I was planning on going to Chile this summer (their winter) and heard from a friend of mine that Americans must pay $100.00 fee to enter Chile. Is this true?

Yes, it is true. That is the cost for a Chilean visa, which you can purchase at immigration when you arrive in Chile. More details can be found here.

Please note that US citizens need to pay this fee because Chileans have to pay USD 100 for a US visa. If the US government stops asking this visa fee, the Chileans will allow Americans to enter Chile for free. Europeans can enter Chile without a visa and don't have to pay a fee.

Discussed on this thread as well: http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=380690

You do not have to pay the $100 fee if you come into Chile overland through a neighboring country though.

Once paid, entry is valid until your passport expires. I hope you have many years left on your passport!

Correct, it's not a visa, but a "reciprocity charge". US nationals still enter Chile without a visa (unlike entering Brazil, eg). But if you arrive by land, they don't have the necessary infrastructure in place, and you do not need to pay.

Is this a case where legally you are required to have paid the fee (even if not generally enforced or enforceable)?

guwonder...i don't know about the legality, but i doubt that you could get thru immigration w/o it...the booth is right before passport control at scl.

I think he means legality of entering overland w/o paying - i.e., you probably owe it, but they don't/can't enforce it. If you fly out from SCL, you may get a look, however.

Thank you Eastbay1k, for I do mean the legality of entering overland w/o paying.

I don't recall my SCL-EZE flights involving an official emigration passport check (upon departure).

Anyone?

Huh? All exits out of Chile air or overland require interfacing with immigration control to collect your tourist visa, stamp and do a computer check.

I just looked and there are exist stamps too (which implies an emigration check by the so-called investigative migration control police). My payment stamp/attachment has not been removed from my passports in 2001, 2002 or 2003. I don't recall having a Chilean tourist visa in my passport (just the entry/exit stamps which cannot be collected) so I don't know which tourist visas they are collecting; and the "gastos administravos cobro por reciprocidad" paper still remains. Maybe I just don't pay attention on those early morning flights out.

That's your receipt, good for the life of your passport, proving that you paid the reciprocity fee. "Administrative expenses collected for reciprocity".

You should have filled out a tourist card on the Chile-bound flight, which they collect when you exit.

The tourist card must be filled out/surrendered when you enter/exit Chile over land as well, just without the $100 fee. It's not a visa, just a piece of paper asking how long you are staying and where.

I remember now from my Luftwaffe and Land Chile flights between EZE-SCL.

To recap, if you are coming into Chile by common carrier, you are required to pay a US$100 reciprotict fee (because that is what Chileans are charged for a US entry visa.) The receipt is attached into your passport, and is good for the life of the passport. It is not a visa, nor is it part of your tourist card. If you remove it from your passport, no big whoop, except you will have to pay another $100 next time you visit.

Brazil charges Americans US$100 for a visa - still a reciprocity charge, but for a visa. The only way to get any leverage out of this is to request a "multiple entry visa" when you pay. Mine was good for five years (but had to be activated by my arrival in Brasil within 90 days of having the visa stamped into my passport.)

Every country handles this uniquely - Turkey began charging the $100 reciprocity fee, but is now encouraging tourism by dropping the fee to something more reasonable - it's $20 for a three month tourist visa, as verified to me by Emirhan Yorulmazlar of, I believe, Enformasyon Dairesi Ba�kanl���. Good for Turkey! (And Chile does OK too, "for the duration of your passport.")