Chile reciprocity fee [removed from 16/12/19]

[RooFlyer]

Some friends of mine are flying to SCL, parents in business, 2 adult children in economy.

The parents will obviously get to the reciprocity booths well in advance of the kids. They have asked, if they take their children's passports, will they be able to pay the RF for their children, and therefore gain some time getting everyone through immigration etc. Or do you have to physically present with your own passport to pay the fee?

(Am aware of the recent changes in RF location ...)

 

[kpc]

Don't know the answer but I would be wary wondering around any foreign airport without my passport on me. You never know when you will be asked for it

 

[JohnM]

I don’t think it would be worth it. The process of paying the fee should not be too slow and passport control at SCL is usually well-staffed and fairly quick even if there’s a crowd IME.

 

[shuuy]

separate booths for reciprocity vs customs, right?

Are the booths open around the clock (ie we're flying MDZ-SCL... not at the time the LA or QF flights land)

 

[JohnM]

separate booths for reciprocity vs customs, right?

Are the booths open around the clock (ie we're flying MDZ-SCL... not at the time the LA or QF flights land)

I think you mean separate from immigration, and yes they are. The booths are on the upper floor before you take the escalator down to passport control. Impossible to miss on the right, adorned with Australia flag signs.

I can’t answer the second question with certainty, but I can say when I arrived at near midnight on an EK flight about three weeks ago, a booth was open. I appeared to be the only person needing to pay the RF.

The RF is, as I understand it, only collected from Australians arriving into Chile at SCL.

 

[Mattg]

The Chilean reciprocity fee is being removed for Australians arriving in Chile on/after 16 December 2019 (tomorrow).

According to Smartraveller:

If you're visiting Chile for tourism for 90 days or less, you can get a visa on arrival. As of 16 December 2019, Chilean authorities will remove the USD117 'reciprocity fee' for Australians.

Chile

Australian Government travel advice for Chile. Learn more about local safety, laws and health risks.

www.smartraveller.gov.au

Good riddance!

 

[juddles]

That is fantastic news Mattg! As a frequent visitor to Chile I have paid it about 4 times per year now for ever.

The link shows the change, but I wonder what is the rationale behind it. Being a "reciprocity fee" (ie is charged in an equal amount to what a Chilean tourist has to pay visit Australia), one would assume that either (a) the aussies have stopped charging the huge fees they get out of intending visitors from sth america (unlikely?), or (b) it was simply not worth the pain

 

[Mattg]

That is fantastic news Mattg! As a frequent visitor to Chile I have paid it about 4 times per year now for ever.

The link shows the change, but I wonder what is the rationale behind it. Being a "reciprocity fee" (ie is charged in an equal amount to what a Chilean tourist has to pay visit Australia), one would assume that either (a) the aussies have stopped charging the huge fees they get out of intending visitors from sth america (unlikely?), or (b) it was simply not worth the pain

Australia is still charging a $145 visa fee to Chileans. I guess the Chilean government decided that their little protest wasn't going to make any difference to this, but at the same time was hurting their own tourism industry.

 

[Virgin Bart]

It's ok, I'm sure the Chilean people can afford it more than us.........

 

[The man with no name]

Thankfully I'm a dual AU/UK national and have avoided this fee on a number of occasions including twice in October.

In the last several years a number of friends and work colleagues have taken extended holidays to South America and have avoided Chile and the fee by flying onward to other countries. Though that's only anecdotal the reality is that Chile has a relatively low profile among Australian holidaymakers and the fee may influence some to move on to nearby countries. Combine that with the cost of enforcement and it probably working against the Chilean economy.

 

[Denali]

Great news. Arriving in row 3 and then having to find/pay for your visa meant you were at the back of the queue by the time you got to immigration.

 

[kpc]

A good step forward....was a PITA to have to Q up to pay the USD$100!

 

[ALH]

A good step forward....was a PITA to have to Q up to pay the USD$100!

Could not agree more. Annoying to pay the fee for 24 hour stopovers.

....
The RF is, as I understand it, only collected from Australians arriving into Chile at SCL.

Australians & Mexicans, from memory

 

[kpc]

....but an e Visa (will cost ? how much) will be implemented in May!

 

[NSun]

....but an e Visa (will cost ? how much) will be implemented in May!

The Chilean government's announcement said details were coming shortly. I imagine there'd still be some fee but surely it'd be closer to the US ESTA system's cost than the reciprocity fee. I wonder the e-visa will still be an Australian-only thing, maybe part of an overhaul of Chile's visa system or Australia did remove the entry charge for Chileans.

I paid this only once in October and ironically I only had to pay it because I had to stop in Santiago overnight due to a huge delay on QF27 that messed up my onward connection. I can imagine for people such as Juddles that went to Chile regularly would be even more frustrated by it.

I might be wrong here but now that Chile, Argentina & Brazil have removed entry fees on Australians I think it is only Paraguay that still has it.

 

[juddles]

........I only had to pay it because I had to stop in Santiago overnight due to a huge delay on QF27 that messed up my onward connection. I can imagine for people such as Juddles that went to Chile regularly would be even more frustrated by it.
...

Exactly - it was particularly annoying as for many years I was mainly just flying through SCL to connect onwards to Bogota, and at that time there was always a 12 - 14 hr connection in SCL - so the choice was to either endure that whole time in the lounge, or pay the reciprocity fee AND the airport hotel for a room - made for an expensive 12 hrs :0 At least they eventually made the new LATAM lounge with the day beds which I then used.

The last couple of years when I would actually be staying in Chile, it worked out that I had to pay the fee every three months - so about $600 AUD each year :/

If they invent an ESTA-style thing for aussies, I pray it does not have the same bloomin 3 mth limit!

 

[V Singh]

The Chilean reciprocity fee is being removed for Australians arriving in Chile on/after 16 December 2019 (tomorrow).

According to Smartraveller:

Chile

Australian Government travel advice for Chile. Learn more about local safety, laws and health risks.

www.smartraveller.gov.au

Good riddance!

About time I guess.

 

[Virgin Bart]

but surely it'd be closer to the US ESTA system's cost than the reciprocity fee

I wouldn't assume that, just paid $60US for a Turkish eVisa.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Damn I paid this on 15/11/2019 and was hoping to get my money's worth with re-entries on 24/12/2019 and 05/01/2020!

 

[NSun]

I wouldn't assume that, just paid $60US for a Turkish eVisa.

Of course we won't know until the government confirms and there's no guarantee of what it will be. Yet I've been researching and I've found visa fees Chile charges some other countries. While most are higher than ESTAs but nowhere near the reciprocity fee. Even if it was US$60 that would be just over half of what it was before.