Chile Changes Travel Entry Requirements Due to Omicron Variant — What to Know

Meena Thiruvengadam
·2 min read
A Chile's Health Ministry worker monitors a screen of a thermal scanner to check body temperature of a passenger before boarding a flight at Santiago International Airport
A Chile's Health Ministry worker monitors a screen of a thermal scanner to check body temperature of a passenger before boarding a flight at Santiago International Airport

MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images

Due to the omicron variant, Chile has changed its entry requirements once more.

Non-resident foreigners entering the country will need to abide by several requirements. Travelers over the age of 6 must be fully vaccinated with two doses of an approved vaccine and must upload their vaccination status to the Chilean health department. Approval of vaccination status may take up to 30 days. Upon arrival into the country, all travelers over the age of 2 must present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours. All travelers must have health insurance with minimum coverage of $30,000 USD that includes all COVID-related coverage. Finally, all those entering Chile must undergo a mandatory PCR test performed upon arrival to Chile and a quarantine of five days or until a negative result of the PCR or antigen is obtained, according to the Chilean government's official travel site.

In addition to the new requirements, Chile will also suspend entry to travelers who have been in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique for 14 days.

Initially, when the country opened to fully vaccinated visitors, there was a five-day quarantine protocol in place.

A Chile's Health Ministry worker monitors a screen of a thermal scanner to check body temperature of a passenger before boarding a flight at Santiago International Airport
A Chile's Health Ministry worker monitors a screen of a thermal scanner to check body temperature of a passenger before boarding a flight at Santiago International Airport

MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images

Chile twice closed its borders during the pandemic, first in March 2020. It reopened in late November before closing again in April 2021 as the new variants emerging around the world pushed countries to rethink their policies. Most recently, in November of 2021, Chile required a negative PCR test and vaccine approval but did not require vaccinated travelers to test again upon arrival, as stated by the State Department.

Chile's latest reopening comes as the government reports nearly 93% of the country's population has been vaccinated against COVID-19. The volume of new COVID-19 cases in the country has been steadily declining since June, according to the World Health Organization.

Meena Thiruvengadam is a Travel + Leisure contributor who has visited 50 countries on six continents and 47 U.S. states. She loves historic plaques, wandering new streets and walking on beaches. Find her on Facebook and Instagram.