A citizen of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. visa, which is placed in the traveler’s passport, a travel document issued by the traveler’s country of citizenship.

Certain international travelers may be eligible to travel to the United States without a visa if they meet the requirements for visa-free travel. The Visa section of this website is all about U.S. visas for foreign citizens to travel to the United States.

(Note: U.S. citizens don’t need a U.S. visa for travel, but when planning travel abroad may need a visa issued by the embassy of the country they wish to visit.).

To contact a customer service representative, please visit the GSS Contact Us page for full information or use contact information below:

• Telephone: The Visa Information Service Center operators are available Monday to Friday, 8:00-20:00, for telephone calls to answer questions, accept payments, and book appointments. The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is available 24 hours.
  • From Chile: +(56-2) 25829335
  • From the US: (1) 7032494664
• Email: Contact us here.
• Skype: usvisachile

The Department of State manages the visa process strictly but fairly in order to best protect the United States.  We are committed to the essential openness for which the United States has always been known.  Travel to the United States is welcomed and encouraged.

We promise to you, the visa applicant, that:

• We will treat you with dignity and respect, even if we are unable to grant you a visa.
• We will treat you as an individual and your case as unique.
• We will remember that, to you, a visa interview may be a new or intimidating experience and that you may be nervous.
• We will use the limited time available for the interview to get as full a picture as possible of your travel plans and intentions.
• We will use our available resources to fairly assist all applicants to get appointments to allow travel in time for business, study, and other important obligations.
• We will post detailed and accurate information on visa requirements and application procedures on every Embassy and Consulate website.
• We will provide information on non-immigrant appointment waiting times at every Embassy and Consulate posted on http://travel.state.gov.
• We will explain the reason for any visa denial to you.

Furthermore, if you are a:

• Student, we will make every effort to ensure that you get an appointment and, if qualified, a visa in time to start classes.
• Medical and humanitarian emergency traveler, we will expedite processing for those dealing with life threatening emergencies.
• Business traveler, we will establish appropriate mechanisms to facilitate business travel and expedite cases of particular concern to American business.

At the same time, we expect you, the visa applicant, to:

• Plan your travel and visa application as far in advance as possible.
• Complete your application fully and accurately.
• Be forthcoming about your purpose and plans.
• Prepare for your interview by being able to clearly and concisely describe your intentions.

The Embassy/Consulate does not allow interested parties to attend non-immigrant visa interviews, including family members, friends, lawyers, employers or other professional colleagues and contacts. Exceptions may be made only for adults escorting minors, translators, or individuals providing assistance to applicants with disabilities and/or special needs. If you have a question about an escort request, please contact us here.

All applicants will need to complete security screening prior to entering the consulate. In order to facilitate a smooth and successful security screening process, please avoid bringing the following items:

• Battery-operated electronics, including but not limited to: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, digital planners, GPS devices, cameras, audiovisual equipment (tapes, CDs, MP3 players), flash drives, memory cards, Bluetooth devices, and recording devices.
• Purses, briefcases, backpacks, and/or large bags
• Liquids (beverages, liquid-based cosmetics, perfumes/cologne)
• Incendiary devices or materials (gas, matches, lighters)
• Weapons (arms, tasers) and sharp objects (blades, knives, scissors, nail-clippers)
• Drugs and illegal substances (please note non-prescription medicine is prohibited)
• Miscellaneous equipment used by security personnel
• Clothing with metallic accessories (metal buttons, chains)

There are no facilities at the Embassy/Consulate to store prohibited items. Before entering the security checkpoint to attend a visa interview or consular appointment, visitors must arrange for the storage of prohibited items.

There is no information help desk for visitors to the Embassy/Consulate.

For visa applicants, only those applicants with a confirmed appointment and a printed appointment confirmation letter will be admitted into the security checkpoint for screening.

Visit Embassy Santiago’s Report Fraud web page:

• Learn how to report suspected fraud and illegal activity
• Learn about Embassy fraud prevention efforts
• Learn about consequences of fraud