ESTA is administered by Department of Homeland Security (Customs and Border Protection Agency - CBP). You can apply here: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/.

If you have a visa case refused for administrative processing, you will not be able to travel under ESTA. If you have applied for ESTA and your application was denied, you will need to apply for a visa to enter the United States. If you have had a valid ESTA that was later revoked or canceled at any point, you will need to apply for a visa to enter the United States. To apply for a visa in Chile, please visit: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/.

Please note that Embassies and Consulates are not able to provide details about ESTA denials or resolve the issue that caused the ESTA denial. Embassies and Consulates will be able to process an application for a non-immigrant visa that, if approved, will be the only way that a traveler whose ESTA application has been denied would be authorized to travel to the United States.

If you are in the United States and entered under ESTA, you may be able to extend your status. We are unable to answer any inquiries related to ESTA, including questions about status extensions or general travel related to the visa waiver program. If you have a question concerning ESTA, please visit their website for a list of FAQs and contact information: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/faq?lang=en.

If your ESTA was denied and you still wish to travel, you can apply for B1/B2 visa and request an appointment online (https://ais.usvisa-info.com/). Bring a printed copy of your Police Certificate (Certificado de Antecedentes) to your interview. Please be prepared to explain any past arrest history and/or participation in court proceedings, including any charges or convictions that might bear your name individually or as part of a company/organization. You may wish to bring court documentation to substantiate the police determination and/or court rulings, such as the final sentence (sentencia definitiva) and/or dismissal of charges (sobreseimiento), if applicable.

If you need to travel urgently, you may request expedited processing when you apply for a visa online. In your expedite request, it is essential that you indicate your anticipated dates of travel. Also, please note that your ESTA was denied.  For more details, visit: I need an earlier appointment and there are no available appointments, what should I do?

Most citizens of Chile can travel to the U.S. for Tourism or a Visit for 90 days or less without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program. However, travelers must have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval prior to travel. Please review this link to ensure you meet the requirements for the Visa Waiver Program.

If you do not qualify for the Visa Waiver program, you will require a visa to travel to the United States. A visa is also required if you applied for travel authorization under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and your registration has been denied. Please visit our Embassy Visas Webpage (https://cl.usembassy.gov/visas/) to learn more about applying for a visa in Chile. You can also apply online and schedule your appointment here: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/.

You are required to answer all questions on the DS-160 accurately and completely. You may leave spaces blank when the questions are marked “optional.” You may answer a question with “Does Not Apply,” when that question does not apply to you.

If you need to make changes to the form and you have saved it, you may retrieve it at the State Department’s Consular Electronic Application Center. If you did not save the form, do not know your DS-160 confirmation number, or are unable to retrieve it for any other reason, you are required to complete a new DS-160.

If you complete a new DS-160 you are not required to notify us or amend the information on the appointment booking website. You should bring the new DS-160 confirmation sheet to your interview or submit by mail, if applicable, as part of your visa application.

If you are experiencing technical issues with the form, we recommend that you use the most up-to-date Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Firefox browsers.

Any advice to assist you or give you information or assistance on the form DS-160 can be found on the U.S. Department of State's website. You may find FAQs for the DS-160 application form at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/forms/ds-160-online-nonimmigrant-visa-application/ds-160-faqs.html.

Applicants aged 14 to 79 are required to schedule an appointment and apply for a visa in person. Those under the age of 14 and age 80 and older may be eligible to apply for a visa by mail, waiving the requirement of a personal appearance at a visa interview. Please see the Embassy’s Visa webpages for further information on applying as an “IW,” or interview-waived case.

You can only submit your visa application document to the Consular Section if you receive instructions to do so at the end of the visa appointment scheduling flow when you apply online here.

For information on who qualifies for the submitting visa application documents by mail, please see https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-cl/niv/information/courier#courier_send.

