Bilateral relations

Australia and Chile established diplomatic relations in 1945, and Australia opened a diplomatic legation in Santiago in 1946. In 1968, Australia upgraded to an embassy in Chile, a move reciprocated by Chile in 1969.

Chile has Consulates-General in Sydney and Melbourne, a Trade Commission in Sydney and Honorary Consuls in Brisbane and Perth.

Australia and Chile enjoy a strong bilateral relationship, underpinned by growing trade and investment and people-to-people links. Our trade and investment relationship is reinforced by the Australia-Chile Free Trade Agreement and membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Australia works closely with Chile in multilateral forums, where we are likeminded on key global issues, including trade, human rights, Antarctica, and arms control. Australia and Chile also cooperate multilaterally in the United Nations and its organisations, the World Trade Organization (WTO) – including through the Cairns Group of agricultural fair-trading countries, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and as Parties to the Antarctic Treaty.

Further economic and trade information can be found in our Chile trade/economic fact sheet [PDF 199 KB].

Fast Facts

Chilean visitors to Australia (2024-25 Dept of Home Affairs) #

21,707

Resident Australian population born in Chile (2021Census)

29,860

Australian residents of Chilean descent (2021 Census)

41,263

Chilean Working Holiday Makers visas granted (2024-25 Dept of Home Affairs)

5,532

Chilean students in Australia (2024 Dept of Education)*

6,176

# This financial year data is owned by Home Affairs. They provide quarterly updates to this data on their website.

* This Jan-Dec 2024 data is owned by the Department of Education. It provides updates to these numbers on its website

High level engagement

• 2025 November – Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren released joint statement marking 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations
• 2025 November – Chilean Vice Minister for Trade, Ms Claudia Sanhueza, visited Australia for CPTPP and signing of Australia-Chile MoU on Gender Equality
• 2025 October – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles visited Chile for the South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting
• 2025 October – Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Matt Thistlethwaite, met Chile’s Vice Minister of Mining Suina Chahuan in Sydney at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC)
• 2025 August – Chilean Minister for Women and Gender Equality visited Australia
• 2024 November – Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts spoke to Chilean Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Gloria de la Fuente
• 2024 November – Minister for Energy and Mining of South Australia Tom Koutsantonis met Chile’s Vice Minister of Mining Suina Chahuan in Adelaide
• 2024 October – Chile’s Vice Minister of Mining Suina Chahuan met with Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts, and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government of Australia Madeline King at IMARC
• 2024 October – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles met Chile’s Undersecretary for Defence Ricardo Montero in New Zealand
• 2023 July – Foreign Minister Penny Wong spoke to Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren
• 2023 July – Assistant Trade Minister Tim Ayres met with Chile’s Under-Secretary for International Economic Relations, Claudia Sanhueza at the CPTPP Commission Meeting in New Zealand
• 2022 November – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met President Gabriel Boric at the APEC Summit in Bangkok
• 2022 October – Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts visited Chile
• 2022 September – Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen met Minister for Energy Diego Pardow at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum in Pittsburgh
• 2022 June – Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek met Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Ximena Fuentes at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon

Agreements with Chile

• 2025 – MoU on Gender Equality
• 2023 – Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) – entered into force for Chile on 21 February
• 2021 – MoU on Defence Cooperation
• 2015 – MoU on Education
• 2013 – Double Taxation Treaty
• 2009 – Australia-Chile FTA (ACLFTA)
• 2006 – Work and Holiday Visa (WHV)
• 2004 – International Social Security Agreement
• 2001 – Air Services Agreement

Travel

See Australian Government travel advice for Australians overseas on Smartraveller

Austrade

See international Austrade offices

Australian Embassy in Chile

Isidora Goyenechea 3621, 9th, 12th and 13th Floors
Las Condes
Santiago de Chile
Chile

Tel: +56 2 2 550 3500

General: consular.santiago@dfat.gov.au
Embajada de Australia en Chile y Ecuador
X @AusEmbCL