How to buy a car and travel in Chile during COVID 19 time

Are you tired of staying home and baking bread all day long during quarantine?, if the answer is yes then buying a camperized 4wd or a campervan and traveling to the mountains seems to be the only solution, but how can we make it work ?

First, let's understand the situation: Chile has a pandemic plan called "plan paso a paso" this means there are different severity phases and every region can move between them according to the infection rate at that specific place. phase 1 means complete quarantine, phase 2 means quarantine in the weekend ,curfew since 22:00 to 05:00 and no crossing between regions . phase 3 means only curfew from 24:00 to 05:00. at the moment Santiago is at phase 2 with restaurants and businesses still open.

What quarantine actually means in Chile:

so when you arrive to Chile you will need to show a negative pcr test result and then stay in quarantine for at least a week until you show another negative pcr, but that doesn't mean you cannot be searching for/buying a car in the meantime, so how can it be done?

1) in Chile during quarantine you can basically get unlimited grocery shopping permits that each one gives you 4 hours of being outside

2) besides that there are many more types of permits you can get such as a permit for doing bureaucratic arrangements, this refers to going to the notary,registro civil, bank or anything similar.

3) you can even get a vacation permit that allows you to move between regions, although you cannot move to regions which are in worse phases (phase 1 for example)

4) With all these different permits available it is basically possible to be outside almost all the time (or at least the necessary time) and the best thing is that there is barely any police checking for your permits or even talking to you, chilean police is very relaxed especially with tourists (unlike corrupt argentinian police)

After all that being said, i have attached an article that explains in detail about the restrictions in Chile :

As of December 31, 2020, Chile has 608,973 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within its borders.

Chile is under a daily nationwide curfew from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am.

• On December 29, the Chilean government announced that starting on December 31, all travelers, including Chileans, foreign residents, accredited diplomats, and foreign tourists, must complete an obligatory 10-day quarantine upon their arrival to Chile. They will be able to leave quarantine with a negative PCR result based on a test taken on or after the seventh day in quarantine. Travelers must remain in quarantine while they await their result.

• Any traveler entering Chile has up to 24 hours to continue on to their final destination before beginning their quarantine, if the final destination is outside the Santiago Metropolitan Region.

• Travelers must complete an online form with the Ministry of Health and may receive additional emails from Chilean health authorities requesting daily reporting of location over a period of 14 days post-arrival in Chile.

Travelers (of all ages) will have to present three documents when boarding:

• A completed “Affidavit of Travelers” electronic form (available at www.c19.cl and also known as a Sanitary Passport) prepared less than 48 hours before boarding;

• Proof of a negative result from a PCR result from a test taken within 72 hours prior to departure (Note: the 72-hour time period begins from the time the test is administered- not from when the test results are returned); and

• Proof of a health insurance policy that provides coverage for Covid-19 and related health issues during the traveler’s stay in Chile. The Health Insurance must cover charges associated with COVID-19 during your stay, with a coverage of USD $ 30,000 (minimum). (All documents must be presented before boarding the flight to Chile)

• Is a negative COVID-19 test (PCR and/or serology) required for entry? Yes

• All foreigners entering Chile must comply with prescribed public health measures such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, avoiding quarantined comunas, and respecting nightly curfews.

ATTENTION Travelers coming from UK: Due to the information provided by the United Kingdom authorities, and its epidemiological situation, the Chilean Government has determined, as of Tuesday 22nd December:

• The cancellation of all direct flights between the UK and Chile.

• A ban on entry to all foreign non-legal residents who have been in the UK in the last 14 days.

• The obligation for all Chilean and legal foreign residents on a regular basis entering the country, and who have been in the UK for the last 14 days, to undertake a mandatory 14-day quarantine in Chile.

Further information can be found on the following Chilean government’s website: https://saludresponde.minsal.cl/preguntas-frecuentes-viajeros-extranjeros/

Movement Restrictions:

• Is a curfew in place? Yes. There is a daily curfew from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am, nationwide. Other locations may have stricter curfews.

• Are there restrictions on intercity or interstate travel? In places where sanitary cordons are in place, travelers may be subject to temperature screenings. Travel to or from comunas in quarantine requires a permiso obtained from the Chilean police (see “Quarantine Information” below).

• Current travel restrictions between regions is allowed only to and from districts in Step 3 (Preparation) or above. Travelers will only be required to carry a sanitary passport (visit https://www.c19.cl/). The following exception applies:

  • On December 30, the government announced a special “vacation permit” for municipalities in Paso 2. The permit will allow residents of these comunas to leave once, to a single destination, for vacation between January 4 and March 31.

