a hotel).
• Receive visits
• Go for a pet walk
• Go out to work
• Attend educational establishments
• Use the public transport
• Use a Health passport or mobility pass

That would be a hard no for me, as empty as the W Patagonia route must be.

Really good question.
 

We are on a Silversea sailing to Antarctica mid-November. They ( the cruise line) and Chile have made "bubble" rules. We have to stay in hotel room upon arrival to SCL.We are arriving 2 days before the sailing. Bubble bus to chartered flight to Punta Arenas. Bubble bus to ship. Sail to Antarctica, then the bubble in reverse. Lots of testing. Vax only passengers. Crew fully vaxxed. More details to come. As I get, I'll try to post if there is anything new.

Transit SCL?
 

Booked a US-SCL flight many months ago for early November with the intention of hopping to EZE via SKY same or next day. Does this seem achievable for fully vaxxed flyer (assuming Argentina really opens on 11/1)? I could certainly "quarantine" in/around SCL for a few hours or overnight.
Thank you for your thoughts on this.

Chile to remove quarantine requirement!
 

This looks like good news!
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.afa...-travelers/amp

Tourism travel to Chile beginning November 1
 

Some caveats:

The quarantine will still exist but it is in the form of isolation till the on-arrival airport test results comeback. No one knows what the turn around time will be, could be 12 hours, could be 72 hours.

No word from Easter Island, they make their own decisions.

You should register your vaccination status at the 45 day window as no one can say how long the government will take to approve you for the Mobility Pass. The criteria for eligibility for this pass can change with Chile's definition of fully vaccinated.

The government wants you to report in for 10 days after entering the country, but no one has addressed what happens if someone is in no signal Patagonia or other parts.

Excellent post and also it is indeed important to understand that Chile depends much less on international tourism than its neighbors and had a disastrous experience after partially opening one year ago.

I got my preapproved paso de movilidad after only 9 days!

And yes, driving down the Caretera Austral internet connectivity is a problem. Just had a look at the 4G coverage chart - not much south of Coyhaique :-).

But for those who think the risk management of Chile is conservative, have a look at Thailand: A total cacophony which will kill tourism on which they depend heavily.

I postponed my Carretera Austral trip to end January 2022.

I’m planning on visiting Chile in December and wondering if anyone has experienced the current system? How long does it take to receive a PCR test result and is it free of charge?

As of now, the test on arrival is free but the government can ask for other tests depending and they may be at your cost.

Thank you ! Sources please.

A PCR test quickly upon arrival is essential as one has to isolate while waiting for the results. I found this option of interest (4 hours result) https://get.genosur.com/en-us/pcr_en...SAAEgLlYPD_BwE

All there is officially is this page

https://www.gob.cl/coronavirus/pasoapaso#fronteras/

but it does not say anything about cost or payment. The "it is free" is from the travelers who have entered Chile during the past weeks. Everyone is controlled upon entry and the test and results are run by the government. In regards to time before isolation release, I do not believe the government will let a third party test supersede the government's. The goal is 24 hours but we will see what happens after the end of the month.

Genosur quotes:
"We are a clinical laboratory authorized by the health department -SEREMI de Salud - and certified by the National Institutes of Health - ISP!"

The 4 hours release would be very convenient indeed but of course only possible after 1 November as till then there is still the 5 days quarantine in all cases.

Postponed my trip to end Janaury anyway as till then there should be more visibility.

Bravo!

Any tips for filling it out? Do you [know if you] need a separate pass (Paso de Movilidad) for each trip?

First of all you have to create an account on https://mevacuno.gob.cl/ , registering with email, not clave unica. Once registerd you can validate your vaccination from outside Chile on the site. You will need the exact details and batch number of the vaccine and will also have to donwload those. This can be done 45 days before traveling and as mentioned in my case ot was dne within 9 days.

The "real" paso de movilidad starts only to function once the after arrival negative PCR test result is in the system. This would implement that for each arrival from outside there is a new paso de movilidad.

The quarantine from 1 November 2021 onward is not abolished and still applies while waiting for the PCR test result.

Seems like this will still be a PITA. I'm booked to Chile in about 6 weeks. Unless there's more clarity and simplicity, I will cancel. It's not a vaccation when you have to spend your time on government CovidTheater.

