Just Landed in Chile? Your First 7 Days

Chile has excellent 4G and rapidly expanding 5G coverage across cities and most inhabited areas, with fast fibre broadband widely available in Santiago and regional capitals. Prepaid SIMs are cheap and easy for newcomers before you commit to a contract, and public Wi-Fi is common in malls, cafes and metro stations.

Typical cost: A prepaid SIM with a monthly bundle of data plus calls runs roughly CLP 8,000-15,000; home fibre from providers like Mundo, VTR (now part of Claro) or Entel is around CLP 20,000-35,000 per month. All prepaid SIMs must be registered to your passport or RUT by law before use.

The Chilean peso is cash-and-card friendly, and contactless card payments are accepted almost everywhere in cities, including supermarkets, taxis, cafes and Bip! top-up machines. Carry some cash for markets, small vendors, colectivos and rural areas, and be aware that ATMs often charge foreign cards a fixed fee per withdrawal.

Opening an account: Opening a full bank account (cuenta corriente or cuenta vista) usually requires a RUT and often proof of residence and stable income; Banco de Chile, Santander, BCI, Scotiabank and state-owned BancoEstado are common choices. BancoEstado's CuentaRUT is the easiest traditional account for residents with a cedula. Before your account is ready, MACH, Tenpo or Mercado Pago offer prepaid accounts and cards that many foreigners open with just a RUT.

Cash: Cards dominate in Santiago, but keep small notes for feria stalls, colectivo shared taxis, parking attendants and tips. Many machines and small shops dislike the CLP 10,000 and CLP 20,000 notes, so break large notes at supermarkets when you can.

Tipping: A 10 percent service tip (propina) is customary and usually pre-printed as a suggestion on the bill in restaurants; it is technically optional but almost always paid. Tipping is not expected for taxis or ride-hailing, though rounding up is appreciated.

Chile has no municipal address-registration requirement for arrivals; you do not need to report where you live to a local town hall as you would in parts of Europe. The key step instead is obtaining your RUT number and cedula de identidad through the immigration service (Servicio Nacional de Migraciones, SERMIG) and the civil registry (Registro Civil) once your visa or residence is granted. Your temporary residence visa may be issued digitally, after which you attend the Registro Civil to be fingerprinted and collect your physical cedula.

Where: Registro Civil for the cedula and RUT; the PDI (Policia de Investigaciones) international department for registering your visa if your permit requires it. Book appointments online in advance where possible, as walk-in queues can be long.

Santiago has a clean, extensive and modern metro plus buses on the integrated Red network, all paid with a single rechargeable Bip! card at a flat fare of roughly CLP 800-900 per journey with free transfers. Ride-hailing is widespread and reliable in cities, and Chile's intercity buses are excellent, comfortable and cheap for the long distances between regions.

From the airport: From Arturo Merino Benitez (SCL): an official taxi from the arrivals counters costs around CLP 20,000-30,000; the Centropuerto or Turbus airport bus to central Santiago (Pajaritos or Los Heroes) costs around CLP 2,000-2,500; or order Uber, Cabify or DiDi from the marked ride-hail pickup zone for a similar price to a taxi. The metro does not yet reach the airport.

Most newcomers rent through portals like Portal Inmobiliario and Yapo, or via a corredora (letting agent), and increasingly through Facebook Marketplace and expat WhatsApp groups. Furnished short-term flats are easy to find in Santiago comunas such as Providencia, Las Condes and Nunoa while you search for a long lease, and many buildings are new towers with pools, gyms and concierge (conserje) security.

Typical rent: A one-bedroom flat in a good Santiago comuna runs roughly CLP 500,000-800,000 per month; outside the eastern districts and in regional cities it is noticeably cheaper, often CLP 350,000-500,000.

Deposit norm: Expect one month's rent as a deposit (garantia) plus the first month upfront; long leases (contrato de arriendo) often ask for a Chilean guarantor (aval), several months' income proof, or a larger deposit if you cannot provide one. Read whether gastos comunes (building service charges) are included, as they can add CLP 50,000-150,000 a month.

Chile has a mixed public-private system: the public FONASA scheme funded through a payroll contribution and private ISAPRE insurers, alongside excellent private clinics (clinicas). Care quality in private Santiago clinics is high and often comparable to Western Europe, and pharmacies are plentiful, with the discount chain Farmacias Ahumada, Cruz Verde and Salcobrand on most high streets.

How to access it: Residents with a RUT can enrol in FONASA (public) or buy an ISAPRE plan (private); working residents contribute 7 percent of salary to health, which can go to either. For private care you book directly with clinics such as Clinica Alemana, Clinica Las Condes, Clinica Santa Maria or the more affordable RedSalud network. Public emergency care is available to anyone in a genuine, life-threatening emergency.

Insurance: Until you have FONASA or an ISAPRE plan, keep private or travel health insurance, as private clinic bills are paid upfront and reimbursed afterwards, and a single consultation or scan can be costly. Pharmacies can treat minor issues and some medicines that need a prescription elsewhere are available over the counter here.

• Greet with a light kiss on one cheek among friends and acquaintances; a handshake is fine in formal or first-business settings and always safe if unsure.
• Chilean Spanish is fast and full of local slang (weon, cachai, al tiro, la micro), so ask people to repeat themselves without embarrassment; locals know their dialect is hard.
• Punctuality is valued for work meetings and appointments, but social gatherings and dinners often start well after the stated time, so do not arrive exactly on the dot to a house party.
• Being polite and a little indirect is normal; a blunt or overly direct manner can come across as rude, and softening requests goes a long way.
• Family is central and Sundays are often reserved for long family lunches, so do not expect a quick reply or much open on a Sunday afternoon.
• Use 'usted' with older people, officials and in formal settings until invited to switch to the informal 'tu'.
• Tipping 10 percent in restaurants, greeting shopkeepers with a 'hola' and 'gracias', and treating Carabineros with courtesy are all small habits that smooth daily life.

• Petty theft and pickpocketing are common in crowded areas, on the metro and around tourist spots such as Plaza de Armas and Cerro Santa Lucia, so keep phones and bags secure and in front of you.
• Avoid displaying expensive phones, laptops or jewellery on the street, especially after dark and near transport hubs; phone snatching by scooter or bike happens.
• Some central Santiago districts, especially around Plaza Baquedano (Plaza Italia), see occasional protests that can turn tense; check local news and steer clear of demonstrations.
• Earthquakes are a genuine part of life in Chile; learn where the safe spots and exits are in your building, and stay calm, as construction is strongly earthquake-resistant.
• Be cautious in parts of the historic centre and certain outer comunas late at night; ask locals which specific streets to avoid rather than assuming a whole area is unsafe.