This glossary includes definitions for commonly used terms pertaining to the field of migration, which will help you gain a better understanding of the contents published by the Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG)
- Abandonment order: sanction that forces the foreign person to leave the country within the period established by the resolution.
- Affidavit of expenses: a document legalized before a notary that can prove that a third party assumes the maintenance costs of a foreign person in Chile.
- AFP contributions: mandatory payments that must be made by all members of the Pension System (an AFP) and which are equivalent to a percentage of their wages or taxable income in order to accumulate funds for their old age.
- APEC: acronym for Asia-Pacific Economic Forum. It was established in 1989 and aims to create greater prosperity for the region.
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Apostille: a special certification used to validate public or private documents that already have an official certification. This process is applicable to documents issued in a country that is a party to the Apostille Convention, allowing these documents to be recognized and accepted in other member countries of the same convention.
- Border: geopolitically defined border between States with respect to territorial, maritime and aerial space, which allows for governance measures to be adopted within it.
- Border area inhabitant: those citizens, residents or permanent residents, of States bordering Chile and who reside in areas bordering the national border.
- Cartagena Declaration on Refugees: document adopted during the "Colloquium on the International Protection of Refugees in Central America, Mexico and Panama", which took place in Cartagena, Colombia, from 19 to 22 November 1984. This document establishes criteria and guidelines for the analysis and protection of refugees in the region.
- Certified letter: legal notification sent to foreign persons living in Chile. It informs about an official decision that affects them, and is sent to the address that the person has provided.
- Certificate of employment validity: notarized document certifying that an employment contract remains in force.
- Certificate of loss of documents: a document issued by the Investigations Police of Chile (PDI in spanish) or Carabineros of Chile that is given to foreign residents or tourists who have lost their personal documentation (passport or identity card). The person must complete the procedure on the PDI.
- Change of subcategory or status of Temporary Residence permit: procedure conducted by temporary residents with the purpose of modifying or substituting the Temporary Residence permit they have, for a different one in terms of status and/or condition.
- Check the status of the procedure (Consulta estado de trámite in spanish): this procedure is completed through SERMIG's Digital Procedures Portal and allows you to check the status of a residence permit application.
- Child of a transient foreigner: a child born in Chile whose foreign parents were in the country as tourists or crew members at the time of birth. Even if the parents are foreigners, the child is considered Chilean by birth and must be registered as such in the Civil Registry and Identification Service (SRCeI).
- Chilean Citizenship: process that allows one to legally acquire Chilean nationality.
- ChileAtiende (ChA): state multiservice network with various channels of attention and guidance, which seeks to bring the benefits and services of public institutions closer to the people.
- Civil partnership: a contract entered into between two persons who live together, with the purpose of regulating the legal effects derived from a shared affective life of stable and permanent character. The contracting parties will be called civil partners and will be considered relatives for the effects provided for in Article 42 of the Civil Code.
- Civil Registry and Identification Service (SRCel in spanish): public service in charge of overseeing the legal constitution of the family whose main objective is to register the acts and vital facts that determine the civil status of persons and their identification.
- Civil status: the legal status of a person in relation to his or her capacity to exercise certain rights and assume civil obligations. This includes whether he or she is single, married, divorced or widowed, and may influence legal and administrative aspects of his or her life.
- ClaveÚnica: personal and non-transferable password, issued by the Civil Registry and Identification Service (Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación in spanish), which allows you to complete online procedures with it and other government portals.
- Compromiso Migrante: annual distinction awarded by the State, through SERMIG in conjunction with the Labour Direction and sponsored by the IOM and the ILO, which seeks to create spaces within institutions, companies and/or unions that promote inclusion, intercultural awareness and non-discrimination, both in their internal management and in their relationship with their environment.
- Comptroller General of the Republic (Contraloría General de la República in spanish): a public body, autonomous and independent of all ministries, authorities and offices of the State, provided for in the Political Constitution of the Republic, whose purpose is to oversee the proper receipt and investment of the funds of the treasury, municipalities, public welfare, and other services determined by law.
- Consulate: public administration office of one country located in another. Its main objective is to assist and protect nationals living in or visiting the country where the consulate is located.
