Possible to avoid the $100 charge to land in Chile?

Why don't you just enjoy Chile for a few days on your way to ARG? Also, remember that the $100 fee last for the life of the passport. Who knows, you may want to return to Chile for a longer period...just pay it and go on with life eh?

This happened to me last year. I didn't know about it - I did a round trip from south america to the states and back. I found that the ticket from Chile was cheaper than from BsAs, so managed my itinerary to leave from there. Coming back I'd get on a bus right back to BsAs. Then I got slapped with the 100 fee, and they really don't care that you are going back to Argentina, or even that you had originated in Chile (crossing by bus into the country you are not charged). The fact is, you are landing in an airport and you are American (they charge Australians and Mexicans as well). I suggest you check out flights to Argentina and start there!

To the OP , If you are connecting into an international you will not have to pay the $100 usd fee..... But if you are connecting into a local flight you will have to pay the fee.

Our government (chilean :) charge the fee because your government (the big ol usa) charges us usd$100 each time we apply for a tourist usa visa. (we get slapped with the fee even if the application is denied.)

On a side note, I really fail to see the point of requiring a tourist visa to Chilean Passports holders, we should be included in the USA visa waiver program mainly because we have a really low overstaying rate in the USA. Plus we have visa free entrance in all the countries of the European Union, I mean if we could stay illegaly in the EU (and make more money there, hipotetically speaking of course) than the usa, what would be point of staying illegally in the Usa then?

By the way, I could have gone to spend my hard earned peso$ in Miami or New York last january but instead I went to Mexico because I did not want to spend $100usd for a visa. (which I could have gotten because I ve been to the US on many occasions before my tourist visa expired)

Sorry I meant June not january, I could have gone to the Usa last month...

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<hr>Connecting to an international flight, they would not leave the transit area and wouldn't pay. <hr></blockquote>

I just got off a Lan Chile flight to Santiago that originated in Los Angeles. The flight continued on to Buenos Aires. However, after landing in Santiago they announced that passengers continuing on to Buenos Aires would have to claim their bags in Santiago before re-boarding the aircraft. Baggage claim at SCL can only be accessed after you go through Passport Control.

Logic would dictate that you must pay the reciprocation fee before they allow you through Passport Control. However, sometimes this world isn't so logical. Maybe if you are a transit passenger, your boarding pass allows you to go to baggage claim without having to pay the fee? If, on the other hand, you are leaving the international terminal and entering Chile, for any reason, you will have to pay this fee.

Sure the fee is high. So too is the fee for Chileans to enter the USA. I think it's fair. If US citizens are not happy about it, they should contact their congressional representives and ask them to consider lowering or dropping the fees we charge people to visit our country.

I would call LAN Chile and ask them. They should have the definitive ansewer.

I really hate the reciprocity fee. It doesn't put the money back into the pocket of any Chilean who paid US$100 to apply for a visa. It isn't really reciprocal anyway. Chileans pay it to apply for a visa not necessarily get one. First you pay US$14 for an obligatory 8 minute phone call to make the appointment. Six minutes of that is a recording repeating what it says on the website. All appointments are in the embassy in Santiago even if you happen to live in Punta Arenas. You have to pay a Fedex fee to have your passport with visa delivered to your home. Within Santiago that costs about US$12. So rejoice that you don't have to travel to Washington to collect yours. All governments are horrible great lumpy things which sometimes roll over us all. Es lo que hay.
Readytofly, it sounds as if LAN was putting the passengers to BA on another plane. They like this 'all planes must leave fully loaded' approach and will often combine two flights. If this should happen, the LAN representative should be able to sort it for you when you get off the plane.

If it was really reciprocal, we'd have to apply for a visa as well, and it would be a one-time-per-visa fee that would also count for overland crossings. This is how Brasil does it and I totally understand the 'logic' there.