Santiago departure tax

[JEBurton]

Is there a departure tax/fee for US citizens when flying out of Santiago? If yes, what is the amount and what form of payment (including currency) do they take?
Is there a link to a website that has current info on this subject?

thanks in advance.

john

[mike215]

I departed Santiago Airport (SCL) for the USA 3/20/08 and paid no departure tax. I had been led to believe it would be at least $32. It will be interesting to see if you get any other responses.

[JEBurton]

Thanks for your reply. I too hope to hear from others on this board who have first-hand info.

I've talked to Celebrity rep and she said no departure tax leaving Santiago, only an arrival tax.

My TA insists there will be a $131 per person tax when leaving Santiago.

A year ago when I booked a different date for my cruise, I was told the arrival tax was $100/pp and no departure tax.

So it's very confusing.

Anyone else have direct knowledge?

thanks again,
john

[greatam]

Thanks for your reply. I too hope to hear from others on this board who have first-hand info.

I've talked to Celebrity rep and she said no departure tax leaving Santiago, only an arrival tax.

My TA insists there will be a $131 per person tax when leaving Santiago.

A year ago when I booked a different date for my cruise, I was told the arrival tax was $100/pp and no departure tax.

So it's very confusing.

Anyone else have direct knowledge?

thanks again,
john

Two separate things-let's not confuse the issue.

Airport departure tax is collected at most South American airports. Usually separate fees (and lines) for international and domestic flights. It is truly an airport fee and the money goes for airport infrastructure. Airline tickets purchased in the US for transport to/from South American GENERALLY INCLUDE the airport tax. IF you purchased your airline tickets from some agencies like Cheaptickets, BestFares, etc. etc., you need to check your receipt-some of the consolidator class tickets sold by these agencies DO NOT include the airport tax. Tickets purchased from US airlines include the airport tax.

IF you need to pay the departure tax anyplace in South America, it is very easy. In large international airports, just before you go through security, there will be lines/tax collectors. You just show your ticket, they tell you how much tax it is, you pay, they stamp your paper and you show the paper and ticket to security. In some of the very small South America airports, there are separate "booths" and some of these you have to look for (Cusco/Juliaca Peru tax booths come to mind). But in major airports, you can't get into security UNTIL you have paid the departure tax.

The $131 fee is a reciprocity fee, imposed on USA citizens in response to the US State Dept fee charged Chilean citizens to enter the USA. It is NOT a visa, but it is good for the life of your passport. It is ONLY collected when arriving Chile via the USA in an airplane. It is "hidden" or has been abandoned in all cruise fares, so no out of pocket expenses. If you are arriving Chile via cruise ship, you have no worries. If you are flying into Chile, be prepared to pay the $131.00 RECIPROCITY fee.

[JEBurton]

Thanks so much for the clarification. It was indeed the reciprocity fee I was concerned about, not a departure tax. So perhaps my TA was thinking departure tax and not reciprocity fee when she said I'd have to pay "something" when leaving Chili.

john

[MMDown Under]

For advice re visas, etc., I always go to the official government website of the country involved.

I just "googled" Consulate General of Chile, Australia -

Under Tourist Visa, it stated -

Based on reciprocity, Australian passport holders must pay $US56 upon arrival at the International Airport.

So I guess our country charges tourists from Chile, less money than yours. Otherwise, they know how poor our rate of exchange is. :)

[Peregrina651]

Greatam --

How does one pay? Can we use a credit card or is it a cash only transaction?

[biker1972]

In the past when entering Chili, it has been cash only. Was $100 but since the US upped the fee to $131 cost has gone . Don't know it credit cards can be used with new fee. Brazil requires a visa and price for visa is the same $131 that the US charges those from Brazil. That fee must be paid using US Postal money order when applying for visa.Visa must be obtained before trip. So Chili is much easier to work with.

[c-to-sea]

http://www.aeropuertosantiago.cl/contenidos/listado_contenidos.php?s=20040714211532

[greatam]

Greatam --

How does one pay? Can we use a credit card or is it a cash only transaction?

There ARE credit card machines for the reciprocity fee. HOWEVER, as in a lot of South America, they are frequently "out of order". Whether they are REALLY out of order or someone was just too lazy to put in new paper/reprogram today's date, who knows???

BE PREPARED to pay cash-US $20.00's work very well. Get NEW bills from the bank, put the exact amount away in an envelope, and when you get to the airport you are thoroughly prepared. Don't be like the group of people I saw a couple of years ago-the credit card machines were down and the ATM was out of cash. Irate, yelling (in English, which was hilarious). Finally, one of the party had to pay the fee, run around to either the bank at the airport or the currency place (credit card cash withdrawal + currency exchange fee-cost a fortune), get enough money for everyone. I bet they were STUCK for well over 2 hours. It was a hoot!!!

As for departure taxes, I have always paid in cash. Good way to get rid of any stray foreign currency. I don't know whether there are credit card machines.

[Peregrina651]

BE PREPARED to pay cash-US $20.00's work very well. Get NEW bills from the bank, put the exact amount away in an envelope, and when you get to the airport you are thoroughly prepared.

