🇨🇱 Document translation for the Chile Working Holiday Visa

Volare Editorial | September 9, 2026

The digital application process before the National Migration Service (SERMIG) requires applicants to present a clear and duly validated documentary file. Chile's digital platform establishes specific criteria regarding the language and legality of the documents to ensure that the information is processed correctly by immigration analysts, leaving no room for misunderstandings that could cost the visa approval.

Summary Board Language Rules and Exemptions

SERMIG's transversal regulation is very precise regarding the official languages accepted on its platform. Below, we break down the linguistic rules according to the origin of your documents:

Original Document Language	Consular Translation Rule	Detail for the Applicant
🇪🇸 Spanish (e.g., Colombia, Mexico, Peru)	Translation Exempt	Hispanic nationalities do not need to translate their documents, as they are issued in Chile's official language.
🇬🇧 English (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland)	Translation Exempt	SERMIG officially accepts any original document issued in the English language without the need for translation.
🌍 Other Languages (German, French, Japanese, etc.)	Mandatory Translation	Any document in a language other than Spanish or English must indispensably be accompanied by its official translation.

Summary Board Critical Documents to Translate

To guarantee the admission of the file, interested parties from non-Spanish speaking countries (except those with paperwork in English) must pay special attention to the translation of the following critical documents:

Required Document	Importance Level and Specification
⚖️ Criminal Records	Critical. It is the main document requiring language validation. An error here generates an automatic rejection.
💰 Bank Statements	High. The financial backing demonstrating your economic solvency must be fully comprehensible to the financial analyst.
🩺 International Medical Insurance	High. The health policy must clearly detail its coverage and repatriation clauses in Spanish or English.
🎓 Academic Degrees	Moderate/High. Only mandatory in cases where the bilateral agreement requires a minimum prior educational level (e.g., Switzerland or the higher education group).

Apostille and legalization of public documents

Beyond the language barrier, public documents issued abroad must comply with strict international validation protocols.

Essential documents, primarily the criminal record certificate, must be presented duly apostilled under the Hague Convention. If the passport-issuing country is not part of this convention, the document must be legalized through the corresponding Chilean consular route. Without this diplomatic certification, the document lacks all legal value in Chilean territory, regardless of whether it has a perfect translation.

More Information at Volare

Preparing documents with the proper validation will save you double expenses and rejections on the platform. To verify the steps of the digital procedure, we invite you to access our Official Chile Working Holiday Visa Guide.