- Consular extension (Certificado de Prórroga de Residencia Definitiva in spanish): this is the procedure that allows a foreign person, holder of a Permanent Residence, to extend the absence from the national territory, who for reasons of study, illness or other justified cause, is prevented from returning to Chile within the period of 2 years, and must request it from the Chilean consul of the country in which he/she is located. It may be granted only once and will be valid for two years.
- Contract: agreement between the parties, in which they reciprocally bind themselves to comply with certain mutually assumed provisions. Each party may comprise one or many parties.
- Country Original Information (COI): it provides general data on the human rights situation and other specific conditions, and is used to assess and understand the circumstances in which people live in their country of origin.
- Court decision: the decisive part of a judgment in which the judge resolves the conflict or dispute presented to him. It may involve accepting or rejecting the requests of the parties involved, as well as issuing a conviction or acquittal.
- Criminal record: register of convictions for crimes, simple offenses and misdemeanors of a person.
- Criminal record certificate: a public document that certifies or reports whether a particular person has a criminal record.
- Delation: act of informing the competent authority about a fact that must be investigated, with the purpose that the authority takes the necessary measures to clarify the matter and, if necessary, imposes the corresponding sanctions according to the law.
- Dependent status: the possibility that a foreign person has of applying for a residence permit due to his/her relationship of kinship or cohabitation with a Chilean person or holder of Permanent Residence, on whom he/she depends economically. Residence permits obtained as a dependent will be subject to the validity of the residence permit of the holder.
- Digital Procedures Portal: on-line platform of the Servicio Nacional de Migraciones for the purpose of making applications for immigration procedures.
- Discrimination: any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on any ground such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, class, birth or other status, which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by all persons, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
- Employee: a person who provides services in exchange for a salary from the employer. Both the amount of remuneration and the rights and obligations of the parties are fixed in the employment contract.
- Employer: natural or legal person who hires one or more persons to work in exchange for remuneration, through an employment contract.
- Estampado Electrónico (EE): digital document issued by the corresponding authority that formalizes a Temporary Residence permit in digital format for a foreign person, replacing the adhesive stamp that was used before. This document must be added to the passport with which the application was made.
- Exclusion: a situation of marginalization or segregation in which certain groups find themselves in a society.
- Exempt Resolution: document issued by the National Migration Service (SERMIG in spanish) and other institutions to formalize an administrative or legal decision.
- Expulsion: measure imposed by the competent authority that consists of ordering the forced departure from the country of the foreigner who incurs in any of the causes foreseen by law.
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Extension of Permanent Residence Certificate in process (Ampliación de certificado de Residencia Definitiva en trámite, in spanish): application of a foreigner to extend the validity of the document that certifies that they have a Permanent Residence permit in process.
- Family reunification: the right of foreign persons to enter and reside in the country where their family members legally reside or of which they have nationality. This right seeks to preserve family unity by allowing members of a family to live together in the same country.
- Fee exempt: free of immigration fees.
- Fine: a monetary sanction applicable in those cases contemplated in the immigration legislation.
- Fine calculation: procedure to declare an immigration violation, aimed at foreign persons over 18 years of age. It is carried out through the Digital Procedures Portal and allows online payment or discharges.
- Fonasa: acronym of Fondo Nacional de Salud. Public body in charge of providing health protection and coverage to its contributors and to all those who lack resources, together with their respective charges.
- Habeas corpus: also known as "Appeal for protection", it’s a legal action that anyone can bring before the higher courts to ask that they take the necessary measures to protect their rights and ensure that they are not deprived of their liberty or safety unfairly or unlawfully. This includes canceling or changing any action that is arbitrary or unlawful, regardless of where the problem comes from.
- Health Insurance Institution (Isapre in spanish): private health insurance system, currently made up of nine insurers.
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Human trafficking: the crime of recruiting, transferring, hosting or receiving a person by means of violence or fraud for the purpose of sexual exploitation - including prostitution and forced pornography -, forced labor or services, servitude, slavery or slavery-like practices, or the removal of organs.
- Identity card (Cédula de identidad in spanish): official document issued by Civil Registry and Identification Service that certifies the identity of a person in Chile, and provides relevant data of the holder.