Greatam -- thank you for your worldly wisdom. I will make sure to have cash on-hand for the departure taxes, even if I end up using a credit card. I figure that with our ticketing (SCL to GRU or EZE to home) we are going to pay at least one departure tax if not two and I am just going to have to be ready for it. :(

[auntdot]

Greatam -- thank you for your worldly wisdom. I will make sure to have cash on-hand for the departure taxes, even if I end up using a credit card. I figure that with our ticketing (SCL to GRU or EZE to home) we are going to pay at least one departure tax if not two and I am just going to have to be ready for it. :(

Hi peregrina,

I think you are on the same itinerary as we are (only we leave a month later) so I don't think we have to pay these taxes?? It was my understanding from the above posts and others that only those arriving in SCL pay, and any other applicable fees to arrive in EZE are included in your airline ticket from US (in our case American Airlines). I hope I have this correct!

So many little details!
Dot

[greatam]

Hi peregrina,

I think you are on the same itinerary as we are (only we leave a month later) so I don't think we have to pay these taxes?? It was my understanding from the above posts and others that only those arriving in SCL pay, and any other applicable fees to arrive in EZE are included in your airline ticket from US (in our case American Airlines). I hope I have this correct!

So many little details!
Dot

The flight from SCL to GRU/EZE will incur DEPARTURE taxes, UNLESS you are flying USA/SCL/GRU or EZE WITHOUT a stopover (24 hours on the ground in SCL). ONLY RT flights from the USA/South America on US carriers booked through US carriers (not third party) have the departure taxes DEFINITELY included. Some third parties (Travelocity, Expedia, etc) USUALLY include the taxes. Others do only sometimes.

If you are making a domestic trip-SCL/GRU or EZE-taxes are NOT covered in the US tariffs, UNLESS your TA/the cruise line PAID the departure taxes as part of a "package" deal. If you booked an open jaw ticket at a US airline website, it would be VERY unusual for the domestic South America departure taxes to be included for the domestic portion.

I know this is VERY confusing. To make it easy-anytime you fly from a South American airport to another South American airport on anything OTHER than a flight that originated in the USA, you will pay the local departure tax. Departure taxes vary by country and airport.

Example: The LAN/AA flight from JFK which I frequently take-JFK/Lima, Peru/SCL has the departure taxes INCLUDED for my return from SCL. There are NO departure taxes on the Lima portion, as the plane is only on the ground for about 1.5 hours. However, IF I get off in Lima, spend a day or two, then continue on to SCL, I pay departure taxes when I leave Lima enroute to SCL.

If you are arriving by ship at Santiago, you do not pay the reciprocity fee ($131.00). IF you are arriving by air, you will pay the fee UNLESS you are considered an in-transit passenger and are continuing on to another South America destination. Hope this helps a little bit.

[Peregrina651]

Hi peregrina,

I think you are on the same itinerary as we are
Dot

Dot and Greatam --

I'd like to continue these conversations with you both but don't think we should subject our fellow readers to my trials and tribulations.

Dot, we are have lots to talk about since we are for sure same itinerary, different day--and you are way far ahead of me on the planning.

Greatam, it would be so much easier to talk about my specific predicament. You are a wealth of knowledge and I would appreciate any help you are willing to give me. Just explaining to me how things works makes it easier to deal with.

My e-mail is: peregrina651-rollcall at yahoo dot es -- just change the at to an at-sign, dot to a period and remove all of the spaces to make it a legitimate e-mail address. My address does not end .com, it ends .es

I look forward to hearing from you both.

[oavcech95]

Exactly there´s only arrival tax.

[greatam]

Exactly there´s only arrival tax.

This is incorrect info. There is the RECIPROCITY FEE for US citizens arriving BY AIR.

There are also departure taxes. But how much you pay and whether you have to pay at all depends on how you purchased your ticket and where you are flying to. As posted previously, international flights between SA and the USA USUALLY include the departure taxes. Between SA countries and Central American countries, you have to pay departure taxes BEFORE you clear security.

[cruisenfever]

Some information we learned from our recent cruise out of Valparaiso about AFTER you pay the fee when arriving in Chile. After you have paid your fee and they have stapled the piece of paper into your passport, they will also fill out a two part form that they will return to you in your passports. You can now go and claim your luggage.

After claiming your luggage you must take it to be x-rayed before leaving the airport and they will take the top copy of this form. This is your entrance pass into Chile. The yellow copy will be returned to you and keep this copy with your passport because when checking in at the port in Valparaiso you must turn this yellow copy in..........this is your exit pass out of Chile.

This is something that we were not told by the agent when paying the fee, but luckily we just kept the form in our passport, so we had them readily available when we were asked to hand them in.

[dileep]

we arrived by ship into Valparaiso and did not have to pay an entry fee and there was no departure fee leaving Santiago.

You do pay $100 if you arrive by air into Santiago.

[cruisenfever]

we arrived by ship into Valparaiso and did not have to pay an entry fee and there was no departure fee leaving Santiago.

You do pay $100 if you arrive by air into Santiago.
They have raised the fee for US citizens to $131pp when arriving in Santiago.

[lernd]

Will be disembarking in Santiago and flying back home; is there is a departure tax to be paid at the airport.

Thanks

[paul929207]

People are going to see that this thread is about 5 years old and ignore it. You may want to start a new thread.