Chile - Bio Security

COVID-19

Our thanks to Raúl Zapata, Frank Holden and  SV Zephyros for assisting with border information throughout the Pandemic.

Resources:

• Chile Ministry of Health Webpage: www.c19.cl
• Chile Tourist Board Webpage: https://chile.travel/en/
• See report here (November 22, 2021) from a yacht that entered Puerto Williams en-route to Antarctica from Brazil after having engine problems. They were granted a limited permit for the duration of their repairs only.

History:

• At the start of the pandemic, given that Chile is a remote destination for cruisers, it was expected that, in general, an infected person would present symptoms of the disease prior to arriving to Chilean ports and no crew member would be coming from high-risk countries. Consequently there were no restrictions on yachts entering Chilean ports.
• Chile closed its borders (including  maritime) to foreigners on 18 March, 2020. Yachts in the Cape Horn region in southern Chile were not crossing the border to or from Argentine anymore. Cruise ships were not authorized to stop in Chilean ports.
• Foreign yachts that stayed in Chile when borders closed were free to move around.
• All ports accepted transiting vessels that required emergency assistance or support.
• The three international airports in Chile; Iquique, Antofagasta and Santiago, re-opened on 1 October.
• Mid-month the port of Valdivia reported that entry was now possible for yachts. However, maritime borders remain closed and as far as we know, all other ports remain closed.
• From 1 December Valdivia was closed to yacht entry due to Omnicrom.
• Chile opened its land and air borders at the start of May 2022 and its maritime borders at the end of May 2022.