- Identification card: procedure for obtaining a Chilean identity card, which is required for all foreign persons over 18 years of age residing in the country who have a valid residence permit.
- Illegal entry: refers to foreigners who enter or attempt to leave the country through unauthorized places or using forged, falsified or adulterated documents or documents issued in the name of another person.
- Immigration authority: institution and/or public official that exercises the expressly conferred power to perform certain functions and acts of authority in the matter.
- Immigration category: type of residence or stay permit in the country for which foreigners are eligible as defined by law.
- Immigration regulations: a number of provisions that regulate or manage migration.
- Institute of Occupational Safety (ISL in spanish): public entity in charge of administering the Social Security for occupational accident risks and occupational diseases.
- Internal displacement: forced movement of people within their own country, for various reasons and/or motives, while remaining under the protection of their own government.
- International agreement: the commitment reached by two or more subjects of international law (States or International Organizations), through a process of concertation or convention, which is called upon to produce its effects in the international sphere.
- International migrant population: people who have lived in a country other than the one they currently reside in for at least one year. That is, those who have changed their country of residence at some point in their life.
- International Organization for Migration (IOM): institution that is part of the United Nations system and works with governments and civil society to promote understanding of migration issues, encourage socioeconomic development through migration, and ensure the human dignity and well-being of migrants.
- Irregular immigration status: refers to the situation of a foreign person who is in a country without having a valid permit for their stay or residence. This means that the person does not have the necessary authorization to be legally in the country.
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Legalization of documents: validation of a document issued abroad to be presented in Chile.
- Maternal Jurisdiction (fuero maternal in spanish): a group of rights enjoyed by the working woman, from the beginning of pregnancy and up to one year and 84 days from the date of delivery, unless there is a supplementary postnatal leave. Read more information about the legal protection for pregnant women on the website of the Labour Direction.
- Mediation: a system of conflict resolution in which an impartial third party, without decision-making power, called a mediator, helps the parties to find a solution and its effects on their own.
- Migrant: a person who has moved from his or her place of habitual residence to another country, regardless of whether he or she did so voluntarily or forcibly, or what his or her legal status is, the reason for his or her move or how long he or she plans to stay.
- Migration: it is when people move from their usual place of residence to another place, either crossing an international border or moving within the same country.
- Migration flow: displacement of people arriving or leaving a country in a specific period of time.
- Migration Help Portal (Ayuda Migraciones in spanish): platform that contains information related to SERMIG procedures, such as step-by-step tutorials or frequently asked questions, and allows queries regarding difficulties encountered in the processing of immigration permits.
- Ministry of Interior and Public Safety: government entity responsible for proposing to the President of the Republic laws and measures to maintain public order, security and peace in the country, and is responsible for managing everything related to internal security and social welfare.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREL in spanish): is the State administration body in charge of planning, directing, coordinating, executing and disseminating the foreign policy formulated by the Presidency of the Republic.
- Money order (orden de giro in spanish): document that indicates the amount of the fee to be paid, in order to materialize a granted permit or as part of the requirements to apply for it.
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Municipality: public organization with its own legal status and financial resources, charged with serving the needs of a local community. Its aim is to ensure that the people of that area participate in and benefit from the economic, social and cultural development of their locality.
- Nationalization Letter: means of acquiring Chilean citizenship by virtue of the provisions of the Political Constitution of the Republic, which is materialized in an Exempt Decree signed by the Minister of the Interior by order of the President of the Republic.
- National Identity Card (DNI): a public, official, personal and non-transferable document, issued by the competent authority of the country that issues it, which provides proof of the holder's identity and contains his or her personal data. In Chile, the DNI is colloquially known as "Cédula de Identidad" and is issued by the Civil Registry and Identification Service (SRCeI in spanish).
- National Health Fund (Fonasa in spanish): public body in charge of providing health protection and coverage to its contributors and to all those who lack resources, together with their respective charges.
- National Registry of Foreigners (RNE in spanish): database in which information on foreign persons who have carried out immigration procedures at SERMIG is recorded.