It is painless to get the paso de movilidad preaprovement, apply today and you will get it in time without problems and from this point it is only the online arrival form https://www.c19.cl/en.html to be filled out less than 48 hours before arrival (insurance certificate and PCR test can be uploaded). Remember: South American countries are not hostile against foreigners unlike Asians (the extreme example of Thailand springs to mind) who appear to have stronger and stronger feelings towards everything foreign. Perhaps it is the failed 0 case hysteria......

What sort of insurance would I need?

USD $30,000 coverage for medical including COVID-19.

https://www.gob.cl/coronavirus/pasoapaso#fronteras/

Thanks. Does anyone know what type of medical plan would meet this requirement, where one would get such a plan, and how much it would cost?

A google search for “medical travel insurance” turned up several options. Policies providing $50,000 medical coverage without trip cancellation insurance, were mostly $40 to $50. Although not required by Chile, the policies include medical evacuation insurance. I sent an email to one insurance company, including the language used by Chile, and asked whether the specific policy met Chile’s requirement. The company sent an email saying yes. I plan to take this email with me.

The insurance company recommended buying the medical policy at least a few days before travel and indicated that the traveler will receive proof of insurance within 24 hours of a purchase online by credit card. The cost and timing to buy trip cancellation insurance can be different, although many policies cover both at a higher cost.

South Africa has (or had) a similar requirement. I purchased trip medical insurance (including emergency evacuation coverage as well as in country medical coverage for treatment of COVID-19). Total cost was something under $115 for a party of three. Only very minimal trip insurance was included outside the medical and evac coverage. We used aardy.com and they provided a specific COVID-19 coverage certificate as South Africa wanted that at the time. The certificate spelled out all the high level coverage details (total amount, type of coverage, etc).

I am sure there are several other reputable online insurance sites that can provide similar coverage.

Insuremytrip or squaremouth
 

Just go to Insuremytirp or Squaremouth. I have an IMG thru Insuremytirp that is 71.50 for both husband and I. For almost 3 weeks travel. Meets Chilean requirements.

Has anyone had success applying for the mobility pass? I submitted my application nearly three weeks ago and haven't yet gotten a response.

Yes. We filled out the forms on the government’s website in September, using phones to capture and upload pictures of our Covid vaccination cards. We received an automatic reply at that time indicating that the applications had been received. About two weeks later, an email arrived granting temporary approval that can be used to enter w/i 45 days and is valid for 30 days after entry (can be extended to 90 days with an additional application supported by an antibody test taken in Chile). The email came From: Redcap MDS Me Vacuno, with Subject: Estado de solicitud de validación de vacunas recibidas en el extranjero - Válido Temporalmente.

PCR Test for Entry to Chile
 

We just scheduled PCR tests that can be used for entry to Chile. Worksite Labs promises to provide test results w/i 24 hours for $90, seven days a week. Many labs needed 60 or 72 hours to provide the PCR test results, which doesn’t work when Chile requires that the test be timed and dated w/i 72 hours of boarding the international flight to Chile. Other labs were charging $139, $150, $189, and $300 for the same PCR test.

Anyone planning travel in the next week or so and willing to report back? I really want to pull the trigger on a trip soon, but am nervous about the lack of information on exactly how the testing on arrival will work and what turnaround times are.

Register and submit covid vaccination well in advance. PCR test before departure. PCR test on arrival. I could see questioning the double test, but it seems reasonable to me.

I'm very interested to hear how long it really takes to get the arrival testing results (once inbound tourists ramp up).

There is still https://get.genosur.com/en-us/pcr_en...SAAEgLlYPD_BwE within 4 hours if you can manage to arrange your own test which I belive as it would be impossible to test all at the airpprt.

Reports would be appreciated indeed.

Ideally one could then stay at that hotel while waiting the reesult and take a shower before continuing the trip.

Chile requires you to go by private transportation directly to your hotel and stay in your room until you have the results.

The Hilton Garden Inn link you reference would indeed be a great option - but are you allowed to leave the airport w/o the test?

There’s also the question of whether any PCR test result can be used. For example, the company linked above also offers in-house visits for an extra fee. Can I have them to come to my quarantine hotel room to administer the test? Or is whatever test the government is (presumably) using at the airport the only thing that counts?