Álvaro Bellolio

Álvaro Bellolio Avaria is a Chilean industrial engineer and politician. Since 2025, he has served as a regional councilor for the Santiago Metropolitan Region.

From 28 May 2021 to 11 March 2022 he was National Director of the National Migration Service (SERMIG) during the second government of Sebastián Piñera. Previously, between 2018 and 2021, he headed the Departamento de Extranjería y Migración (DEM) of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security.

Bellolio contributes opinion columns to outlets such as Nuevo Poder and El Líbero, on topics including electoral participation of foreign residents and foreign policy risks.

Family and education He is the son of Jaime Bellolio Rodríguez, former director of Canal 13, and Margarita María Avaria Benapres. He is the brother of former deputy and minister Jaime Bellolio.

He studied at Colegio Cordillera and earned a degree in Industrial Engineering with a mention in Information Technologies from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He later completed a master's degree in public policy at the University of Chicago.

Political career In December 2024 Álvaro Bellolio (UDI) was elected regional councilor for Santiago IV with 82,032 votes. Under Article 42 of the Metropolitan Regional Council Regulations, if the regional governor is temporarily unable to exercise his functions, the councilor with the highest citizen vote acts as acting president of the council.

In June 2025, regional councilors from the Republican Party and the Independent Democratic Union submitted a petition to the Election Qualifying Court (TRICEL) requesting the dismissal of the Governor of Santiago, Claudio Orrego, alleging serious breaches of duty and violations of administrative probity. The filing, backed by 16 councilors, listed 17 charges related to a Comptroller General report on campaign funding.