Overview
Carabineros de Chile is the country's national uniformed police force. New recruits join through one of two formation schools: the Escuela de Carabineros "General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo", which trains future officers (Oficiales), and the Escuela de Formación de Carabineros "Alguacil Mayor Juan Gómez de Almagro", which trains rank-and-file officers (Carabineros). A third institution, the Escuela de Suboficiales (Esfocar), specialises and promotes serving personnel to non-commissioned ranks rather than taking fresh applicants from outside the force.
For the 2026 admission cycle, a new regulation (Decreto 88, which updates the 1959-era rules governing entry) widened who can apply: the minimum entry age dropped to 17 and the maximum rose to 30, and the longstanding requirement to be single was removed.
Who can apply
General requirements for the rank-and-file (Carabinero) entry path, for the 2026 cycle:
Chilean nationality.
Age 17 to 30 as of 1 February of the year of entry; 17-year-old applicants need parental or guardian authorisation.
Minimum height of 1.50 m for women and 1.60 m for men, measured without shoes.
Fourth year of secondary school (cuarto medio) completed, or in progress with a current-student certificate, plus a PAES (university admission test) score in Mathematics 1 and Reading Comprehension from the two most recent sittings.
No marital-status requirement since Decreto 88 (2026); previously only single applicants were accepted.
No criminal convictions, and no record of dismissal from a public role for disciplinary reasons.
Health, and physical and psychological fitness, compatible with police training and duty.
For male applicants, military service status must be in order.
Applicants to the Escuela de Carabineros (officer path) are assessed against broadly the same age, height, nationality and conduct requirements, with their PAES Mathematics 1 and Reading Comprehension scores used directly in the academic part of the evaluation.
Selection process
Selection runs in two stages.
Stage 1
| Component | What it checks | Reported pass mark |
|---|---|---|
| Psychological examination | Attitudes and aptitude for police work | — |
| Secondary-school average | Grades from the first to third year of secondary school | — |
| Preliminary health exam | General medical fitness | — |
| Physical fitness test | Agility test, sit-ups, press-ups (men only), and a timed 2,400-metre run | At least 20% |
| Group interview | Communication and behaviour in a group setting | At least 30% |
Stage 2
Applicants who clear Stage 1 move to an individual interview with an evaluating officer, alongside further document and background checks, before a final admission decision.
Important dates
Carabineros runs admission on the Southern Hemisphere academic calendar, with the training year starting in February — the opposite cycle to the Indian academic year. For the 2026 intake:
Applications are accepted year-round at Sedes de Postulación (application centres) nationwide, but the window for the main 2026 intake was extended to 31 August 2026.
Applications for an Esfocar-linked training cohort beginning in August 2026 closed on 28 February 2026.
The main annual intake begins training on 1 February of the entry year; some cohorts start in August instead.
The full process, from application to a final decision, has been reported to take around six months, depending on how quickly an applicant supplies the required documents.
Fees
Applying to the rank-and-file Escuela de Formación is free; there is no prospecto (information pack) to buy. For the Escuela de Carabineros officer-entry process, at least one official notice reported an application fee of around CLP 25,000, paid as part of the online application.
How to apply
Applications are submitted entirely online, using Clave Única (Chile's unified digital-identity login), through the Carabineros application platform (postulaciones.carabineros.cl for the Escuela de Formación path, or the Escuela de Carabineros site for the officer path). Applicants without online access can also start the process in person at any of the Sedes de Postulación nationwide, open Monday to Friday, with a valid identity card.
Documents typically requested include: Licencia de Enseñanza Media or a current-student certificate, birth certificate, certificado de antecedentes (criminal record certificate), secondary-school grade transcript, and a certificate from the Electoral Service on political-party affiliation; male applicants also submit proof of current military-service status.
Preparation tips
Because PAES Mathematics 1 and Reading Comprehension scores feed directly into the academic evaluation, candidates benefit from treating those two PAES sections seriously well before applying. Since first-to-third-year secondary-school grades are also scored, it helps to address any weak subjects early rather than relying only on the final year. For the physical fitness test, practise all four components together — agility, sit-ups, press-ups (for men), and the 2,400-metre run — rather than training for only one. Gathering the required civil documents (antecedentes, birth certificate, elections affiliation certificate) ahead of time avoids delays once an application is shortlisted.
What is the minimum age to apply to Carabineros de Chile?
Since Decreto 88 took effect for the 2026 admission cycle, applicants can apply from age 17 (with parental or guardian authorisation) up to age 30, both reckoned as of 1 February of the year of entry.
Can married applicants join Carabineros?
Yes. The 2026 regulation removed the previous requirement that applicants be single, so marital status is no longer a bar to applying.
Is there a fee to apply to Carabineros?
Applying to the rank-and-file Escuela de Formación is free. The Escuela de Carabineros officer-entry process has been reported to carry an application fee of around CLP 25,000.
What does the physical fitness test for Carabineros admission include?
Reported components are an agility test, sit-ups, press-ups (for male applicants only), and a timed 2,400-metre run, with a minimum score of around 20% needed to pass this part of Stage 1.