Easter Island's new Residency Law

On August 1st 2018, the visit of Chile's President, Sebastian Piñera, was timed to coincide with the fist day of the application of the Residency Law for Easter Island that the Chilean Senate and Congress had approved earlier this year.

For the visitor who plans on fulfilling their dream of setting foot on the enigmatic island, you will notice little change. On check-in at Santiago airport everyone is asked to fill in a piece of paper with the details of their trip: length of stay, accommodation etc., and this is checked again as you board the plane.

The key points of this new law is that no-one can stay stay on the island for longer than 30 days, without being a prior resident or having a defined work contract.  This isn't aimed solely at foreigners, but at Chileans too, which has created some hard feelings on the mainland, since Easter island still depends enormously on Chile for nearly everything.

However something had to give, and in the 20 years that I have been here, the local population has risen from 3,700 to over 8,000 people, and it was only getting more popular for people to want to move and live here.  The roads and infrastructure could no longer handle all of the people, and basic services such as the island hospital were buckling under the demand.

This new law would have ideally come about 10 years ago, but congratulations must be given to the island authorities who have followed this through until now. 

Presidential visit

On August 1st, the Chilean President Sebastian Piñera spent 24 hours on the island, and his whistle-stop tour included the signing of 3 important law changes that will affect the future of this island.

Firstly, he confirmed that a new law was in process to change the island's official name from 'Isla de Pascua' (Easter Island in Spanish) to Rapa Nui, one of the island's Polynesian names that has long been the preferred nomenclature for the island's residents. There is a never-ending argument amongst academics as to the 'original' name of this island, if indeed anyone actually knows it, but this is an important recognition of the island's Polynesian roots.

Secondly, he signed the bill for the introduction of the new Residency Law, which as of August 1st 2018 limits the length of time that visitors and any non-residents can stay on the island. See my subsequent post about this, since it is one of the most significant changes to affect the island in recent history, and is a long-overdue solution (hopefully) to the island's growing population.

Thirdly, he met with the 6 new local councillors who will make up the island's ocean committee, and whose responsibility it will be to control the island's recently-designated MPA (Marine Protected Area). Easter Island's MPA was created in 2017, and covers an area of 740,000 sq. km - one of the largest in the world.

All in all a very productive visit by the Chilean leader!