- Not accepted (“No acoge” in spanish): notification from the SERMIG administrative authority informing that an application was not accepted because it does not meet the formal requirements necessary for its submission.
- Non-discrimination: principle that imposes on States the obligation to not exclude a person arbitrarily.
- Officials residents: members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps accredited to the Government and those of international organizations recognized by Chile, to whom diplomatic or official Visas will be granted.
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Official Residence: permit granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to foreign persons on official missions recognized by Chile and their dependents.
- Paid activity: any activity that involves generating income. This means a job with income that means profits or benefits.
- Passport: document issued by the competent authority of a State, valid for international travel, which identifies the bearer as a national of the issuing State and serves as proof of their right to return to that State.
- Payment of fees: obligation of foreign persons to pay the corresponding fee when they are granted the requested permit or authorization. More information in immigration fees.
- Pension Fund Administrator (AFP in spanish): entities under private law whose purpose is to manage the funds and savings of individuals through a system of individual capitalization of old age, survival and disability pensions.
- Pension fund: amount of money obtained from the payment of social security contributions, which is accumulated in the accounts of the affiliates, managed and invested by the AFPs to obtain profitability, and whose objective is to finance the future pension.
- Permanent Residence (Residencia Definitiva in spanish): a permit to reside indefinitely in Chile, which authorizes persons to engage in any lawful activity, with no other limitations than those established by the legal and regulatory provisions.
- Political assylum: it’s the protection provided to foreign persons who, due to political problems in their country, need to seek help from a Chilean embassy or enter Chile to request protection, even in an irregular immigration status.
- Proof of application: automatic document generated when submitting a residence applyment in SERMIG's Digital Procedures Portal, which certifies that the application was made.
- Proof of application for Permanent Residence in process: document issued at the time of applying for Permanent Residence, which certifies the regular status of the user waiting to be admitted for processing. The extension of the document can be requested in the SERMIG's Digital Procedures Portal.
- Proof of livelihood: evidence of how foreigners will support themselves financially while their residence is being processed, as well as once it has been granted.
- Rectification: amendment of a formal or substantive error in a document.
Redirection: the obligation of international transport companies (such as airlines and shipping companies) to take charge of returning people who try to enter a country without the necessary documentation. They must take these people back to the country of origin within 24 hours, without the State having to assume responsibility.
Re-embarkation (immediate return or repatriation): is the process of returning a person to his or her country of origin or to the country from which he or she arrived in the shortest possible time. This occurs without the need to issue a new decision, provided that the person is subject to a previous resolution ordering his or her expulsion, abandonment or prohibition of entry into the country.
- Refugee: a foreign person who has fled his or her country of origin because he or she has a well-founded fear of being persecuted due to his or her race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group or political opinions. These people are outside their country and cannot or do not want to return for fear of being persecuted, according to the international treaties that Chile has ratified.
- Regional Social Action Organization Fund (ORASMI in spanish): annual amount of money approved by the Budget Law, intended for Chilean and foreign persons with an Identity Card, in a situation or condition of vulnerability that prevents them from generating resources to face the situation that affects them.
- Regular migration: movement of persons which occurs in accordance with the laws of the country of origin, transit and destination.
- Regulation: a group of provisions that establishes the particular aspects for the enforcement or execution of the law.
- Resettlement: the process by which refugees are transferred from one country to another that has agreed to accept them. The State may ultimately grant them new Permanent Residence so that they can settle there permanently.
- Residence permit: document that confirms that a foreign person has the right to live in Chile as long as his or her permit is valid.
- Resident: foreign person who is the beneficiary of a Temporary, Official or Permanent Residence permit.
- Retirement fund: amount of money obtained from the payment of social security contributions, which is accumulated in the accounts of the affiliates, managed and invested by the AFPs to obtain profitability, and whose objective is to finance the future pension.
- RUN, National Single Role (Rol Único Nacional in spanish): unique and unrepeatable identification number assigned by the Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación to all Chileans residing or not in Chile and to foreigners residing in the country.
- RUT, Unique Taxpayer Number (Rol Único Tributario in spanish): unique and unrepeatable identification number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service (SII) to natural or legal persons (companies, organizations, etc.) that request the start of economic activities.
