Servicio Nacional de Migraciones

What Servicio Nacional de Migraciones does

Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG) is Chile's national government agency responsible for all immigration and foreigner affairs, operating under the Ministry of Interior and governed by Ley N° 21.325 de Migración y Extranjería (effective February 2022). Established in 2021 as the successor to the former Departamento de Extranjería y Migración, SERMIG holds exclusive statutory authority over temporary and permanent residence permits, nationality acquisition, immigration enforcement, and deportation proceedings in Chile. The agency maintains the official administrative registry of all foreign nationals residing in the country — estimated at approximately 1,918,583 individuals as of December 2023.

SERMIG's core technology is a unified government digital platform built around the Portal de Trámites Digitales (tramites.extranjeria.gob.cl), which supports online submission and tracking of Temporary Residence, Permanent Residence, and Nationality applications, plus fine calculation, electronic signatures, and document verification. Authentication is integrated with ClaveÚnica, Chile's national single sign-on system. The agency operates a biometric enrollment system (empadronamiento biométrico) implemented jointly with PDI under a May 2023 inter-institutional agreement, which has registered over one million foreign nationals to date. In December 2024, SERMIG co-launched the Consulta Situación Migratoria mobile application for PDI and Carabineros, enabling real-time field verification of migratory status. Distribution is omnichannel: 16 regional offices across all Chilean regions, an online appointment system (Reserva tu Hora), mobile field operations, and Chilean consulates abroad. Service revenue is not commercial; SERMIG is funded through Chilean government budgetary allocation and operates under statutorily defined fees.

Beyond transactional processing, SERMIG runs an ecosystem of inclusion and integration programs: Sello Migrante (municipal certification), Compromiso Migrante (corporate commitment, jointly with Dirección del Trabajo), Apoya Mujer Migrante, Programa Niñez Migrante, and a Programa de Mediación Intercultural. The agency coordinates data with INE for population statistics, with PDI for border control, with MINREL for consular visa records, and with Registro Civil for civil identification. In April 2024 it created the Dirección de Fiscalización y Expulsiones, led by ex-PDI Inspector Richard Bórquez, to transform SERMIG from a passive processing agency into an active enforcement body — a strategic pivot reinforced by the 2026 appointment of Frank Sauerbaum as Director Nacional.

Name

Servicio Nacional de Migraciones

Legal name

Servicio Nacional de Migraciones

Website

https://serviciomigraciones.cl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG) is Chile's government agency responsible for immigration administration, residence permits, nationality, and enforcement, serving approximately 1.9 million foreign nationals through a digital portal, biometric systems, and 16 regional offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Immigration Services

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), National Security and International Affairs (928)

SIC

Foreign Governments (8888), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Immigration, Citizenship & Border Administration (Civil) (BPAIAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visa, Immigration Liaison & Travel Document Policy (Foreign Affairs) (BPAIAIAL), Consular Services & Citizen Assistance (BPAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Immigration processing services
• Residence permit issuance
• Border control management
• Migration policy administration
• Government identity verification

Headquarters

HQ city

Santiago

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG) is the Chilean government agency responsible for administering immigration regulation, processing residence and nationality applications, and managing migration policy. It operates the Portal de Trámites Digitales to deliver immigration procedures online and maintains a national network of regional offices to serve foreign nationals and stakeholders across Chile.

Product overview

Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG) is Chile's government migration service offering a unified digital platform for immigration management. The core offering consists of the Portal de Trámites Digitales (tramites.extranjeria.gob.cl) which enables online submission and tracking of immigration applications including Temporary Residence, Permanent Residence, and Nationality. Supporting products include the appointment booking system (Reserva tu Hora), the Help Portal (Ayuda Migraciones), document verification services, and fine calculation tools. Beyond applications, SERMIG operates social inclusion programs including Sello Migrante (municipality certification), Compromiso Migrante (corporate commitment), Apoya Mujer Migrante, Programa Niñez Migrante, and an Intercultural Mediation program. The service also provides the Resolution Exenta download system and the Consulta Situación Migratoria app for police verification. All services operate under Chile's Migration and Foreign Affairs Law (Ley N° 21.325).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sello Migrante: Certification program recognizing municipalities that implement inclusive practices toward migrant populations in Chile.
• Compromiso Migrante
• Apoya Mujer Migrante (AMM)
• Programa Niñez Migrante

Products and services

• Permanencia Transitoria

Quantifiable outcome

• Estimated 1,918,583 foreign nationals residing in Chile as of December 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (Argentina): Argentina's federal migration agency operating under the Ministry of Interior. Comparable as a Southern Cone peer running residence, nationality, and deportation procedures with extensive Mercosur-related coordination.
• Unidad de Política Migratoria (Mexico / SEGOB): Mexico's migration policy unit within the Interior Ministry. Comparable as a Latin American immigration authority coordinating regularization, deportation, and integration with national statistics agencies.
• Migración Colombia: Colombia's national migration authority, with a similar mandate for residence permits, regularization of irregular migrants, and biometric registration. Strong regional comparable, especially for SERMIG's empadronamiento biométrico program.

Direct peers

• Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF): Germany's federal agency for migration, refugees, and integration. Direct analog in operating national residence/asylum processes, integration programs, and inter-agency data sharing for population statistics.
• UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI): The UK Home Office command that processes visas, settlement, and citizenship with significant digital service infrastructure. Comparable to SERMIG in residence/nationality adjudication, fee-based transactions, and enforcement coordination with policing bodies.
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): The U.S. federal agency that adjudicates visa applications, naturalization, and immigration benefits, and operates biometric enrollment. Comparable to SERMIG in mandate (residency, citizenship, enforcement) and in being the sole national civil immigration authority under a federal interior/security ministry.
• Australian Department of Home Affairs: Australia's consolidated immigration, customs, and border-protection department. Comparable in administering temporary and permanent residence, citizenship, and biometric identity programs with multi-channel (digital + regional) delivery.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): Canada's federal department for immigration, citizenship, and refugee processing. Closely comparable in offering permanent/temporary residence and naturalization through a digital application portal backed by biometric enrollment.

Others

• UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency, which SERMIG explicitly coordinates with on refugee and asylum matters. Functions as an adjacent international body rather than a direct administrative peer.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM): UN-related intergovernmental organization working on migration policy and operations. SERMIG collaborates directly with IOM, making it a key thematic counterpart rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MigracionesCL
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/MigracionesCL
• Facebookfacebook.com/migracionescl
• Instagraminstagram.com/migracionescl
• TikToktiktok.com/@migracionescl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/departamento-de-extranjeria-y-migracion

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Servicio Nacional de Migraciones