Chile photo rules: no size from the Migration Service, 5 × 5 cm at the consulate

The most common question about Chilean documents is what size the photo should be. The honest answer depends on where you file. An application for a residence permit goes to the Migration Service (Servicio Nacional de Migraciones, SERMIG) through its own platform, and there the photo size is not stated at all. A visa or prior authorisation goes through a Chilean consulate — and that is where a number does appear: 5 × 5 cm.

Two routes, two different sets of requirements

The difference between these routes is the thing worth knowing before you sit down in front of the camera. There is no single photo you can take to cover both: the authorities publish no standard shared between them.

Residence permit: the authority names no size

The Migration Service page on the temporary residence permit describes the photo in words rather than numbers. The requirements are:

• A colour photo on a white background.
• Facing the camera, with the full face showing.
• A neutral expression, eyes open.
• No accessories — glasses and hats in particular.
• A recent photo, taken close to the date of application.
• Uploaded to the platform in JPG or PNG format.

That is the whole list. No millimetres, no centimetres, no pixels, no dpi resolution and no file-size cap appear on that page. The same holds on the Spanish versions of the temporary and permanent residence pages and on the ChileAtiende entry for residencia definitiva: the requirements are descriptive, and the number is absent.

The practical conclusion: if you file through the SERMIG platform, build the shot around the listed conditions rather than around a format — an even white background, the face square to the camera and fully visible, a calm expression. Any exact upload parameters are shown by the form itself at the moment you attach the file, so follow those.

Consular visa: a 5 × 5 cm photo

On the Chilean consular page for prior authorisation and visas the requirement is worded differently: upload a colour photo on a white background, passport size (5 × 5 cm), with the full face showing and without accessories such as glasses, a scarf or a hat. The ChileAtiende entry for the same procedure repeats that wording.

5 × 5 cm means 50 × 50 mm — a square noticeably larger than the familiar European 35 × 45 mm rectangle. If you are printing for a consular submission, plan for that in advance: you cannot crop a European photo down to a 50 × 50 mm square, because there is not enough image to work with.

Who this applies to

Both routes are open to foreign nationals. Which one you use decides which requirements are applied to you:

• A temporary or permanent residence permit filed through the Migration Service platform — descriptive requirements, no size.
• Prior authorisation or a visa through the Chilean consulate serving your country — a 5 × 5 cm photo.

What to do now

1. Identify your route. Establish first whether you file through the Migration Service platform or through a consulate: that decides whether you need a number at all.
2. Shoot for the descriptive requirements. An even white background without shadows, the face square to the camera and fully visible, a neutral expression, eyes open, no glasses and no hat. These conditions are identical on both routes.
3. For a consulate, prepare a 5 × 5 cm square. Print in that format rather than reworking a photo you already have in another size.
4. Check the form before you submit. If you are uploading a file, save it as JPG or PNG and follow the prompts shown by the form itself.

What not to do

• Do not trust a single Chilean size quoted by third-party sites. No authority publishes one number covering both the visa and the residence permit; third-party requirement lists frequently invent one.
• Do not treat the consular 5 × 5 cm square as universal. It is not described as required for a filing through the Migration Service platform.
• Do not shoot against a coloured or unevenly lit background. A white background is the one background rule both sources state explicitly.
• Do not keep your glasses on. Both sources list glasses among the accessories that must not appear in the photo.

Rules change frequently — before taking action, always check the current requirements on the official government source provided above.