Certain applicants may complete their DS-160 online but will not register and apply online for a visa interview on the scheduling website. This group primarily consists of diplomatic officials and participants in select U.S. government-funded exchange programs, including Fulbright scholars and International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participants. Representatives of Foreign Missions in Chile should write Santiagodiplo@state.gov to arrange for visa processing after completing their DS-160. Fulbright and IVLP participants should reach out to their designated program contacts with the Public Affairs Section and/or Fulbright Committee in Chile to arrange for a visa interview, only after their DS-160 is completed first.

We do not provide status checks by email. We cannot confirm receipt of any additional documents submitted to the consular section by email. Therefore, we strongly encourage applicants to only submit documents to the consular section by mail through your account with the Visa Information and Appointment Service website (here), which allows for tracking with the courier as tied to your specific visa application.

After attending the U.S. Consular Section interview, you may track the adjudication status of your visa application at https://ceac.state.gov/CEAC, or, if applicable, follow any local instructions given to you at the interview.

If there are further concerns or issues with the return of your documents or if it has been more than 5 business days since your visa was issued and a Courier Shipping Number is still not available, please follow the instructions for Document Delivery Issues on the "Contact Us" page of the Visa Information and Appointment Service website (https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-cl/niv/information/contact_us).

Sign-in to your account and click on the Courier Shipping Number link under Status. The page will open to the delivery status. If no Courier Shipping Number appears on your status, your passport has not been processed by the courier and may still be processed.

Appointments cannot be scheduled by email. For a visa interview appointment, you are required to apply online at the Visa Information and Appointment Service website and follow the instructions. You will be offered the first available appointment date. If this does not accommodate your travel plans and you have urgent medical or humanitarian need of travel, you can click on the “Request Expedite” link which will appear after an appointment has been scheduled.

To learn more, visit our Embassy webpage on the topic: Emergency Appointment (Expedited Appointment). Also, additional details can be found on the Visa Information and Appointment Service’s FAQ webpage, here: I need an earlier appointment and there are no available appointments, what should I do?

If you request an expedited appointment and it is denied, the denial cannot be appealed. In this case, we recommend you regularly check the Visa Information and Appointment Service website for cancellations and new availability.

When a visa applicant applies for a visa, a consular officer at a U.S. embassy or consulate outside the United States determines whether the applicant is qualified, under all applicable U.S. laws, to receive the particular visa applied for. Applicants found qualified are issued visas after all necessary processing is completed. However, when the consular officer determines that the applicant is ineligible to receive a visa, the visa application is denied. The applicant is informed verbally and in writing of the reason for denial based on the applicable section(s) of law.

Review Visa Denials for answers to questions about visa denials, ineligibility, discussion of several ineligibility examples, overcoming visa ineligibility, reapplying for a visa, and waivers of ineligibility.

We are unable to advise by email on the topics of visa ineligibilities and waivers. You can, however, review the information directly to learn about potential ineligibilities relevant to your prior arrest/criminal history: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/waivers.html

As we cannot pre-adjudicate visa applications, we cannot advise if your criminal history will have a bearing on your eligibility for a visa. Therefore, the only way in which you can find out for certain if you are eligible for a visa is to apply.

If the passport in which your visa has been endorsed has expired, the visa in the old passport can still be used for travel, provided you are traveling for the same purpose as when the visa was issued and you also carry a valid passport of the same nationality. If, however, the passport authority damaged the visa in any way when marking the prior passport as canceled, that visa is no longer valid and cannot be used for travel to the United States. A change of name will not affect the validity of the visa. We recommend that when traveling, you carry a copy of the document showing the name change.

The valid visa in the expired passport cannot be physically transferred into your new passport. If you wish to have a visa in your new passport, you are required to apply for the issuance of a new visa by following the instructions on the Visa Information and Appointment Service website here.

The requirement that a passport be valid for six months beyond the holder’s stay in the United States is waived in the case of a Chilean passport holder. Provided that your passport is valid for the duration of your visit, you may submit it in support of your visa application and travel to the United States. It is also waived for many other nationalities. For further information, please see CBP’s Carrier Liaison Program.

If you are traveling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program and your passport is not valid for 90 days, you will be admitted until the date on which the passport expires.