OTTAWA — Canadian citizens no longer require a visitor visa to enter Chile.

Canadian visitors and business people can now stay for up to six months visa-free, which is consistent with all other visa-exempt travellers. The old ‘reciprocity fee’ of $132 the Canadian and Chilean visitors had to pay at each other’s incoming airport was also cancelled.

The new policy could save a Canadian family of four nearly $600 when travelling to South America.

In 2013, 10,500 Chilean citizens were issued a visa to visit Canada and approximately 31,000 Canadians visited Chile during the same period.

The change came about when a recent visa policy review found that Chile meets Canada’s criteria for a visa exemption.