TIPS TO MAKE YOUR TRIP MORE PLEASANT
Money
In Chile the official currency is the Chilean Peso. It is always advisable that, at the time of your trip, one of your priorities is to be able to carry some cash in local currency with you.
In Chile the dollar is free and only regulated by the market, so you will find many exchange houses with different purchase prices, but do not worry because the differences are not extreme.
Just make sure you don’t exchange any dollars in the informal market, much less in the street, you will only get a very bad time and without any need.
Security
Of course security is a very important issue and in Chile people feel that there is more insecurity than there really is. Chile is a really safe country, but like anywhere in the world, you should not show off your money because, apart from being a danger, it is very badly seen.
The best thing is to find out from the locals which are the places you should be especially careful with.
Health in Chile
In Chile, the health system is composed of a mixed system of care, with public insurance, called FONASA (National Health Fund), and a private system called ISAPRE (Social Security Institutions).
In the case of foreigners, everyone has the right to be treated by the health care network, but it is advisable that visitors have health insurance with international coverage, which facilitates access to health services in hospitals, clinics of providers in agreement and SAPUs (Primary Care Emergency Service), which attend medical emergencies and emergencies such as cardiovascular accidents (heart attacks) and function as Primary Care Health Centers.
In addition, if the emergency arises from a vehicle accident, a run over or a crash, the tourist, of whatever nationality, is covered by the Mandatory Personal Accident Insurance or SOAP, with the coverage stipulated in the policy.
You must take into account that all medical institutions in Chile consider that tourists in Chile must have a particular insurance.
Anyway, in an emergency no clinical or hospital center can condition health care to the legal situation of who is in Chile or if they have health insurance or not.
In the case of Argentine tourists, there is an agreement that allows its non-resident nationals in Chile to have free health care in case of emergency, that is, any health condition or clinical picture that implies a vital risk and/or serious functional sequel for a person if immediate and undelayable medical attention is not provided.
https://csigo.cancilleria.gob.ar/es/content/convenio-salud-argentina-chile
Visas and income to the country
To enter Chile, a valid passport and a tourist visa are required, if necessary according to nationality. As a general rule, it is not required to obtain a tourist visa prior to entering Chile, but exceptionally, there are 103 nationalities that require obtaining a tourist visa through Chilean Consulates abroad before traveling to Chile.
In any case, you should consider that tourists from certain countries, even if they do not need
tourist visa to enter Chile, they will have to pay a certain amount of money at their arrival at the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport, for administrative expenses of reciprocity, they are Albania (US$30), Australia (US$117), Canada (US$132), United States of America (US$160), and Mexico (US$23).
You should consider that only tourists from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay can enter Chile by presenting their valid National Identity Card.
The land borders of Chile are guarded by carabineros and the investigative police, they are quite demanding when it comes to customs control and you cannot enter the country with fruits, vegetables or ingredients of animal or vegetable origin, if they discover any element of this species it will be requisitioned, eliminated and you will have a hard time.