- Self-consultation: possibility for users to inquire about the information available in SERMIG's Digital Procedures Portal, including the status of their applications of residence.
- Self-reporting or Voluntary declaration of clandestine entry: self-denunciation made by foreigners of legal age, who have entered Chile through an unauthorized crossing point or by evading immigration control, to officials of the Investigations Police of Chile (PDI in spanish), to account for their immigration status and their stay in the national territory.
- Sello Migrante: biannual accreditation granted by the State of Chile, through SERMIG in coordination with the Labour Direction and sponsored by the IOM and the ILO, to municipalities that are part of the program and develop plans, actions and programs aimed at inclusion, non-discrimination and interculturalism of the migrant population.
- Settlement (avecindamiento in spanish): refers to foreigners who have resided for more than five years in the country and who meet the requirements to exercise the right to vote in the cases and forms determined by law.
- Social case protocol: process by which an institution that supports people in vulnerable situations can ask SERMIG to speed up the processing of their applications for residence or work permits. This is done to help foreigners who are facing social difficulties due to their immigration status.
- Social Security Institute (IPS in spanish): public service which contributes to the social protection of persons, administering the system of solidarity pensions, pay as you go pension systems, reparation laws and other special laws, as well as paying social benefits mandated by law and/or agreed by collaboration agreements.
- Social vulnerability: set of limitations or disadvantages that people encounter when accessing basic rights and services.
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Stateless person: any person who is not considered a national by any State, according to its legislation.
- Temporary Residence (Residencia Temporal in spanish): permit granted by SERMIG to foreigners who intend to reside in Chile for a limited period of time.
- Temporary Residence extension (Prórroga de Residencia Temporal in spanish): Special permit granted to persons who do not meet the requirements to obtain Permanent Residence or who prefer not to apply for it. This permit allows them to extend their stay in the country for an additional year under the same type of temporary residence they already have.
- Temporary Residence permit for students: subcategory of Temporary Residence granted to those persons who travel to Chile with the purpose of studying as a regular student, in state or private educational establishments recognized by the State.
- Temporary Residence registration certificate (Certificado de registro de Residencia Temporal, in spanish): document issued by the Investigations Police of Chile (PDI) that shows that the first Temporary Residence has been registered, which should have been granted prior to February 12, 2022.
- Temporary Stay (Permanencia Transitoria in spanish): permit granted by the State to foreign persons or tourists who enter the country without the intention of settling there, authorizing them to remain in national territory for a limited period.
- Temporary Stay extension (Prórroga de Permanencia Transitoria in spanish): special authorization granted once to foreign persons so they can stay in Chile for up to 90 additional days.
- The Hague Convention: international treaty in which the signatory States undertake to protect cultural property in the event of armed conflict, respecting the cultural heritage of the nation or nations in conflict.
- Travel documents: passports, identity cards, safe conduct or other similar identity documents, valid and in force, which may be used by the holder for international travel.
- Unemployment Fund Administrator (AFC in spanish): private corporation whose sole and exclusive purpose is to manage the funds called "Severance Pay Fund" and "Solidarity Severance Pay Fund", and to grant and manage the benefits established by Law No. 19.728 on Unemployment Insurance.
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UNHCR: acronym for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
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Visa: authorization that allows people from certain countries to enter and stay temporarily in Chile. Although the term is no longer used, its function is to regulate the entry and stay of foreigners in the country as determined by the State.
- Withdrawal: terminate a request or action proceeding. However, by withdrawing, you do not waive the right underlying your request, which means that you can file the same request or action again in the future if you wish.
- Work authorization for Temporary Stay holders: permit issued by the immigration authority that allows a foreigner to engage in paid activities in the national territory, as long as they have that status. It has a duration of thirty days, extendable until the end of the Temporary Stay permit (Permanencia Transitoria in spanish). It must be requested through SERMIG's Digital Procedures Portal.
- Work authorization with Temporary Residence permit in process: permit that allows a foreign person to carry out lawful remunerated activities, during the processing of the residence permit. This consent will remain in force until the resolution of the application.
- Written warning. sanction consisting of a written reprimand to a foreign person for less serious violations of immigration laws.
