
Swoop says
Chile's borders are open to fully vaccinated international travellers without the need to quarantine as long as the current entry requirements are met.
Important update
Measures for entry to Chile from Southern Africa
Entry is currently being refused to anyone who has been in any of the following 7 southern African countries within 14 days prior to arrival in Chile:
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
- Namibia
- Botswana
- Lesotho
- Eswatini
- Mozambique
Pre-travel checklist
Before you depart for Antarctica, there are five essential things you must do to make sure you are ready to travel:
- Ensure you are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (if you are eligible for a booster jab, you must ensure you have had it done pre-travel)
- Validate your vaccination status online (as far in advance of travelling as possible!)
- Complete a pre-travel PCR test 72 hours before departure
- Ensure your travel insurance policy includes medical expenses coverage of at least $30,000 USD (and travel with evidence of this)
- Complete an online written declaration within 48 hours of arrival
1. Getting vaccinated
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.
2. Validating your vaccination
You must submit details of your completed vaccination programme in advance of travelling (including a booster jab if you are eligible), which is the first step towards obtaining your ‘Mobility Pass’ (example pictured) to allow entry into the country. Once you have completed the vaccination validation form, you will be given a Mobility Pass, which will become active once you enter Chile.
The Mobility Pass is an electronic document with a QR code that you can download onto your phone, computer or print onto a piece of paper. We'd recommend making several copies of this in case you lose one. This QR code will be scanned as you board flights and possibly to enter hotels, restaurants, and other public areas. It only becomes active once your Chilean PCR result is returned negative – if any further information regarding the exact process for final activation is announced, we will update this guide.
We strongly advise completing the vaccination validation form as far in advance of travelling as possible to ensure you receive your pass in time, as it can take up to a month to be granted. The pass lasts for 90 days, starting from the day you enter the country.
If you do not complete the form and enter Chile without a Mobility Pass, you will be required to quarantine on arrival for seven days.

Completing the vaccination validation form
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).
Adding your booster vaccination to your account
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.
Checking your validation
It is essential that you verify that your mobility pass has ALL of your vaccine doses listed, ahead of completing your online declaration/affidavit.
If doses are missing from your pass it means that they have not been verified by the Chilean authorities. An incomplete vaccination programme on your mobility pass would mean you'd have to quarantine for 2 weeks upon arrival in Chile.
If your mobility pass is missing a dose/doses you need to enter your MeVacuno portal and upload them again by repeating steps 7 and 8 of our guide to completing the vaccination validation form.
Please note a completed vaccine program for tourists does not currently include booster doses, but this could change at any moment, so we highly recommend you add them to your mobility pass if you have received them.

3. Completing your pre-travel PCR test
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.
4. Arranging your travel insurance
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.
5. Completing your declaration
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.
Contact
The Chilean government has published the following telephone numbers for international travellers who need assistance regarding Covid:19:
+56 22 8717800 (when calling from your home country)
800 123 668 (when calling whilst in Chile)
Calls are answered both in English and Spanish, and run through the following options:
- Affidavit enquiries
- Chile entry requirements
- Self-reports and email tracking
- All other enquiries

What our customers think of Getting to Antarctica via Chile
Visas & travel documentation
Passports
Your passport should be valid for the duration of your trip and for 6 months following your entry into Chile, depending on your country of residency.
Visas
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.
Travelling families
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.
Information for Japanese residents
Travellers from Japan (both Japanese citizens and foreign residents) are required to notify the Japanese Ministry of the Environment before your trip to Antarctica.
Reciprocity fees
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.

Swoop says
We recommend bringing printed copies of all essential documents where possible. If you are relying on your phone, only to discover the battery has drained, or you don't have a signal or WIFI when you need it, this might add unnecessary stress to your journey.
Arriving in Chile
When you arrive in Chile, you will need to do two things:
1. PCR test at the airport (randomised)
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).
2. Complete a daily form 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.
Sources
Chile Turismo, Requirements for entering Chile, <https://chile.travel/en/traveltochileplan>
Emol, Minsal detalla cambios al plan "Frontera Protegida": Podrán ingresar extranjeros no residentes con vacunas validadas, <https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2021/09/15/1032683/frontera-protegida-octubre-turistas-extranjeros.html>
Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Entry to Chile from Abroad - Protected Borders Plan, <https://chile.gob.cl/chile/en/ingreso-a-chile-desde-el-exterior>
Chilean Ministry of Health, Validation on vaccinations from Abroad, Frequently Asked Questions, <https://saludresponde.minsal.cl/validacion-de-informacion-de-vacunas-aplicadas-en-el-extranjero/>
World Health Organisation, Covid-19 advice for the public: Getting vaccinated, <https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines/advice>
US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Covid-19 Vaccines, <https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-vaccines>
European Medicines Agency, Human regulatory overview, Covid-19 Vaccines, <https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory/overview/public-health-threats/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/treatments-vaccines/covid-19-vaccines>
Chilean Government, Request your mobility pass, <https://mevacuno.gob.cl/>
Chilean Ministry of Health, C-19 Health Passport, Travellers from abroad, <https://www.c19.cl/llegada-internacional.html>
Disclaimer
Information provided by Swoop is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time only, but in this fast-changing environment we cannot be held responsible for changes not immediately reflected on this website or in information shared with you. Customers should undertake their own research appropriate to their individual circumstances before making final decisions.
Where links to government, operators or other third-party sites are provided, again this information is accurate and up-to-date to the best of our knowledge, but we cannot be held responsible for third-party content.