What's changed

The Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (MINREL / Cancillería) confirmed that the business visa is "already available to be requested" as of the May 13 announcement. The category is bilateral and corridor-specific — designed exclusively for Indian business travellers and not modelled on Chile's existing Visa Temporaria framework under Ley 21.325, the Migration and Foreigners Law in force since February 2022.

Eligible applicants include Indian business entrepreneurs, professionals, and technicians, plus workers supporting Indian companies operating or investing in Chilean markets. The two-year multi-entry structure allows holders to enter and exit Chile repeatedly during the validity period, with each individual stay capped at 90 days.

The announcement followed Pérez Mackenna's bilateral meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. "We have taken a new, concrete and decisive step in our relations with India, with the implementation of the multiple-entry visa for entrepreneurs from this country," the foreign minister stated in the MINREL press release.

Who's affected

The visa targets Indian nationals tied to commercial activity with Chile — investors, executives travelling for negotiations, technicians supporting Indian-firm operations in Chile, and professionals working on cross-border business mandates. Subsecretaria Paula Estévez characterised India as "one of the most strategic partners for Chile," reflecting Santiago's pivot toward South Asian commercial corridors as part of its broader trade diversification strategy.

Current Indian investment stock in Chile stands at approximately USD 643 million. The Cancillería framed the new visa as a tool to expand that figure through reduced administrative friction on business travel.

When it takes effect

The visa is operational as of May 13, 2026. Indian nationals seeking the new category apply through Chilean consulates abroad under MINREL's existing consular framework; no separate application platform was announced. The press release did not specify a fee schedule or document checklist; standard Chilean consular fees and business-visa documentation requirements apply pending further MINREL guidance.

CEPA negotiations between the two governments are expected to conclude during 2026, with the business visa positioned as one of multiple mobility deliverables under the agreement track.