Fotografo de Bodas, Santiago

February 11, 2010

Getting a visa in Chile makes me want to go hide from the government and live in Voigue with the sheep. It is a process that includes, but is not limited to: banging my head against the wall repeatedly, filling out documents because one incompetent worker told you to do so, only to have yet another incompetent worker tell you they’ve never seen aforementioned document before and you have to start all over again, drinking heavily, standing in line for hours upon hours. Needless to say, few trips I’ve made to the dreaded Ministerio Interior, have ended tear-free.

Seba knows that calling this process a nightmare would be an understatement for me. He’s seen me lose it, like head-spinning around Exorcist style (+ excessive screaming, – projectile vomiting), when I got a visa rejected once for a paper that wasn’t listed on the requirements sheet, nor did anyone ever care to tell me that I needed it. He’s seen me hysterical after my passport got robbed, on the way to renew my visa set to expire in three days, leaving me, not only illegal, but with no way to remedy the situation. He’s heard tales of how I’ve had moments when I thought I would get in a fist fight with government workers who are either incapable, or simply refuse, to answer a simple question. I’ve had people bite my head off because I asked which line to get in to have my passport stamped.

All in all, getting a visa here in Santiago has been nothing short of a traumatizing experience.

So this week, in a quest for my permanent residency, I decided that since Seba now works from home with me, it might be fun to bring him along. Since he is working from home with me now he has the time and I thought it would be nice for me to have company while I wait sixteen hours in lines with Gringos asking me ridiculous questions because they don’t speak Spanish — “Ummm, hey, can you tell me if this means I just waited for four hours for nothing because I don’t have my passport with me?” (Yes, yes you did dumb ass. You need your RUT or passport to buy a package of bandaids in this country. Why in the world would you think you can show up at the International Police to try and get official documents without it?) and then also Peruvians/Bolivians asking me ridiculous questions, because they think that for some reason that I’ll have answers because or be nicer because I’m blond. Once a lady even asked me to hold her baby while she went to get lunch. I declined. Not because I’m an evil person, but because, OMG, what if she NEVER came back?!? An abandoned puppy I can (sort of) handle. An abandoned child, I definitely cannot.

Back to the story — so I decide that Seba must see for himself, this crazy Chilean visa jungle I make my way through once a year.

We go to the International Police. Line is short (I’m talking like a half hour total, UH-MAZING), woman is ridiculously friendly. We go to the bank to pick up papers. Efficient woman has them almost ready and waiting when we get there. We go to the Registro Civil (sort of like the DMV but worse). Two people in front of us in line. TWO. And then, get this — the guy tells us to have a nice day after he gets the documents we requested in thirty seconds. People in Chile don’t do that! People in Chile working for any sort of public office related to visa getting NEVER do that.

Seba now thinks that getting a visa in Chile is easy peasy and that I’ve been making a big deal out of nothing all these years.

I now think that these people are far nicer to you if you bring along a real flesh and blood Chilean.

23 Comments

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23 Comments

Oh wow, I can totally testify to that. Whenever I've tried to get things done for my boyfriend who's Canadian, they're not what you would call rude, just cold and unhelpful. Well, ok let's just call that rude. But the minute they find out that although, I'm Canadian I'm also Chilean, and speak Chilean and sound Chilean, well things move ALOT faster and more options suddenly become available. It's very strange. Honestly, it's almost like when I lived in Australia and people were mean to me at first when they thought I was American, but when I explained I was Canadian, they would apologize profusely, buy me an apologetic beer and invite me to tons of parties.

I'm sure there is some sort of moral to learn here, but the only thing I've taken from these experiences is that it's good to be Canadian and Chilean, depending on where you are

Comment by Gina — February 11, 2010 @ 8:08 pm

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And that concludes our Murphy`s Law class for today…

Comment by I_Marmo_I — February 12, 2010 @ 4:10 am

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I can barely remember my time spent in extranjeria, but my memory will be refreshed soon enough. I'm getting my visa here at the consulate, which takes about a week, but then I'll have to apply for permanent residency later I think. I am really looking forward to it. If it is any consolation, the process here in the US is not much fun either. I am glad it went well this time, murphy's law–definitely–but it might be that it is vacation time… not as busy???

Comment by annje — February 12, 2010 @ 6:36 am

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Haha, THIS always happens, huh? You wanta show someone somthing and then the opposite happens!!!

My gf has been having massive nightmares with trying to get a permanant residency card in BsAs. Hang in there–I know you'll get it!

Comment by GlobalButterfly — February 12, 2010 @ 6:42 am

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Ha ha! Good to know! I may have to drag felipe along when I have to get all that done…which I am just dreading after reading about your experiences! But unfortunately, I had a similar experience in the one time I had to go visit the ministerio. After that experience, I figured it was just easier to leave the country every 3 months to renew my tourist visa than it was to apply for something more permanant. However, now that I will be staying longer than a year and a half in Chile, I'm going to have to suck it up and brave those line ups and unfriendly government agents to try to get a permanent residency visa. Buuu!

Comment by gringagonesouth — February 12, 2010 @ 7:24 am

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Getting a Visa in Chile.. piece of cake! Friendly people, short lines!I love Chile xD

Comment by Seba — February 12, 2010 @ 8:19 am

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I was there the other day (ministerio del interior) and the dumbass “jefe” –whom I demanded to talk to after 3 hours of waiting and the person who finally helped me didn't know the answer–told me I had to FLY IN PERSON to Australia AND California to have a paper signed. After I yelled at him for about 2 minutes he goes “maybe I'll call and ask someone who knows the answer.” No joke.

