Chile: Information on whether police clearance is required to obtain a Chilean passport
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 September 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CHL21978.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Chile: Information on whether police clearance is required to obtain a Chilean passport, 1 September 1995, CHL21978.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aaa740.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The information that follows was provided by an official at the consular section of the Chilean embassy in Ottawa during a telephone interview with the DIRB (28 Sept. 1995). It adds to the information provided in Response to Information Request CHL21847.E of 25 September 1995 on procedures and requirements for obtaining a Chilean passport.
To obtain a passport in Chile, a citizen must present his I.D. (cédula), a completed form and a certificate of antecedents (certificado de antecedentes), and pay a fee. The process normally takes approximately five working days, although in an emergency a passport can be issued in two days or less. The passport carries the person's national number (número nacional), which is the same number used in the person's driver's licence, cédula and other documents.
The certificate of antecedents is issued by the Civil and Identification Registry (Registro Civil y de Identificación), the same institution that issues common passports (diplomatic and special passports are issued by the Cancillería or Ministry of External Affairs). Unlike the passport, the certificate is usually issued at the local branch of the Registy in the municipality where the person resides.
The certificate of antecedents would indicate if a person has any pending judicial proceedings for a serious offence. Minor offences that normally would not provide for the arrest or conviction of the person would not likely show up in the certificate. If there is an order preventing the person from leaving the country (orden de arraigo, a measure taken in some judicial proceedings), the person would not receive a passport until the process is over. Otherwise, all Chileans have the right to obtain a passport. The source pointed out that there is no guarantee that a person may not have had problems with the justice system after a passport has been issued.
However, the source stated that Chileans can leave the country legally and travel without a passport to other countries which have a bilateral agreement to this effect (Argentina or Brazil, for example). In the judicial proceedings ose cases, Chileans only need to show their cédula, which proves that they are Chilean nationals.
If a Chilean wants to obtain a Chilean passport at a consulate outside Chile, he or she must show their cédula and explain what happened to their passport. If the person claims to have lost their passport, a copy of the police report of the loss is requested. If the consulate staff have any doubts about the person requesting a passport, a security check may be requested from Chile, but this is not standard procedure for all cases.
A person being expelled from another country to Chile can be issued a laisser-passer that is valid for a limited time and is good only for travel to Chile.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Consular Section, Embassy of the Republic of Chile. 28 September 1995. Telephone interview with official.
