White Cat

According to data from 2021 provided by the Civil Registry, up to November of that year 4,473 marriages were celebrated between Chileans and foreigners.

This high number is mainly due to migration, with the majority of marriages between Chileans and Venezuelans, and between Chileans and Haitians, but in the case of marriages with non-Latino foreigners, Chileans mainly married citizens of Spain.

What does a foreigner need to marry a Chilean on Chilean soil? The requirements are few and the steps are very simple, so please find the answers to all your questions below.

Make an appointment at the Civil Registry

The first step, which is identical for marriages between Chileans or between a Chilean and a foreigner, is to request an appointment, which can be done at a Civil Registry office or through their website (www.registrocivil.cl).

If you choose the latter option, go to "online services", "book a time" and then click on "marriage". There you will be able to schedule time for the Demonstration and for the Celebration of Marriage The procedure can be carried out by either of the contracting parties with their Clave Única.

You must first schedule a time for the Manifestation and then for the Marriage Ceremony, which may or may not be on the same day, but no more than 90 days should elapse between the two.

The Manifestation is made at the Civil Registry, while the Celebration of the marriage can be in the same office, in the home of the parties or in another place that is agreed upon within the jurisdictional territory. You can reserve a time up to one year in advance.

Puello Conde Photography

What information will you be asked to provide

Once you enter the Clave Única, you will have to fill in the personal data of both bride and groom .

But if the foreign person does not have a Chilean RUN, he/she will have to add his/her identification document, type of document (passport, DNI, identity card, country of origin, other), issuing country and expiration date of the document.

In addition, they will ask for the information of at least two witnesses over the age of 18 and the address where the wedding will take place, if not at the civil office.

On the other hand, if they go in person to a Civil Registry office, they will be asked for the same information to reserve a time for their marriage to a foreigner in Chile.

What does a foreigner need to get married in Chile?

Both for the Manifestation and for the Celebration of the Marriage, the foreigner must present your documents in good standing and in good condition .

That is, if you do not have a Chilean identity card for foreigners, you must show your identity card from your country of origin, or your passport and tourist visa, as appropriate. But there is no specific length of stay in Chile to be able to get married.

In the Manifestation of Marriage, the bride and groom communicate to the Civil Registrar, orally, in writing or by sign language, their intention to marry. They must bring their witnesses, who will declare that the future spouses have no impediments or prohibitions to marry.

And then, at the Celebration of Marriage, the bride and groom must appear again with their witnesses, who should ideally be the same as those from the previous ceremony.

How to marry a foreigner in Chile? The ceremony will take place in exactly the same way: Reading of the articles of the Civil Code referring to the rights and obligations of the contracting parties; mutual consent of the bride and groom and exchange of vows; and signing of the nuptial act by the bride and groom, witnesses and civil officer.

Only one point could change if the foreign bride or groom does not speak Spanish, in which case he or she will have to hire an interpreter at his or her own expense, with whom he or she will have to attend both the Manifestation and the Marriage Celebration. The interpreter must be of legal age and carry a valid identity card. Or, if he or she is a foreigner, he or she must presentyour Chilean RUN, or a valid passport or identity card from your country of origin.

And another requirement to get married in Chile is that, if the foreigner is divorced In addition, if the marriage certificate is in a language other than Spanish, it must be translated by the same ministry.

And in the case of foreigners who are widowed, they must attach the death certificate of their previous spouse, with its respective legal translation, if necessary. Once all these requirements are fulfilled, a marriage between a Chilean and a foreigner in Chile can take place without any problem.

Diego Mena Photography

Apply for the cédula

With regard to the documents required to marry a foreigner in Chile, it has already been pointed out that foreigners without RUN can get married in Chile by presenting their documentation That is, their valid ID from their country of origin, or their passport, which is valid for 90 days, with the possibility of extension for another three months. If the ID or passport is expired, the person will not be able to get married.

If you are getting married to a Chilean and intend to stay in Chile, the best thing to do is to regularize your status and obtain your identity card for foreigners Anyone who has been granted a visa through the Department of Foreigners and Immigration may apply.

For example, if you have a temporary residence visa, which allows foreigners to obtain permission to settle in Chile for a period of one year (with an extension of one more year) and for specific reasons, the identity card will have the same validity as your visa.

But if they already have the title of Permanent Residence in Chile, which is the permit granted to foreigners to settle permanently in the country, then they must apply for the RUN within 30 days after the delivery of the certificate. In this scenario, the identity card will be valid for 5 years.

And in the case that they already have their identity card, but it has expired, they will have to renew it to be able to say "yes", as stipulated in the requirements to marry a foreigner in Chile. They will have to do it in person at a Civil Registry office authorized to issue identity cards for foreigners.

Nothing complicated! If you are planning a civil marriage in Chile with a foreigner, you already know that the requirements are simple and the procedures are practically the same. Just try to start organizing your wedding as soon as possible, especially if you want a celebration in high season.