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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Questions about your move.

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Getting started

Who is Settle in Latin America for?

Households moving to Latin America from anywhere in the world. We help remote workers, retirees, couples, and families plan the move, prepare documents, find housing, and settle in. Our service language is English.

What can I use for free?

Your move roadmap, the budget calculator, the Santiago guide, and My Area are free. My Area keeps your checklist, private documents, budget, and messages in one place. You pay only if you choose a package and accept a written agreement.

Do I need an account to start?

No. Get your free move roadmap without an account, then print it or save it as a PDF. Sign in with Google when you want to keep it in My Area.

Do I need a moving date to start?

No. You can answer the roadmap questions without a date. Add a target arrival date later in My Area, and your tasks fall into order around it.

Does the roadmap tell me which visa I qualify for?

No. The roadmap suggests what to prepare first. An independent immigration professional assesses your residence route and confirms what it requires.

Can I speak to someone first?

Yes. Send us a question without an account, or request a call after you sign in. We confirm the call time and whether we're the right fit before any paid work.

Ask a question first
What is the best first step?

Get your free move roadmap. It orders the first tasks for your situation. When you want help, request a move plan or a coordinator call, and we confirm the details in writing before you pay.

Packages and how they work

How are the packages different?

Explore is free and gives you the roadmap and My Area. Plan adds a consultation and a written move plan. Managed Move adds a named coordinator for 90 days of document, housing, and arrival coordination. Renewal Support helps one returning applicant with a standard residence renewal.

What does the Plan package include?

One consultation of up to one hour and a written move plan. The plan lists your tasks, who handles each one, the document order, questions for your professionals, and an itemized cost estimate. One round of follow-up questions is included.

See an example plan
What does Managed Move include?

A named coordinator for 90 days of document, housing, and arrival coordination, for up to two adults in one city and one residence route. Housing support covers up to five available properties and up to three viewings through a confirmed local provider. Includes the Plan package.

What is Renewal Support?

Coordination for one returning applicant with a standard residence renewal. You get a refreshed checklist, the order of appointments, and follow-up with your provider. Independent professional review costs extra. Complex or contested cases need a separate quote.

What happens after I request a package?

We check that we can support your destination. Then we send the package, fee, support dates, and cancellation terms in a written agreement. You accept it in My Area, and payment instructions follow. Work starts on the dates in your agreement.

Can I start with Plan and move up to Managed Move?

Yes. An eligible Plan payment counts once toward Managed Move for the same move. Your agreement shows the remaining fee before you accept it.

Can you help with more people, cities, or extra needs?

Yes, with a separate quote. Additional applicants, cities, residence routes, viewings, schooling, pets, and extra support time are quoted before work begins.

How long does Managed Move support last?

Your coordinator works with you for 90 days, on start and end dates set in your written agreement. Government processes can take longer. Your final summary names who continues each open item.

Your coordinator and support

Who is my coordinator?

With Managed Move, one named coordinator follows up on the work in your agreement. You see who it is in My Area. With Plan, our team runs your consultation and writes your plan.

How do I reach my coordinator?

With Managed Move or Renewal Support, message your coordinator from My Area at any time. Each message can link to the task or document it is about. Replies arrive in the same conversation.

Will I get updates on my move?

Yes. During Managed Move, your coordinator posts updates in My Area. Each open task shows the next step and who is responsible for it.

What happens when coordinator support ends?

Your coordinator sends a final summary with completed work, remaining tasks, and future dates. Your information stays in My Area. More coordination needs a new agreement.

How do calls get scheduled?

Suggest times in My Area. We confirm a time that works for both sides, and the confirmed call appears in your plan. A request is not a booking until we confirm it.

What language do you work in?

English. Our team, My Area, written plans, and agreements are in English.

Documents and privacy

Which documents will I need?

An independent immigration professional confirms what your residence route requires. My Area tracks your checklist, files, and review status, including translations and apostilles.

Is it safe to upload my documents?

Files are stored privately. Only signed-in members of your household and the staff working on your move can open them. Each new version is kept, and replacing a file starts a new review. Upload PDF or image files of up to 10 MB each.

Read how we protect your data
Who can see my information?

Your household and the staff working on your move. A provider or professional sees only the item you choose to share, for as long as you allow. An employer sees only the progress you choose to share.

Do you use AI on my documents?

Only when you or our staff ask for it. Cloudflare Workers AI can read the text of an uploaded document. The result stays a draft until a person checks it against the original.

Do you sell my data or track me?

No. We do not sell your information, and we do not use advertising cookies, analytics trackers, or social media pixels.

