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8th September 2006, 03:18 PM

<ksternberg1m> wrote in message
news:1157733609.427289.249010@i42g2000cwa. o...
>I will be travelling to Argentina on business, flying into Santiago
> only for the day before flying out that evening. Is there any way I can
> (legally) avoid paying the ridiculous $100 entry fee to Chile?
>
> Thank you.
>
I think that the only way to avoid payment of the fee is to enter and leave
the country by land; I entered and left by bus, and no fee applied.

Most such "reciprocal" fees are applied to U.S. citizens in an amount equal
to what the U.S. charges residents of those countries as a visa application
fee. Not all applicants are granted visas, of course; a Chilean who pays
$100 U.S. and is then refused a visa also loses his $100, because it is not
refunded. I don't know of any case where a U.S. citizen has been refused
entry at the Santiago airport.

8th September 2006, 03:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
John Cisarik Guest Posts: n/a Classified Rating: % ()	Chile's $100 Visa for Americans <ksternberg1m> wrote in message news:1157733609.427289.249010@i42g2000cwa. o... >I will be travelling to Argentina on business, flying into Santiago > only for the day before flying out that evening. Is there any way I can > (legally) avoid paying the ridiculous $100 entry fee to Chile? > > Thank you. > I think that the only way to avoid payment of the fee is to enter and leave the country by land; I entered and left by bus, and no fee applied. Most such "reciprocal" fees are applied to U.S. citizens in an amount equal to what the U.S. charges residents of those countries as a visa application fee. Not all applicants are granted visas, of course; a Chilean who pays $100 U.S. and is then refused a visa also loses his $100, because it is not refunded. I don't know of any case where a U.S. citizen has been refused entry at the Santiago airport.