Your Rapa Nui trip is checked twice before you see a moai: once at the mainland departure gate, and again at the entrance to every park site. The first check comes from a 2018 law on who may stay on the island and for how long. The second comes from the Rapa Nui community that has run the national park since 2017. They are separate systems with separate paperwork, and both can stop you.
Why does Rapa Nui have its own entry rules?
Rapa Nui is Chilean territory, part of the Valparaíso Region, and article 2 of the island's law keeps foreigners under Chile's general immigration rules. The island adds its own layer on top. Ley 21.070 regulates the right to "reside, remain and travel to and from" the island, which the Constitution treats as a special territory. The Government's announcement dates its application from 1 August 2018.
The law applies to Chileans and foreigners alike. Article 2 exempts members of the Rapa Nui people from its limits, and article 6 lists others who may stay longer while they keep that status: relatives and partners of Rapa Nui people, public servants, contracted workers and sponsored researchers. Everyone else is a visitor with a clock running.
The law also builds a mechanism for the island's population load. The government can declare a state of "latencia" or "saturación" by supreme decree when set thresholds are passed. Under a saturation decree, article 20 lets it cut the maximum stay to a figure that "en ningún caso podrá ser superior a veinte días" (can in no case be over 20 days), and airlines must then stop selling longer stays. We did not find a latency or saturation decree in force in the sources we read, but it is the reason to check the rule again close to booking.
What do you need to board a flight to Rapa Nui?
ChileAtiende's FUI page, with information supplied by the PDI, sets out the form. You present it to the PDI at the departure airport or port. "Si no lo haces, no podrás embarcar": if you do not, you cannot board. The form is free, and tourists and invited guests both have to complete it.
For a tourist the form asks for three things, which mirror article 7 of the law:
| Requirement | What counts |
|---|---|
| Identity document | Chilean ID card, passport or other official travel document |
| Return ticket | Non-transferable, dated no more than 30 days after the outbound date |
| Where you will stay | A reservation at lodging authorised by Sernatur, with its address |
Lodging is where plans tend to fail. Sernatur's tourist services finder states that accommodation providers in Chile must register with Sernatur, and it lets you search registered establishments by type and place. A room booked through a platform is only useful for the FUI if the property itself is authorised, so look it up before you pay.
Rapa Nui people registered with CONADI, and other people authorised under the law, only show their identity document at migration control.
How strict is the 30-day limit?
Article 5 of the law sets the ceiling at 30 calendar days. It can be extended only for force majeure or an unforeseeable event, and only for the time needed to leave. The provincial delegation must decide an extension request within five working days, and no sanctions apply while it is pending.
The penalties for overstaying are set out in articles 35 to 40. Staying past the limit, or entering without the article 7 documents, is a serious infraction. It brings an order to leave within five days of notification, a fine of 3 to 10 UTM for each day of unauthorised stay, and a ban on returning for one to three years. Airlines must also report to the PDI, within 24 hours, any passenger who does not board their booked return flight.
A late flight is not your offence. Article 35 excludes stays caused by the transport company's failure. If a cancellation leaves you past day 30, ask the airline for written confirmation and raise it with the provincial delegation.
What the national park ticket covers
Rapa Nui National Park has been managed by the Ma'u Henua Indigenous Community since 23 November 2017, under a 50-year concession approved in an indigenous consultation where more than 86% of the Rapa Nui people voted in favour. UNESCO's listing, from the park's inscription in 1995, still names CONAF and the National Monuments Council as managers. That text predates the transfer.
The park's rules are short and firm. It is "MANDATORY to purchase a ticket and hire a guide, accredited by Ma'u Henua". Every person needs their own ticket. Rano Raraku, the moai quarry, and the ceremonial village of Ōroŋo can each be entered only once per ticket. Breaking park rules can bring fines of 5 to 100 UTM under Law 17.288, about CLP 358,605 to CLP 7,172,100 at the September 2026 value.
The ticket sales page linked from the park site says the ticket covers 12 enabled sites. It is personal and non-refundable, and you show it with your passport or ID at each entrance. On validity, two official texts disagree:
- The sales page says it runs "10 consecutive days starting from the date of entry to the first archaeological site".
- The park's terms and conditions say tickets are "valid for 10 days from the user's arrival in Rapa Nui".
Plan your two single-entry sites inside the first 10 days after landing, and both readings are met.
The terms also cover purchase. You buy online, and if you cannot travel there is no refund, but you can change the date once, up to a year ahead, or change the holder's name. A notice on the park site warns that non-Chileans must buy the ticket for foreigners, and that the wrong ticket "may prevent you from entering the park".
How much is the park ticket?
We could not read a current price on the park's own pages. The ticket list on the sales page did not load, and the park site shows no price table. The official tourism site Chile Travel listed US$80 for foreign visitors on its requirements page; the page's metadata shows a January 2026 revision, but the figure matches the price in force before the rise reported below. Easter Island Travel, a commercial site, reported in June 2025 that a Ma'u Henua general assembly had voted 404 to 130 to raise the foreign adult ticket from US$80 to US$100 and the Chilean adult ticket from CLP 20,000 to CLP 40,000, from 1 October 2025. Treat those figures as a guide and confirm the amount at checkout.
Hiring the guide
The park's guide directory lists accredited guides with the languages they speak, contacted directly by WhatsApp or email. The directory does not publish rates. Before you book a tour, ask whether the price includes the park ticket, because the terms treat the ticket as a separate personal purchase.
A booking order that avoids problems
Book the room first, at a property you can find in the Sernatur finder. Then book flights with a return no more than 30 days after arrival. Complete the FUI with both, and buy the park ticket last, choosing the foreigner category if you are not Chilean. Arrange a guide for your first days on the island so the single-entry sites fall inside the ticket's window. If your airline moves the return date, check that it still falls within 30 days of arrival, because that date is what the form is judged on.