Giving birth in Chile in 2025: the pros and cons of one of the most popular destinations

Chile, a country in the south-west of South America, draws not only tourists but also expectant parents with its striking landscapes and distinctive culture - and many now consider giving birth on its soil. Here we look at the main advantages and drawbacks of having a baby in Chile.

The advantages of giving birth in Chile

Citizenship for the child

A Chilean passport is acquired by right of birth on national territory. Its benefits include:

• Visa-free entry to more than 160 countries, including the United States, Australia and Canada.
• Free medical care.
• Free education.
• The right to live and work in a country with a warm, mild climate.

Citizenship for the parents

Once the child is born, the parents can obtain residency, permanent residence after two years, and apply for citizenship after five years of living in the country.

Dual citizenship is permitted

Visa-free travel on a Russian passport

The visa-free regime makes it possible to visit the country before the birth, and it also lets relatives and friends who want to visit you travel to Chile without obstacles.

Quality of medical care

Chile is known for one of the best healthcare systems in Latin America. There is a wide choice of hospitals for childbirth and attentive, caring treatment of patients. Giving birth in Chile is comfortable and safe.

Cost

The cost of childbirth in Chilean clinics is far lower than in the United States or Europe - around 5,000 dollars.

The drawbacks of giving birth in Chile

Language barrier

The main language of communication in Chile is Spanish, which can create a number of difficulties when dealing with doctors.

Crime

Bureaucracy

Handling the paperwork for residency or citizenship can be difficult.

Giving birth in Chile means high-quality, affordable medical care, along with citizenship for both the child and the parents. Even so, it is worth weighing all the pros and cons carefully to make the right choice about where your child will come into the world.

The key 2026 change: children of tourists

Chile's Constitution grants citizenship to everyone born in the country, with two exceptions: children of foreigners in their government's service and children of transient foreigners. On 13 April 2026, Chile's Civil Registry introduced a new instruction: if a child is born while the parents are in the country on a temporary stay, for example as tourists, the child is registered as the child of a transient foreigner and does not get Chilean citizenship.

The registry officer checks the parents' passports and migration card and looks only at their status on the date of birth. The intention to stay in Chile is no longer considered. Clarifying Circular No. 16 of 4 May 2026 kept this rule for tourists and other temporary stays but restored registration as citizens for children of migrants without regular status. The claim in the article above that a child gets a Chilean passport by birth is therefore true only for families with residence permits.

What this means for families

• Residence is needed before the birth. For the child to be Chilean, at least one parent must hold resident status, not a tourist stay, on the date of birth.
• Status is arranged in advance. Under the 2021 migration law, temporary residence is generally applied for from abroad before entry, and switching from tourist to resident inside the country is possible only in specific cases.
• Visa-free entry does not solve it. Russians need no visa for Chile, but visa-free entry is exactly the temporary stay under which the child is registered as a transient foreigner's child.

If the child is registered as a transient foreigner's child

The Constitution leaves such children the right to opt for Chilean citizenship later, and parents can challenge the record in court. This is a long route with no guaranteed outcome. To ensure the child has at least one citizenship from the start, it is registered through the parents' citizenship, for example at a Russian consulate. For documents needed to travel to Russia, see why a child under 14 may be stopped from leaving Russia.

The parents' path to citizenship

Parents of a Chilean child can obtain temporary residence through family ties with a Chilean citizen, and then permanent residence. Naturalisation requires:

• being over 18;
• holding valid permanent residence;
• at least five years of residence in Chile, counted from the electronic temporary residence stamp.

For a parent of a Chilean citizen the law offers a shorter route: 2 years of continuous residence with valid permanent residence, and permanent residence on a family basis can be requested after 12 months of temporary residence. Giving up a previous citizenship is not required. The naturalisation application is filed online with the National Migration Service. See Chilean citizenship for requirements.

Chile allows dual citizenship, so a Chilean child can keep the parents' citizenship too. But the second country, Russia for example, treats the child only as its own citizen, and the child must enter on its documents.

Timeline

1. 9-12 months before the birth we choose a basis for temporary residence: an employment contract, study, family reunification, steady income from abroad or investment.
2. We apply from abroad and wait for a decision: processing depends on the migration service's workload, so allow several months.
3. Enter on a resident visa and register the status after arrival.
4. Mind airline rules: most carriers restrict flying late in pregnancy, usually after 36 weeks, and ask for a doctor's note from 28 weeks.
5. After the birth we register it and check that the child is recorded as a Chilean citizen.

The child's documents

The birth is registered with the Civil Registry, which assigns the child a national identification number and later issues an identity card and passport if the child is Chilean. The record also states whether the child is recognised as Chilean, so check it immediately, while correcting it is easier.

Where birthright citizenship is easier

If the family cannot obtain residence before the birth, consider countries where a tourist's child gets citizenship by birth regardless of the parents' status: Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. More on Chile: giving birth in Chile.

How we help

We arrange temporary residence before the birth so the child gets Chilean citizenship, and handle birth registration, the child's documents and the parents' path to permanent residence and a passport. If time is short, we choose a country where birthright citizenship does not depend on the parents' status. Write in the chat and a manager will calculate the cost.

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