Read the cookie policy
Can I email my passport or other records?

Please don't send passport copies, financial records, or health information by email or in the question form. Upload them to My Area when your move asks for them.

Fees and payments

How much does it cost?

Explore is free. Plan is $199 USD one time. Managed Move is $1,990 USD, or $1,791 USD after your Plan credit. Renewal Support is $299 USD. Professional advice, government charges, translations, rent, deposits, travel, shipping, and insurance are paid separately.

See all fees
How does the Plan credit work?

A completed, non-refunded $199 USD Plan payment is applied once to Managed Move for the same move. The remaining service fee is $1,791 USD.

How do I pay for a package?

Online card payment is not yet available. After you accept your written agreement, we send payment instructions. Any eligible Plan credit appears in that agreement. We do not store card details.

Which costs are not included?

Professional legal and tax fees, government charges, translations, apostilles, rent, deposits, travel, shipping, and insurance. My Area keeps these estimates, quotes, and paid costs next to your service fee.

Is this a subscription?

No. Each package is a one-time fee for the work in your agreement. My Area stays free to open.

Which currency do you charge in?

Our package fees are set in US dollars. Your written agreement states the amount before you accept it. In My Area, you can track other costs in the currency you pay them in.

Do you take commissions from providers?

No. Independent providers set their own fees, and you see their quote before you agree to it. Their fees are separate from ours.

Refunds and cancellations

Can I get a refund?

Yes. Before work begins, you can request a full refund. After work begins, we explain the work delivered and refund the unused portion. Your information stays available in My Area.

Read the refund policy
How do I cancel?

Email hello@settleinlatinamerica.com from the address on your account and tell us you want to cancel. We confirm the cancellation and any refund in writing.

What if you can't support my destination?

We tell you before you pay. We confirm local providers, requirements, and fees first, and we only send an agreement when we can do the work.

What happens to my information after a refund?

It stays in My Area until you ask us to delete it. We keep agreement and payment history for our records and for the law.

Do I get a refund if my visa or rental is refused?

Our fee covers the coordination work in your agreement, not the decision. Governments, landlords, and banks make their own decisions. If work has not started, you can still request a full refund.

Destinations and global clients

Where do you offer support?

Santiago is our first city guide, and our packages are set up for Santiago today. For other destinations in Latin America, we confirm local providers, requirements, and fees before you commit to paid work.

Can you help if I'm not from the United States?

Yes. We work with households from anywhere in the world. Your nationality and current country are part of your profile, because requirements often depend on them. An independent professional confirms what applies to you.

Which destinations can I plan for?

My Area covers 50 countries and territories across Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Choosing a destination lets you plan for it. It does not confirm paid support there yet.

Can I work with you from another time zone?

Yes. Most of the work happens in My Area, so you can send questions and files whenever it suits you. Call times are agreed with you, and times in My Area use your destination's time zone.

Independent professionals

Do you give legal, tax, or immigration advice?

No. We plan and coordinate. Independent professionals give advice under their own terms, and they are responsible for it.

Read the disclaimer
How do you choose professionals and providers?

We confirm each one for your move before any paid work begins, and you see their quote before you agree to it.

Ask about your city
Can a provider see my files?

Only what you share. You choose the exact item or document version. Access can expire, and you can stop sharing at any time.

Can you guarantee my visa, rental, or bank account?

No. Governments, landlords, and banks make their own decisions. We help you prepare, follow up on the work in your agreement, and keep every step visible.

My Area and your data

What is My Area?

Your private space for the move. It holds your plan, tasks, documents, budget, appointments, agreements, and messages with our team.

How do I sign in?

With Google. Use a personal Google account or a Google Workspace account. There is no separate password to remember, and a session lasts up to seven days.

Can my partner or family join My Area?

Yes. Invite other adults in your household by email. Everyone you invite sees your shared move. Your agreement sets how many adult accounts your package includes.

Can I download my plan and files?

Yes. Download your move plan, calendar files, and private documents, or export all your move information as a PDF or a JSON file.

How do I delete my information?

Email hello@settleinlatinamerica.com and ask us to delete it. We may confirm it's you first. We keep agreement and payment records when the law requires it.

Read the privacy policy
Does My Area work on my phone?

Yes. My Area works in your phone's browser, and you can add it to your home screen. You can also save your checklist for offline use on a device you trust.

Can my employer see my move?

Only if you choose. You pick the progress you share. Your tax details, income, documents, and private conversations are never shared with an employer.

Still have a question?

Ask us without an account, and we'll reply by email.