Remunerated Activities Temporary Residence in Chile in 2026

Chile's temporary-residence subcategory for personas que desarrollan actividades lícitas remuneradas covers foreign nationals who want to establish themselves in Chile for lawful paid activity.

Employment, job offers and own-account services

SERMIG publishes several qualifying situations under this single subcategory. These include dependent employment with an employer domiciled or operating in Chile, an accepted formal job offer, and own-account remunerated activity.

For own-account activity that does not fall under the investor subcategory, SERMIG requires the applicant, before entering Chile, to enter into a qualifying civil or commercial contract with a Chilean national or a foreign national holding Residencia Definitiva. The contract must concern intangible or specialized professional services and must run for more than 90 consecutive days. SERMIG also requires the relevant consular formalities for that contract.

This means the same legal category can cover a consultant or independent professional, but it is not a general permission for any freelance activity without a qualifying Chile-side contractual basis.

Duration

For dependent employment, SERMIG states that the permit can be valid for up to two years and may be renewed successively for up to two-year periods. A permit initially granted from an accepted job offer can be issued for 90 days; after entry, the holder has 45 days to present the definitive employment contract, after which SERMIG describes a one-year extension.

Remote-work caution

Chile's current official SERMIG subcategory list does not publish a dedicated digital-nomad visa. A person working remotely should not assume that Permanencia Transitoria or a visitor-style stay automatically authorizes remunerated work. The legal analysis depends on where the activity falls within Chile's migration and work rules.

Compare Investor Residence, Transitory-Stay Work Authorization, and the Chile immigration hub.

Company incorporation, tax registration, employment-law compliance and regulated-profession licensing are separate from immigration permission. See the methodology and legal disclaimer.

Official and supporting sources

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