More than 40 thousand Venezuelans applied for Chilean nationality between 2021 and 2023

Venezuelan citizens are the largest community that requested the nationality of the southern country, followed by Colombia and Peru

Applications for naturalization in Chile increased by 1,700% from 2013 to 2023, according to a study carried out by the Chilean consultancy Nómade, a specialist in migration issues. Of this number, 49,281 are Venezuelans (42,010 between 2021 and 2023).

The study was based on data from the Chilean National Migration Service. According to the consultancy’s analysis, applications for naturalization from all migrants living in the southern country rose from 2,250 in 2013 to 42,147 in 2023.

However, of all foreigners who applied for Chilean nationality, the authorities only approved 16,466 (14.9%).

“Naturalization implies acquiring Chilean nationality, so the person is considered Chilean for any State procedure. In the case of having residency, even if it is permanent, the person is still a foreigner, because residency is a document that has implications related to legally residing in Chile,” explained José Tomás Vicuña, partner of Nómade, in an interview for the Chilean media The latest news.

Permanent Residence.
This is a visa granted by the Ministry of the Interior that allows foreigners to live and work indefinitely in Chile. This document must be renewed every five years.

According to the study, in the last 10 years foreigners from 112 countries have requested naturalization in Chile.

The largest number of foreigners who applied for Chilean nationality come from these countries:

-Venezuela (49.281)

-Colombia (15.249)

-Peru (10,967)

-Haiti (7,565)

-Ecuador (5.621)

-Bolivia (4.704)

-Dominican Republic (3,895)

-Cuba (3.539)

-Argentina (1.676)

-Spain (649)

Other foreigners who made the request are from Russia, Brazil, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Uruguay, China, Syria and the United States.

Venezuelans in Chile

According to the latest data published in December 2023 by the National Migration Service of Chile, together with the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the migrant population in this country is 1,625,074, of which 532,715 are of Venezuelan nationality (equivalent to 32.8%).

For his part, the Chilean ambassador to Venezuela, Jaime Gazmuri, estimated in April 2024 that of the nearly 20 million people living in the country, only 4% (800 thousand) are of Venezuelan nationality.

“In Chile, the numbers are not completely fixed. Of the almost 20 million of us, 4% are Venezuelans,” Gazmuri said, according to a publication in the Chilean newspaper The Mercury.

In this regard, the study by the National Migration Service of Chile and the INE indicated that the largest concentration of Venezuelans (49.5%) is located in the city of Santiago.

Regularity of Venezuelans in Chile

In November 2023, the Economic Impact Study of the Venezuelan Migrant Population in Chile was published. The report highlighted that 50.3% of these foreigners have higher education, while 36.8% have university education and 13.5% are technicians.

This study was conducted by the Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce (Cavecom), together with the Chamber of Venezuelan Businessmen and Executives Abroad (Cavex) and the consulting firm Equilibrium SDC.

How Venezuelans celebrate Chile's national holidays

In this regard, the report indicated that the Venezuelan population contributed more than 254 million dollars for the Sales and Services Tax (VAT) for 2022, which represented 0.9% of the total collected. While the total taxes collected from Venezuelans exceeded 400 million dollars (1.03% of the country’s total tax collection in 2022).