Chilean Dual Citizenship in the U.S. — 2026 Guide

Chile extends nationality to grandchildren: the requirement is that at least one parent or grandparent was born in Chile and held Chilean nationality at the time of the child’s birth. But there is a procedural catch that ends a lot of plans.

Quick facts

The catch: grandparents cannot request the registration of a grandchild at a consulate. That has to be done directly at the civil registry’s foreign registrations office in Santiago. The grandparent route works — but through the parents at a consulate, or in Chile itself.

How the routes work

Once registration is complete, the consulates advise applying for the identity card and the Chilean passport, which is what turns the recorded nationality into usable documents.

How to apply

1. Establish who will file: the parents, the adult applicant, or someone in Chile.
2. Gather the apostilled birth certificate of the person being registered.
3. For a link through a grandparent, obtain their Chilean birth certificate and identity card.
4. Where a parent is unregistered, arrange the grandparent’s sworn declaration at the consulate.
5. Email the file and attend the confirmed appointment.
6. Apply for the identity card and passport once registration is complete.

Required documents

• Apostilled birth certificate of the person being registered, with translations.
• Chilean parent’s valid identity card and updated Chilean birth certificate.
• Grandparent’s Chilean birth certificate and identity card where the link runs through them.
• Apostilled birth certificate of the parent where they were born abroad.
• Marriage or civil union certificate where applicable.
• Sworn declaration from the grandparent where a parent is unregistered.

Where to apply

At the consulate covering your residence, or at the foreign registrations office of the civil registry in Santiago.

Additional notes

Nationality at the time of birth

The Chilean parent or grandparent must have held Chilean nationality when the child was born. Someone who had renounced it before that date does not transmit it.

Naturalised Chileans

Their children can be registered only for births after the naturalisation. Earlier children are not covered by that route.

Registration first, documents second

The identity card and passport come afterwards, as separate applications.

Travel documents

Dual nationals enter and leave Chile on the Chilean passport and the United States on the U.S. one.