dakota44

Interesting....I have a very good friend who works at the observatory outside of La Serena.

JULIEROSE

Not to hijack the thread but my Great Grandad was born in Chile. He was a Goldminer, copper and tin miner. I would love to find out where I can get his birth certificate. I don't speak Spanish so can't make head or tail of the websites in Spanish. On the census in Cornwall UK in 1918 where he died he was down as being born in Copicoa (which I think is a spelling error). I believe there is still a Cornish community in parts of Chile where they worked the mines and even have Cornish-Chile pasties made with Chile chile peppers. (yum). If anyone can give me any suggestions as to where to get a birth certificate I would be so thrilled, as I am stuck on my family tree and would love to find any cousins, visit them, and get the birth certificate for my dear old Great Grandad.

jfcliche

Hi,

Thanks for the info.

JF

jacksoo6

looking for help? currently in Australia with family but looking to emigrate to Chile - too bloody hot here with little or no culture (everyone's entitled to an opinion). Any pointers re best web site reources/books etc would be appreciated. Also keen to understand more about (a) pension transfers to Chile and (b) provision of high speed internet access and charges - I trade stocks on the US markets so high speed access key. Many thanks in advance.

dakota44

expat community board here..not sure how busy it is
http://www.alloexpat.com/chile_expat_forum/

try here too
http://board.totalchile.com/

matttheboy

jacksoo6, feel free to contact me-i live in valparaiso, you can check out my blog by clicking on my username and then on my homepage, mostly info and photos about valpo but some out and about and other parts of the country.

high-speed internet is pretty widely available, 2.4 mega being the highest standard speed you can get. VTR is generally the most reliable in the Fifth Region and in Santiago. I have a french friend in renaca (Vina del Mar) who runs an internet security (i think) company from his home and he has various connections to ensure he's never off-line due to an outage by one company.

you will be able to get a visa for yourself via a number of means-the friend i mentioned got his as an independent worker, you could go down the 'investor' route by setting up a local company for your work or you could get a visa as a 'rentista', someone who lives off money earned through interest or investments (rent, dividends etc, but not through salary). The amount required by immigration remains a mystery, all i ever got out of them is 'enough to live on', which i took to be minimum wage (around us$500/month).

if you're moving here with kids then your best option is probably in and around valparaiso/vina del mar/renaca as the area has various international schools, the infrastructure is good, you're by the sea and it's just 1.5 hours to santiago for anything bureaucratic. Santiago itself is a terrible place for kids, unless you want them to grow up with lung disease-the smog is a serious issue, the city is one of the smoggiest in the world. It's improved a little over the last years but it's still awful.

anyway, as i said, feel free to get in contact. i've been in chile permanently for over a year and back and forth between here and argentina for the 3 years previous. it's a great country with potential...the only one that works in south america, at least!

jacksoo6

Thk you dakota

jacksoo6

Matt - I'll chk out your blog and drop you a line.

jacksoo6

Hey Matt - checked out the blog lots of interesting stuff - will take a little while to get through it all. Perhaps I can ask you a few more ? here - in no particular order:
(a) we've lived in California, UK, Netherlands and now Aus - one of the many things we miss here is being able to travel relatively short distances and visit places of interest - Aus is so vast any trip to almost anything is like a major vacation - can you compare where you are with places I might know?
(b) we love skiing - how far are you from ski fields?
(c) the visa selection you mentioned was interesting - I assumed I'd have to come in by the usual tourist visa route - if I'm self employed as a stock market trader the choices seemed wider - can you point me to more detail?
(d) pensions/401k plans - what do people moving to Chile do with their existing plans - are they moved into Chile, kept off-shore?
(e) we don't speak the language - of course we would learn (some before arriving but most whilst there) - a big deal upon arrival are not such an issue?
(f) kids aged 12 and 14 - not sure where you grew up but how does life for teen kids stack up? sons mad keen downhill mtn biker - much activity where you are?
(g) schools - you mentioned English schools - a must at first clearly but do they teach Spanish - clearly the kids must integrate with Chilean friends - no point forming an enclave. How much do they charge by the way - any links would be great?
(h) what do you miss living where you do - (i) that other places in Chile would provide (ii) that your former home(s) provided?

Sorry about the number of ?s but very keen to learn as much as possible.

Many thx

matttheboy

Indeed...quite a few questions...well, here goes...

-Chile is a big country...length ways, it's the same distance as Norway to Nigeria...so it's more than possible to have some major trips to do when wanting to get away. However, the beauty of Chile is that it's rarely more than 150 miles wide so you're always close to the sea and the mountains.

