Coronavirus (COVID-19) and travel: The situation around the world is changing dramatically. Various governments have changed their travel warnings to restrict travel during this time. To understand how this may impact cover under your policy, please go to our FAQs and select your country of residence.
For the latest travel warnings and alerts around the world, read about lockdowns and border restrictions.
What are the issues affecting travelers in Chile? Read the latest travel warnings and alerts.
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Riots in Chile over income inequality – October 2019
The Chilean government declared a state of emergency in October 2019, which lasted for 15 days. Violent riots broke out in Santiago and other major cities, as protests against income inequality and a rise in transport fees got out of control.
A supermarket was set on fire, transport hubs have been severely damaged, and flights have been disrupted due to civil unrest at Santiago airport. Transport delays may continue throughout the week. Contact your airline if you are unsure about scheduled flights in or out of Chile.
It was the worst civil unrest in Chile since the end of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in 1990.
Travelers who are in Chile should stay up to date with local news reports and avoid large crowds of protestors. It is unclear how long the civil unrest will last, despite the state of emergency ending in late October.
We suggest you check your government’s travel advisory for their latest advice on travel to Chile, and read about which countries World Nomads travel insurance includes coverage for.
8.3 magnitude earthquake in Chile – 16 September 2015
An 8.3 magnitude earthquake has hit central Chile, with the Chilean national emergency agency issuing a tsunami alert for its entire coast. In some regions, waves of more than four meters have been reported.
Government officials have confirmed five people have died, and over a million people have been evacuated.
The quake struck at 19:54 local time (16/09/2015), with the epicenter about 55km west of the city of Illapel, and a depth of around 10km, according to the US Geological Survey. Strong aftershocks were reported shortly afterward, and buildings swayed in the capital of Santiago, located around 230km from the quake’s epicenter.
Tremors were also felt as far as the Argentinian capital - Buenos Aires - located 1,110 kilometers away. The quake struck in the lead up to the Chilean Independence Day on September 18, which sees a large portion of the country on vacation and headed to the coastal regions.
Officials have also issued evacuations in shallow areas along Chile's Pacific shore, from Puerto Aysen in the south to Arica in the north. Emergency indicators in some of these low-lying regions state that people need to be 30-40 kilometers away from the shore to reach a minimum safe distance. This alone has the potential to create transport and pedestrian chaos.
“I was right at one of the biggest surf breaks in Chile, a national holiday is in two days, the entire country is on vacation starting today, so beaches are packed,” Jonathan Franklin, The Guardian’s Chile correspondent, said.
“The wine glasses started to shake and the kids started to scream, it was a very long quake, it must have been about two minutes long.”
“People are terrified ... Already, we’re hearing reports of buildings collapsing, and also of rock slides, there’s a lot of really arid, mountainous zones here, and electricity out.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre also says “widespread hazardous tsunami waves” are possible along the coasts of Peru and Hawaii. Chile - which sites on an arc of volcanoes and fault lines called the ‘Ring Of Fire’ - is one of the most earthquake-prone regions in the world - with more than a dozen quakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher since 1970.
Before you buy a travel insurance policy, check your government travel warnings and health advice – there may be no travel insurance cover for locations with a government travel ban or health advice against travel.
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15 Comments
yes, don't come to chile, but send help. weird stuff is going on with the government here. very suspicious.
I am stuck here in Chile and want to go back to the US where there is still freedom. Chile is going Communist very quickly and I am thinking if I am not here they can't take my property, seeing if I can put the property into my Chilean daughters name. It is very scary here right now, especially with them being in the works to change there constitution.
Please expand on your comment Rodolfo. I am to be there in 2 days....for only a 4 day duration, then on to another country. I hope those 4 days will uneventful
I have plans on going to Chile in December with my husband (he is a Chilean citizen and I am a US citizen). Do you think Chile will open their borders by December?? It looks like my husband will be able to enter, but as of right now he will need to quarantine for 14 days....would I be able to enter?
Is it possible that Chile will open borders from the 16th of september? My husband is chilean but I am not, so we are separated until they open the border...
I am in Pakistan this time and immigration office in Chile issued me 2 years visa of Chile on 21 -02 -2020 but due to covid-19 and border restriction i could not travel to Chile and its validity was 6 months and this validity finished 21-08-2020.now my confusion is that can i travel on these documents ?.if yes then when should i travel and if no then what is status of my visa.please share with me Chilean govt policy regarding the status of my visa.plz help me i am very disturb,thanks lot
Is it possible that Chile will open borders from the 16th of september? My husband is chilean but I am not, so we are separated until they open the border...
When can US citizens travel to Chile without any restrictions for business?
Dual citizen holding Canadian and Chilean citizenship. Currently in Canada and want to go back to Chile but Chilean passport has expired. Chilean Consulate in Canada says earliest appointment is late January. Would travel to Chile be allowed if Canadian Passport is used?
Hi, I have a flight to Colombia and transit through Santiago Chile on the 7th of December . Do I need covid test even if I have connection flight and don't leave the airport?
Thanks
Where to quarantine? It just says travelers must quarantine, but where?
Please help. I am travelling to chile in 25 days and now the advisory is back to level 4. My husband said they might shut down the airport. I want to know if this will happen before April 15th?
How can an american get to chile now? What countries can they fly to first so that entry is permitted?
When will Chile reopen thier borders please? To foreigners again. Why did they order sinovac? It only made things worse for the country.
I wanted to marry my fiance and been waiting since December to go.
I hope they will speed things up because everyone has family or spouse or fiance they wanna be with.
Regarding the comments about the SCARY and WEIRD things and omg the changing of the Constitution please read this for more insight https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57733539
Lots to learn and read about to make oneself more informed. News comes out daily and sometimes we only read what is on the surface but fail to inquire more.
Enjoy your day and stay safe.