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      • The Vacation Permit can only be used once per person, between January 4 and March 31.

      • It is valid for travel to a single destination outside of the region where you live.

      • Travelers must indicate the destination and the dates of travel on the permit.

      • It cannot be used to travel to/from any comuna in Paso 1 (quarantine).

      • Travelers must still fill out the Pasaporte Sanitario.

Quarantine Information:

• The Chilean government has instituted a gradual re-opening plan (“Paso a Paso”) with different levels of permitted activities at each step. Neighborhoods (comunas) may move forward or backward in steps, depending on local conditions. Learn more about the Paso a Paso plan here (Spanish only)

• For comunas under quarantine, people will be allowed to obtain a permit to leave their residences only under certain circumstances. American citizens can obtain a permit by visiting the Comisaria Virtual or the nearest police station (Comisaría de Carabineros).

• The following comunas are currently at Paso 1 (Quarantine) and are subject to 24-hour quarantine:

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  • Curico (VII Region) (begins Wednesday, December 30 at 5:00 am)

  • Curanilahue (VIII Region)

  • Arauco (VIII Region)

  • Los Ángeles (VIII Region)

  • Cañete (VIII Region)

  • Angol (IX Region)

  • Lautaro (IX Region)

  • Puerto Williams (XII Region)

  • Puerto Natales (XII Region)

• The following comunas are currently at Paso 2 (Transition) and are subject to 24-hour quarantine only on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Beginning Thursday, December 10, restaurants in comunas in Paso 2 will be allowed to operate with outdoor seating only.

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  • Antofagasta (II Region) (begins Wednesday, December 30 at 5:00 am)

  • Ovalle (IV Region)

  • Concon (V Region)

  • Valparaiso (V Region)

  • Vina del Mar (V Region)

  • All comunas in the Metropolitan Region (RM) of Santiago

  • Talca (VII Region)

  • Maule (VII Region)

  • Molina (VII Region)

  • Romeral (VII Region)

  • San Javier (VII Region)

  • Teno (VII Region)

  • Lebu (VIII Region)

  • San Rosendo (VIII Region)

  • Cabrero (VIII Region)

  • Yumbel (VIII Region)

  • Laja (VIII Region)

  • Tirua (VIII Region)

  • Penco (VIII Region)

  • Coronel (VIII Region)

  • Lota (VIII Region)

  • Florida (VIII Region)

  • Negrete (VIII Region)

  • Nacimiento (VIII Region)

  • Tome (VIII Region)

  • Concepción (VIII Region)

  • Talcahuano (VIII Region)

  • Hualpen (VIII Region)

  • San Pedro de la Paz (VIII Region)

  • Chiguayante (VIII Region)

  • Hualqui (VIII Region)

  • Chillan (XVI Region)

  • Chillan Viejo (XVI Region)

  • Nueva Imperial (IX Region)

  • Villarica (IX Region)

  • Pitrufquen (IX Region)

  • Curarrehue (IX Region)

  • Chol Chol (IX Region)

  • Los Sauces (IX Region)

  • Lumaco (IX Region)

  • Freire (IX Region)

  • Temuco (IX Region)

  • Padre Las Casas (IX Region)

  • Renaico (IX Region)

  • Vilcun (IX Region)

  • Galvarino (IX Region)

  • Perquenco (IX Region)

  • San Jose de la Mariquina (XIV Region)

  • Los Lagos (XIV Region)

  • La Union (XIV Region)

  • Lanco (XIV Region)

  • Valdivia (XIV Region)

  • Rio Bueno (XIV Region)

  • Paillaco (XIV Region)

  • Maullin (X Region)

  • Calbuco (XRegion)

  • Ancud (X Region)

  • Queilén (X Region)

  • Quemchi (X Region)

  • Chonchi (X Region)

  • Los Muermos (X Region)

  • Puerto Montt (X Region)

  • Puerto Varas (X Region)

  • Osorno (X Region)

  • Quinchao (X Region)

  • San Juan de la Costa (X Region)

  • Purranque (X Region)

  • Dalcahue (X Region)

  • Chile Chico (XI Region) (begins Wednesday, December 30 at 5:00 am)

  • Cochrane (XI Region) (begins Wednesday, December 30 at 5:00 am)

  • Porvenir (XII Region)

  • Punta Arenas (XII Region)