Exceção jus soli + direito de opção (filhos de estrangeiros transitórios/agentes governamentais estrangeiros)

Status conferred: a person who opts under Art 10 Nº1 (or who is deemed Chilean by birth under the Art 173 statelessness rule) holds nationality under the jus-soli numeral — the fullest status, indistinguishable from any other Art 10 Nº1 national. Consequences: (i) No political-rights delay — the five-year post-carta wait for popularly elected office ('opción a cargos públicos de elección popular solo después de cinco años', Art 14 inciso final) applies only to Art 10 Nº3 carta nationals and does NOT apply here ( Art 14). (ii) No avecindamiento condition — the Art 13 inciso final precondition ('avecindados en Chile por más de un año') on exercising citizenship rights reaches only Nº2 (descent) and Nº4 (grace) nationals, not Nº1 option/birth nationals ( Art 13). (iii) Dual nationality — nothing in the option route requires renouncing the parents' nationality; post-2005 Chile tolerates dual nationality, with loss only 'por renuncia voluntaria' effective after prior foreign naturalization (Art 11 Nº1) ( Art 11 Nº1). The 1925 wording 'optar entre la nacionalidad de sus padres y la chilena' (a mutually-exclusive election) was replaced in 1980 by 'optar por la nacionalidad chilena' (an opt-in that need not extinguish the other nationality) ( Art 5 Nº1). (iv) Remedy — administrative denial/disavowal is reviewable via the Art 12 reclamation to the Corte Suprema, with suspensive effect ( Art 12).

Who falls WITHIN the exception (and therefore must opt rather than acquiring jus soli automatically): a child born in Chilean territory to a foreigner 'que se encuentren en Chile en servicio de su Gobierno' (foreign-government/diplomatic service) ( Art 10 Nº1); or a child born in Chilean territory to an 'extranjero transeúnte' ( Art 10 Nº1). The Constitution does not define 'transeúnte'; Ley 21.325 Art 9 Nº9 now defines it as 'Aquella persona extranjera que esté de paso en el territorio nacional, de manera transitoria, conforme al artículo 47, y sin intenciones de establecerse en él' ( Art 9 Nº9), and Art 173 ties it to the 'subcategorías migratorias de permanencia transitoria' ( Art 173). Consequently, children of foreigners holding residencia temporal or residencia definitiva are NOT within the exception and acquire Chilean nationality directly under Art 10 Nº1 (route CL-BTH-01), not this route. Who is eligible to OPT: 'todos los que, sin embargo, podrán optar por la nacionalidad chilena' — i.e., both exception categories ( Art 10 Nº1). Statelessness override to eligibility: any person born in Chile within an Art 10 Nº1 exception who 'de otro modo fuese apátrida' is Chilean 'por nacimiento' by operation of Ley 21.325 Art 173 inc 2 — no option needed ( Art 173). Statutory age/time condition for the option: the declaration must be made 'en el plazo fatal de un año, contado desde la fecha en que el interesado cumpla 18 años de edad' (DFL 5.142 Art 10; age lowered from 21 to 18 by Ley 20.888 Art único Nº2) ( Art 10; Art único Nº2).

The option procedure is set by DFL 5.142 Art 10 ( Art 10). The interested person makes 'una declaración en que manifiesten que optan por la nacionalidad chilena.' It must be made 'en el plazo fatal de un año, contado desde la fecha en que el interesado cumpla 18 años de edad' — a preclusive (fatal) one-year term running from the person's 18th birthday; the age anchor was 'veintiún' (21) in the original 1960 text and was replaced by '18' by Ley 20.888 Art único Nº2 ( Art único Nº2). The declaration is lodged 'ante el Intendente o Gobernador respectivo, en Chile, o el Agente Diplomático o Cónsul de la República en el extranjero' — before the regional/provincial authority in Chile or a Chilean diplomatic agent/consul abroad. The declarant must first 'acreditar fehacientemente' (reliably prove) that they fall within one of the Art 10 Nº1 exception cases ( Art 10). The receiving officials 'remitirán inmediatamente las declaraciones.. al Ministerio del Interior para que sean anotadas en el Registro que se lleva en la Sección respectiva' ( Art 10). The testimonial document 'deberá llevar el mismo derecho que las cartas de nacionalización' (it bears the same fee/charge as a carta). Constitutional delegation authorising this procedure is Art 10 inciso final (Art 10 inciso final). A citation-integrity caveat: DFL 5.142 Art 10 cross-references 'el artículo 5.o, número 1.o de la Constitución Política' — the 1925 Constitution's jus-soli numeral ( Art 5 Nº1), not updated to Art 10 Nº1 of the 1980 Constitution (see ).

This route rests on Const. Art 10 Nº1 (1980 Constitution, texto refundido DS 100/2005), which states jus soli 'con excepción de los hijos de extranjeros que se encuentren en Chile en servicio de su Gobierno, y de los hijos de extranjeros transeúntes, todos los que, sin embargo, podrán optar por la nacionalidad chilena' ( Art 10 Nº1). Two carve-outs from automatic jus soli exist: (1) children of foreign nationals 'en servicio de su Gobierno' (in the service of their foreign Government — accredited diplomats/officials); (2) children of 'extranjeros transeúntes' (transient foreigners). Both categories retain a constitutional derecho a optar (right to opt for Chilean nationality). The operative mechanics are delegated to statute by Art 10 inciso final: 'La ley reglamentará los procedimientos de opción por la nacionalidad chilena; de otorgamiento, negativa y cancelación de las cartas de nacionalización, y la formación de un registro de todos estos actos' ( Art 10 inciso final). That statute is DFL 5.142/1960 Art 10 — the operative naturalization statute kept alive by Ley 21.325 Arts 84/87 — which fixes the option declaration, a one-year fatal term and the competent authorities ( Art 10). Ley 21.325 (2022) Art 9 Nº9 and Art 173 supply the operative definition of 'extranjero transeúnte' and an anti-statelessness safeguard ( Art 9 Nº9; Art 173). The exception-plus-option formula is textually continuous from the 1925 Constitution Art 5 Nº1 ( Art 5 Nº1) and was expressly left untouched by the 2005 reform, whose Art 10 changes operated only on the descent/naturalization numerals.

Competent authorities for the option (DFL 5.142 Art 10): in Chile, the 'Intendente o Gobernador respectivo'; abroad, the 'Agente Diplomático o Cónsul de la República' ( Art 10). The Intendencia/Gobernación nomenclature predates the 2018 Delegados Presidenciales Regionales/Provinciales reform; functionally these are today the regional/provincial presidential-delegate authorities, but the statute's terms are unchanged (administrative-continuity note, consistent with ). Declarations are registered with the 'Ministerio del Interior.. en el Registro que se lleva en la Sección respectiva' ( Art 10). The Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), created by Ley 21.325, administers the migratory-status framework — including the 'permanencia transitoria' subcategories (Arts 47/53/173) that determine whether a parent is an 'extranjero transeúnte' feeding the constitutional exception ( Art 173; Art 9 Nº9). Ultimate adjudication of any administrative deprivation or disavowal of nationality rests with the Corte Suprema sitting 'como jurado y en tribunal pleno' under Art 12 ( Art 12).