Getting to Antarctica via Chile

All international travellers entering Chile must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. If you are eligible for a booster jab, you must ensure you have had it done pre-travel, and must add it when validating your vaccinations.

Vaccines must be approved by the Chilean Public Health Institute (ISP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The Chilean government requires international travellers to be vaccinated at least 14 days prior to arrival in Chile. However, some operators require their passengers to be vaccinated further in advance:

• If you are travelling with Quark Expeditions, they require you to be vaccinated at least 21 days before your voyage
• If you are travelling with Aurora Expeditions, they require you to be vaccinated at least 28 days before your voyage
• All other operators require their passengers to be vaccinated at least 14 days before their voyage

Once you are fully vaccinated, you must submit details of your vaccination before you travel, as per point 2 below.

Other than for Covid-19, no further vaccinations are required.

Before you start, take a look at our step-by-step guide to completing the vaccination validation form.

The form typically takes 30 minutes to complete. The form is mostly in English, but please note that some of the drop-down menus are still in Spanish – eg country names, Los Estados Unidos (or EEUU) for the US and Reino Unido for the UK.

We have been informed by our partners on the ground that validation can be applied for well in advance of your travel to Chile, not the 45 day-limit previously stated, so we recommend commencing your application as soon as possible.

To complete the form, you will need:

• A digital (scanned) copy of your passport, ready to upload to the form
• A digital photo of you with your passport held just below your face and open on the identification page (clear instructions are given during the application process)
• A digital copy of your Covid-19 vaccination certificate, ready to upload to the form
• Your passport details and vaccination certificate details, ready to enter onto the form

Once approved you should receive an email to confirm that your request has been successfully validated – this can take up to 30 days following your completion of the form. 

If you need assistance during the initial application stage, we'd be pleased to help. Once your application has been submitted and is in the hands of the Chilean authorities, however, we cannot provide any technical assistance or influence the speed or outcome of your application approval. Please contact the mobility pass providers directly using the help request form within the app or by dialling +56 22 8717800 (if calling from abroad) 800 123 668 (if calling from Chile).

If you are eligible for a booster jab, you must ensure you have had it done. You will need to verify this vaccination, along with your other vaccinations.

If you have had your booster vaccination prior to travel, you need to upload your booster certificate by logging into your mevacuno.cl account. We also suggest that you send an email via the 'form' button on the portal stating that you have just done this additional upload – the 'form' button is for technical support, but it may help to draw attention to your upload.

We strongly advise adding your booster vaccination to the form as soon as possible.

You must complete a PCR test no more than 72 hours before boarding your flight to Chile, and provide evidence of a negative result on arrival. If your journey involves multiple flights, take the test no more than 72 hours before the final flight. You must complete a PCR test, not a rapid flow (lateral flow, antigen) test, and it must be processed by a laboratory that is recognised by your local health authority. Please check with your airline if you have any doubts about this.

In order to prove your negative PCR result, you must receive a digital copy of your test certificate which will need to be uploaded when completing your online written declaration within 48 hours of arrival. We also recommend carrying a digital and/or paper copy of your negative PCR test result while travelling.

You may be contacted within the first 14 days of being in the country by the local authority to take another PCR or antigen test where you are staying. This is requested of international travellers at random. If you are selected, you will be given details of where to go and how to get the test. Tests are widely accessible at pharmacies, hospitals and airports.

The Chilean Government has declared that foreign nationals entering Chile must have medical insurance with a minimum coverage of $30,000 USD which explicitly covers any expenses relating to Covid-19.

Please check with your insurance provider to ensure that you have the appropriate cover in place. Please note that you will need to provide evidence of your cover when you complete your online written declaration, as per point 5 below.

Please note that you must bring your complete insurance policy with you when travelling in order to provide evidence of Covid-19 coverage.

As well as ensuring your full policy is available on your phone, you should carry a printout (and possibly a spare copy in case you lose one). Have the page marked and ready to show the airline when boarding your flight(s).

If your insurance policy does not explicitly mention Covid-19 – for example, if it is included as standard – then you should request evidence in writing (maybe an email you can print off) from your insurer to confirm that a minimum of $30,000 USD is included.

You must complete an online written declaration, or affidavit, no earlier than 48 hours before you leave your home country.

To complete the form you will need:

• Your contact details, health information and travel details
• A digital copy of your negative PCR test result (see point 3 above), ready to upload
• A digital copy of your travel insurance certificate (see point 4 above), ready to upload

The form is in English as well as Spanish. You may be required to show proof of completion of the form when boarding your international flight to Chile, and on arrival.

Because Antarctica isn’t a sovereign nation, you won’t need a visa to visit. However, you might need a visa to enter Chile.

Citizens of the European Union, the UK, the United States and Canada (among other countries), will not be required to apply for a visa when travelling to Chile. If you are travelling from certain countries not mentioned above, including Australia, you may need to apply for a visa - check with your local embassy.

If you are not required to apply for a visa, you will instead be issued with a tourist card, or 'Tarjeta de Turismo', on arrival in Chile, which will last for 90 days. This is an A5 sized white piece of paper - you must retain this document and present it to immigration when you leave.

In an effort to prevent international child abduction, Chile has put in place strict requirements for the entry/exit of minors under the age of 18. Even when the minor is travelling with both parents, the parents will be required to show evidence of their relationship to the child when departing the country. Please carry an original, certified or authenticated birth certificate.

If only one parent is travelling with a minor, a legal authorisation to take the child abroad will be required, too. This permit must be signed by the parent or parents that are not travelling.

Travellers from Japan (both Japanese citizens and foreign residents) are required to notify the Japanese Ministry of the Environment before your trip to Antarctica.

If you are a US, UK, Canadian or Australian national you won’t need to pay a reciprocity fee to enter Chile. Some other nationalities may need to pay a fee, so do check with the Chilean embassy in your home country.

If you need to pay a fee, you must do so on arrival at the airport, either in US Dollars or by credit card. If you enter Chile by land, you will not need to pay a reciprocity fee.

On arrival in Chile, 50% of people are being asked to take a PCR test in the airport. This is randomised and you could be chosen even if you have received a booster dose of the vaccine within 6 months of travelling. Currently, the PCR test randomly administered to some tourists on arrival is free of charge and has been for many months. However, it is possible that this may change in the future with little or no notice to be chargeable. The Chilean authorities have not yet stated how long it will take for results to be shared, but we anticipate it could take around 24 hours.

Children under the age of 6 may enter, even if not vaccinated, so long as they are accompanied by a vaccinated adult or adults. Children above the age of 2 will need to take a PCR test on arrival. 

International travellers landing in Chile are no longer required to isolate after entering the country, even if they are waiting for a PCR test result. Only those who return a positive PCR test result are required to isolate (for 7 days).

This is no longer a requirement.

Previously, international travellers have been required to complete a daily follow-up form for 7 days after arrival in Chile. It has since been announced that this is no longer required.