Plan Fronteras Protegidas (Protected Borders Plan) to come into effect this Monday with restrictions to enter and leave Chile

The new Plan Fronteras Protegidas came into effect on Monday, July 26. The plan lists the requirements and conditions that travelers must comply with if they want to leave and return to Chile. It requires that all travelers entering the country must undergo a strict and mandatory ten-day isolation period. 

Who can leave Chile? 

1) Chileans and foreign residents in Chile with: 

Mobility pass authorized. This does not include minors without a mobility pass (only via Arturo Merino Benítez Airport) 

or special permission to leave the country, obtained and approved via the Comisaría Virtual (virtual police station). There are four motives to apply for this permission: 

• Humanitarian grounds 

• Essential health reasons 

• Activities fundamental to the country 

• To reside abroad 

2) Foreign non-residents leaving Chile with passport from their country of origin

*A mobility pass or permission from the Comisaría Virtual will be required to pass through international police control. 

Requirements to enter Chile 

Who can enter Chile? 

1) Chileans and foreign residents in Chile 

2) Foreign non-residents in Chile (only exceptions): 

Safe conduct from the Chilean consulate in country of origin 

Decree 102 from the Interior Ministry 

Requirements for entering Chile 

Sworn Statement: travelers must complete the “Traveler’s Sworn Statement” online form 48 hours before boarding. On this form the traveler will provide contact information, health and travel information and will accept the conditions for entry into Chile. The form is available at www.c19.cl and will be required by the airline on boarding the aircraft and by health authorities upon arrival in Chile.  

PCR Test: travelers must attach a negative PCR SARS-CoV-2 test to the Traveler’s Sworn Statement. The negative result must be provided from a test taken no more than 72 hours before boarding the flight arriving in Chile. If entering the country by land, the test must be taken no more than 72 hours before entering Chile. The test result will be required by the airline on boarding and by health authorities upon arrival. Children under two years of age are excluded from the PCR requirement. 

Travel Insurance: this is required only of foreign non-residents in Chile who will be allowed entry under exceptional circumstances or with a safe conduct from the Chilean consulate in the country of origin. The traveler must attach a travel insurance certificate to the Traveler’s Sworn Statement. Insurance must cover medical assistance, hospitalization and repatriation for the length of stay in Chile, as well as any other cost associated with COVID-19. The minimum coverage for health-associated costs must be US$ 30,000. The insurance certificate must be attached to the Traveler’s Sworn Statement before entering Chile. 

Health measures upon entering Chile 

1. Ten days of strict mandatory isolation: 

a. At home 

Who can quarantine at home? 

■ People with mobility pass authorized at the time of entering Chile. 

■ Families traveling with minors. All of the family must reside at the same address. 

Requirements: 

■ All cohabitants of the declared address must also quarantine for ten days. No one can enter or leave the house during the ten-day period. 

■ Direct transfer to the declared address must be in a private vehicle and take no more than five hours after entering Chile. Public transfer in trains, buses and planes is prohibited. Transfer in official taxis and private transfer companies that work at the Arturo Merino Benítez Airport is permitted, following strict health protocols. Only groups traveling together can share vehicles. 

■ Information regarding the quarantine address and its cohabitants must be entered on the Traveler’s Sworn Statement before arrival in Chile, available at www.c19.cl.

b. Quarantine hotel 

Who must isolate in a quarantine hotel? 

■ Mandatory for adults without a mobility pass authorized before entering the country. 

■ People with a mobility pass authorized who do not have a declared address that can be reached within five hours of arrival by private transport. 

Requirements: 

■ The cost of the ten-day isolation in a quarantine hotel is the responsibility of the traveler (including those who left the country before March 28, 2020). 

■ Reservation information must be entered on the Traveler’s Sworn Statement before entering the country, available at www.c19.cl.

■ At airport border controls, transfer from the point of entry to the quarantine hotel will be provided by the Regional Secretary of the Health Ministry. 

■ Warning: the mobility pass is only available for those who have been vaccinated in Chile. Isolation at home is not an option for those vaccinated abroad and they must do so in a quarantine hotel. 

To consider: traveler isolation is stricter than territorial quarantine. It is equivalent to having provided a positive test result or having been in close contact with someone who has (but without medical leave). This means that during the isolation period travelers and cohabitants CANNOT: 

■ Leave the house 

■ Leave the hotel room or hotel when isolation is being carried out in a quarantine hotel 

■ Have visitors 

■ Make use of the Choose to Live Healthily sports hour 

■ Walk pets 

■ Go to work 

■ Go to school 

■ Use public transport 

■ Use Comisaría Virtual permissions, Health Passport or Mobility Pass 

2. 14-day Traveler Monitoring 

a. Reporting: 

Each person that enters the country must complete a symptoms report for 14 days. Travelers will receive an email on arrival to register on the official platform, where they must complete a daily health and location report. The traveler will receive a daily email from health authorities reminding them to complete the form. 

Those who present COVID-19 symptoms should remain isolated, report their symptoms on the online form and wait to be contacted by health authorities. 

If symptoms include a fever over 37.8°C or sudden loss of smell or taste, the traveler should seek medical assistance straight away and comply with all necessary health measures, including the use of a mask and avoiding public transport. If there are any doubts, please call Salud Responde on 600 360 7777. 

b. Testing: 

Travelers may be subject to various COVID-19 diagnostic tests, either at the point of entry into Chile or at any moment over the following 14 days. These may be PCR and/or antigen tests. Genotypification studies may also be carried out. 

c. Monitoring 

Travelers undergoing mandatory isolation will be monitored at their declared address to ensure compliance on any day and at any time during the isolation period. The inspector will verify that all declared cohabitants on the Traveler’s Sworn Statement are present and that there is nobody present that has not been declared. 

In the case of non-compliance with any of the previous measures, the traveler will be sanctioned according to the provisions of Book X of the Health Code, the Penal Code and Law 20.393 accordingly. The amount of the fine applied for infringement of health code regulations could total 1000 UTM (Unidad Tributaria Mensual: an indicator used for tax purposes whose value in pesos is defined by law and is adjusted each month in accordance with the Consumer Price Index) (50,000,000 Chilean pesos or US$ 65, 796). 

In addition to the fine, the mobility pass of all travelers and cohabitants who do not comply with the health measures will be blocked. 

d. Isolation in healthcare residences for positive cases: 

Travelers who test positive in any of the tests taken over the 14-day monitoring period, as well as their close contacts, must carry out a mandatory isolation in a healthcare residence for as long as health authorities deem necessary. This includes minors. 

It is important to remember that these measures are under constant evaluation and can be modified depending on the current epidemiological situation. It is the responsibility of each person to comply with the health requirements in force at the moment of entering the country.