Around where I live, the central region of the country is, from what i've been told, similar to California in terrain and climate (hot and dry summers, no rain and mild, damp and short winters). I'd also suggest it's a little like South West Australia, around Margaret River due to the coastline and vineyards.

Most easy trips in and around Valparaiso/Vina are 1-3 hours. That's getting to the mountains, vineyards, Santiasco...sorry, Santiago...good surf spots, up and down the coast to coastal villages. There are ski resorts under 3 hours drive away (just the other side of Santiago-Valle Nevado-and near the Argentine border-Portillo).

I really hate Santiago but it does have a few decent museums, restaurants, bars etc. It's good to have it within distance but not to live there, especially as the further away from Santiago you go, the less choice you have in shops, internet providers,...pretty much everything. 40% of the chilean population lives in Santiago, Valparaiso and Vina del Mar (including its extensions) so it's obvious that the country is very centralised.

-The visa thing-i think you could get a visa as an independent worker like my french friend and then set up a company here to pay yourself and chilean taxes. I'm not 100% about this. I'm here as an 'investor'-this is a really easy visa to get for the first year, especially if you buy a house or set up a company here. I'll try to find out more about the independent worker visa next time i speak to my friend. What you should think about though, is if you are coming with your wife (sorry, i'm assuming you're a bloke) is that unless you get a separate visa for her, she will be unable to work and here as a 'dependent'. This obviously limits her potential activities. Getting her a visa that allows work shouldn't be a problem but it's something to remember to do at the start.

-Pensions-as a foreigner you have the choice of whether to pay into the chilean pension system or maintain your pension in another country (but you must be paying into another pension system to avoid mandatory payment into the Chilean system).

-Speaking the language-it really, really helps. The more you can speak, the easier everything will be. Learn as much as possible before making the move (and then prepare to not understand anything at all as Chilean Spanish takes a while to get used to). Still, you can survive without Spanish-i know foreigners who do. It does limit your social life though.

-Teenagers...it's been a while..! There's loads to do if you just get out and do it. Mountain biking is pretty popular here. And if the kids are going to a private international school there'll be lots of sports and activities (football, rugby etc).

-Schools...try the Association of British Schools http://www.absch.cl/app01/ingles/index.php In Vina, the Mackay School is the most famous and well regarded but there are one or two more in the area as well. Not sure about fees...less than in England though!

-Things I miss from back in England: Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, real ale, baked beans, bacon, sausages, trips to London, Dorset countryside.

-Things I miss that other parts of Chile could provide: Not much.

dakota44

Chile is great. I'm not as negative on Santiago, but each to their own as I always say. I do prefer La Serena, but Santiago fine too. Right about the pollution though.

nshos2rtr

Hello Dakota,

I am so glad to have found this forum and someone that likes La Serena. I am chilena but have not lived in the country for the last 30 years. Just recently, my husband and I visited Chile, Valparaiso and Viña del Mar mostly, (that is where I'm from) and we fell in love with the whole experience all over again. So, we are considering retiring in Chile; we are looking for peacefulness and I think La Serena would be a good place for us. I love Valparaiso, but it is so crowded and so many cars that I get dizzy. Viña del Mar and its outskirts beach towns are nice, but again so many people.

My main concern is the health system and hospitals in La Serana; could you shed some light on that? Our insurance would cover us in Chile, but for what I've seen in La Serena, I don't have many choices of doctors.

Also, do you know any realtors in La Serena that I could get in touch with? I have seen some homes that are gorgeous and quite reasonable compare to the prices here in the US.

Thanks for you all your comments.

dakota44

There is a good hospital and medical center in La Serena. I doubt that would be a problem. I'll email my amiga there and ask her to link me to a site for houses and apartments in La Serena. It was quite substantial and informative, with contact information. She sent it once before but I lost the link. Another nice thing about La Serena is that it is a nice drive to the Elqui Valley when you want something other than beaches, beautiful place.

nshos2rtr

Thank you, Dakota!!! Looking forward to more information.
Take care!!

Rio

Hi all,
my partner,19 yr old son and myself have made the decision to move from the Uk. We have recently sold our small nightclub and now is the perfect time for a fresh start.The problem is,where to go! At the momemt we are researching many different places and i came across this wonderful thread and you guys had me intrigued.Many of you seem to have some good advice on Chile so i thought i might dive in and ask a few things.
Our main concern would be work,i was wondering how difficult it is to get work there. I have always been a housewife, my son has just left the Army and my partner only really knows the entertainment business having had a bar and club for many years. We were thinking maybe setting up a small business of some sort, no idea what, i guess it would depend on what there is a call for there and to what area we went.
You have made certain areas like the lakes sound so appealing and the sort of place we are looking for.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated from anyone. Thanks