By the way, I too was rejected for not providing something that the visa application specifically says I DON'T have to have.

Comment by thornton12 — February 12, 2010 @ 9:03 am

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Seba, will you come with me for my permanent residency stuff in April and make it easy for me too?

Comment by emilyinchile — February 12, 2010 @ 1:11 pm

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V's residency visa for the States was much worse than the student and temporary visas I've had to do here.

I experienced a lot of long lines here in Chile, but never had to deal with incompetence for Chilean visas. Trying to get an immigrant visa for V to the States was a bit frustrating. I think I was misinformed the first 2 times I went to file the petition and the next 3 times I emailed them, but no hard feelings, as it worked out OK in the end.

I hope Seba's magical influence works on all of you future visas

Comment by maeskizzle — February 12, 2010 @ 2:02 pm

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Wow, lucky!
Ro and I just went to try to get a new visa for me. The only thing I noticed that changed is now there is a special seating spot for the old people, pregnant people and the men who borrow a baby from someone just so they get special priveledges. We always get sent to the wrong floor, 3 people in front of us also were sent to the wrong floor. I am glad that Ro gets to see the hell, but I wish just for once I would luck out and not get sent to 5 different people who hand me the wrong papers and tell me to do the wrong things and then by the time everything is figured out its 2 and we have to waste yet another day fucking around with incompetent people that probably get paid more than they really deserve!!! Bringing along the Chilean never works for me.

Comment by Shannon — February 12, 2010 @ 2:16 pm

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By the way, for all you people who think that chile is the worst place place to get a visa, I am still waiting for my visa to get married with kyle. That would be a 4 year wait and we haven't heard back yet

Comment by Seba — February 12, 2010 @ 2:27 pm

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Seba, just out of curiosity, what do you mean your visa to get married?

Comment by annje — February 12, 2010 @ 3:55 pm

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Back in the day ( 2006) when I first met Kyle I went with her to the States and we aplied for a visa to try to get married there. Didn't work, I came back to Chile alone, we long distance dated for around 8 months and then got married here in chile with no papers, visa, fines or jail xD

Because we thought of getting married anyways while I was on my Waiver Visa but I think that would be a $25.000 fine or up to 5 year in jail. That's why we get married here.

Comment by Seba — February 12, 2010 @ 5:36 pm

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Have Seba read this http://cincinnatichile.blogspot.com/2010/02/tap…

I just wrote this before I read your post. I lol about the exorcist comment- that is what I felt like today. I think I would have a stress induced heart attack if I lived there and had to deal with this. The whole time I was I was thinking it was the US Post Office's fault…I gave the Chileans the benefit of the doubt. I yelled my way to actually get some kick ass customer service from the US only to prove it was the Chileans/govermental messed up process.

After I found out that we had to go to the ministry of foreign affairs today I told S to call his mom and ask her who we need to talk to to find out about this process. S's reply was “It's not that bad we have to go to the office….what is my mom going to do?….you just want to be angry at someone”. I do want to release my frustration on the idiot that makes these rules but moreoever I want to FIX THEM. I guess as a gringa I feel like I can fix things especially things that make NO SENSE.

Comment by Cincinnati Chile — February 12, 2010 @ 6:08 pm

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Ah, Ok. I brought my husband up on a Fiance Visa, which takes a few months but worked out great. I had no idea you couldn't just get married in the US and then change your immigration status… It sounds like in Chile, the real fun (papers, visa) begins after you get married, applying for residency.

btw: It must be nice to be so young that 2006 qualifies as”back in the day”

Comment by annje — February 12, 2010 @ 7:34 pm

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HAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Comment by asuhey — February 12, 2010 @ 7:42 pm

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If anyone out there needs help getting their visa I know a guy who will do everything for you for 75 mil. You will never have to step inside extranjeria and you will know you have all the right papers as he's done this a million times. 75 mil will save you hours or days of your time and so much stress…I filed my permanent residency at the beginning of October and had my visa en tramite in 4 weeks. I did this by sitting in Starbucks and handing the paperwork my gestor told me I needed to him.

My previous visa temporaria took 3 months to complete the entire process. Francisco doesn't speak English but apart from that he's a genius and a really nice guy. And if you have filed and can't get an answer out of extranjeria, he can find out as he knows everyone who works there.

Comment by Matt77 — February 13, 2010 @ 2:39 pm

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hey Kyle….register your biz in Sebas name…then he takes you on as an emplyee of the company 3 months later you become a partner…3 months later you buy him out (all on paper of course) then your set for your permenent fix…worked for me two simple proceedures at a notary for the biz transaction….one contract of employment…then the final trip to the big cheese with your buisness owners reg paper…its a blindfold and rubber stamp job this way…after one year on a temp visa i did this and in 9 months i had my papers…done and dusted…

Comment by weddingphotochile — February 13, 2010 @ 3:34 pm

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hey trust me…its the same the world over…people keeping themselves in a job!!!

Comment by weddingphotochile — February 13, 2010 @ 3:36 pm

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You should see how easy is for chileans to get any kind of visa here in the USA, you ungrateful
spoiled gringa.

Comment by javiername — February 13, 2010 @ 6:54 pm

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Expat complains about something that annoys her in her adopted country and therefore must be ungrateful and spoiled! 2+2=5, eh?

Comment by Matt77 — February 14, 2010 @ 8:55 am

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Maybe Seba just needs to go with you for every visit for your visa. Hmmm?

Comment by ordinarygirl — February 15, 2010 @ 1:44 pm

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Maybe Seba just needs to go with you for every visit for your visa. Hmmm?

Comment by ordinarygirl — February 15, 2010 @ 9:44 pm

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