Easter Island Entry Requirements: FUI Form, Return Ticket and Hotel Rules
Chile controls who lands on Rapa Nui. The four things you must have before you fly, what the FUI form actually asks, and when to do each step.
Easter Island is part of Chile, but you cannot treat it like a domestic flight to Santiago. Under Chilean law, Rapa Nui is a special territory with its own entry rules, and the police check them at the departure gate on the mainland. If your paperwork is not in order, you do not board — regardless of whether your ticket is paid for.
There are four requirements. None of them is difficult. All of them catch people out.
The short version
You need a valid passport, a non-transferable return ticket within 30 days, a reservation at a SERNATUR-accredited place to stay, and a completed FUI form submitted online before you travel. Bring evidence of all four to the airport.
1. The FUI form
The Formulario Único de Ingreso — the Single Entry Form, usually just called the FUI — is a free online form every visitor must complete before flying. You submit it at the Chilean Interior Ministry's site, ingresorapanui.interior.gob.cl, and you present it to the Policía de Investigaciones (PDI) at the airport you depart from, normally Santiago.
The form asks how you are arriving (plane or boat), your arrival date, your identity document details, and where you will be staying. If you are staying at a hotel or guesthouse, you select it from a list of approved establishments. If you are staying with a Rapa Nui resident instead, you enter the folio number from the invitation letter they have obtained for you.
There is no fee, and you do not need to do it months in advance. A week or two out is sensible — early enough that a problem can be fixed, late enough that your accommodation is definitely confirmed.
Why this exists
Rapa Nui has been formally declared saturated. The island's population and visitor numbers are legally capped, tourist stays are limited to 30 days, and the FUI is how Chile tracks who is on the island. It is not arbitrary paperwork — it is the mechanism behind the cap.
2. A non-transferable return ticket
You must hold a return flight off the island, and it must be non-transferable — in practice, a normal booked ticket in your name that you cannot simply hand to somebody else. The return date has to fall within 30 days of your arrival.
This is the requirement that quietly forces everyone into advance planning. One airline flies the Santiago route, roughly five to eleven times a week depending on season, on a wide-body aircraft with a fixed number of seats. Because you cannot legally fly out without already holding the flight home, "I will figure out how long to stay once I am there" is not an option on this island the way it is elsewhere in South America.
3. Accredited accommodation
You must have a reservation at accommodation authorised by SERNATUR, Chile's national tourism service. The approved list is published at serviciosturisticos.sernatur.cl.
This matters more than it sounds. It is not enough to have booked something — a private rental found on a general booking site may well not be on the accredited list, and if it is not, your FUI submission and your airport check will both fail. Confirm accreditation before you pay a deposit, not after.
The alternative is to be formally invited by a Rapa Nui resident or another person entitled to live on the island. They must obtain an invitation letter with a folio number issued by the provincial authority, naming you and covering your dates. This is a real route, but only if you genuinely know someone there.
4. Identity documents
A passport, or a Chilean identity card if you hold one. Nothing unusual here, except that the name on it must match your flight booking and your FUI submission exactly.
When to do each step
| Timing | Step | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| 3–6 months out | Book the Santiago–Easter Island flight | Limited seats and one airline. Fares and availability both deteriorate. |
| 3–6 months out | Book accredited accommodation | You need the confirmation before the FUI, and good places are few. |
| 6–8 weeks out | Book your guiding days | One accredited guide can only take one group at a time. |
| 4 weeks out | Buy the national park ticket online | Avoids a queue in Hanga Roa on arrival day. |
| 1–2 weeks out | Complete the FUI form | Late enough that accommodation is confirmed, early enough to fix problems. |
| Day of travel | Bring evidence of all four to the airport | The PDI checks before you board on the mainland. |
What happens at the airport
You check in for the flight in Santiago as normal, then present yourself to the PDI counter. They want your passport, your FUI, your return ticket, and proof of your accommodation booking. It takes a few minutes when everything is in order.
If something is missing, they do not let you fly. There is no counter that fixes this for you, and the next flight may be days away.
Common mistakes
- Booking a private rental that is not on the SERNATUR-accredited list, and discovering it at the airport.
- Assuming a one-way ticket is fine because you will 'decide later'. The return ticket is a legal entry requirement.
- Completing the FUI before accommodation is actually confirmed, so the details do not match.
- Treating the flight as domestic and arriving at the gate without the PDI check.
- Planning a stay longer than 30 days. That is the legal maximum for tourists.
- Confusing the park ticket with entry permission. They are separate — you need both.
Does any of this change?
Yes, and that is the honest answer. Entry rules derive from Chilean law and park regulations, both of which get updated. Prices in particular move. This page was last verified in August 2026, and we link the official sources above precisely so you can check the current position rather than trust a blog post.
Once you have entry sorted, the next thing that catches people is the park ticket — specifically the fact that it admits you to the two best sites only once each.