1. Where can I find information related to Customs regulations for travelers?
You will find by clicking on FOREIGN TRAVELERS in this website different categories of travelers organized by origin, destination, etc.

2. What goods may I bring in after being away from Chile without paying any duties?
a. Your traveler s baggage.
b. Goods for non commercial use purchased at the Duty Free Shop for up to US$500.

3. What requisites goods must comply to be considered traveler s baggage?
a. They must be for personal and non commercial use, as well as appropriate for the traveler s needs and consistent with the purpose, nature and duration of his stay.
b. Travelers must have the goods with them when they arrive or they must enter the country within 120 days before or after the traveler s arrival. In such cases, goods shall be consigned to him in the manifest and/or relevant shipping document.

4. As a traveler, what goods may I bring in the country? What duties must I pay? and what procedures shall I carry out when importing goods in the country?
You can either import in person or through a third party duly authorized by a Notary the following:
a. Goods for non-commercial use worth up to US$ 1,500 FOB value.
b. Goods for commercial use worth up to US$ 1,000 invoiced values.

These imported goods shall be subject to payment of the following duties:
a. 6% over CIF or customs value.
b. 19% VAT, calculated over the CIF or customs value, plus customs duties.
c. Other customs levies, such us tariff tax surcharges, additional taxes, warehouse taxes and excise duties (if applicable).

You will be given a Form Import Declaration and Simultaneous Payment by Customs when importing goods.

If the goods you bring in are worth more than the said amounts, they have to be imported through a Customs Broker, whose fee will be agreed by both parties. (See Custom Broker list in this site).

5. What procedures should I follow when bringing in temporary goods not considered traveler s baggage?

Foreign visitors or Chilean residents abroad shall be able to temporarily bring in the country, for up to 90 days, goods not considered baggage that will be used during their stay in the country and subsequently returned abroad.

The temporary admission will be done by completing the Form Declaration for Temporary Admission of Traveler s Goods given by Customs.

6. Do I need specific permits from other agencies before bringing in the country certain goods?Depending on their nature certain goods need the relevant permits and authorizations from the national controlling agencies (phytosanitary, health, firearms, etc.) before being declared to Customs.

7. What is a Duty Free Shop?
They are totally demarcated areas located within Airports in which are placed foreign, domestic, and nationalized goods to be sold to aircraft passengers going abroad, entering the country or in transit.

8. Do I have to pay any duty or tax for goods bought at the Duty Free Shop? What kind of goods can I purchase at this shop?
Goods purchased at this shop are duty free, provided that they are for non commercial use and worth up to a US $500 customs value.

9. I am a foreign visitor and will visit Chile with a Chilean relative. Are we subject to the same customs regulations?
Foreign visitors and Chilean residents visiting Chile as tourists are subject to the same regulations, on the assumption that the Chilean resident will entry the country as a tourist.

10. Are travelers coming from Free Zones or Free Zones of Extension (Iquique and Punta Arenas) entitled to bring in the rest of the country goods without paying any duty? Up to what amount?
Travelers coming from a Free Zone or a Free Zone of Extension are entitled to bring in the country goods without paying any duties or taxes, as well as their baggage for non commercial use purchased in this zone and worth up to a customs value of US $1.000. None of the articles shall exceed the exemption entitled to each person.

11. Are Chilean residents living abroad and returning home for a short period of time subject to the same laws, restrictions and entitlements than foreign visitors?
Yes, because they are considered tourists, so they are subject to the same customs regulations.

12. I am a Chilean resident who has lived abroad for a long period of time and now want to return home. Am I entitled to bring in the country two vehicles besides my personal effects and traveler s baggage?
Chilean residents who have lived abroad for a period of one year or more in a continuous basis and return home are entitled to import only one vehicle per person who has to be older than 18 years old. It can be a brand new or used vehicle irrespective of its activity, by paying full duties and taxes for its import.

As for used vehicles, you are entitled to only a 50% exemption of customs duties surcharge corresponding to used goods. The vehicle will not be traded under any circumstance during a three year period from its import date.

13. Who are considered Chilean officers and employees working abroad in accordance to their eligibility to bring in the country goods subject to exemptions?
They are Officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Defense and International Organizations linked to Chile, and from Public Companies or Government s autonomous Agencies or Corporations in which the State has a direct or indirect share of 90% or more of its capital.

14. Are Chilean officers and employees who had lived and worked abroad eligible for a personal exemption when importing goods? What conditions apply to them?
They are eligible for a personal exemption that allows them to bring in household goods, equipment, work tools and traveler s baggage without paying any duty or tax. Goods must be for non commercial use and household goods and work tools must be used and purchased before bringing them into the country.

15. Are sick travelers carrying dialysis machines, pacemakers and artificial heart valves eligible to personal exemptions?
Yes. Medical equipment is duty free, providing that it is duly certified by the corresponding medical certificate.

16. What personal exemptions apply to Chilean artists that reside permanently abroad?
Travelers carrying pieces of art made by themselves, such as, sculptures, paintings, handicrafts, etc. may bring them into the country without paying any duty, providing that they have the relevant artist certification by the Directorate of Libraries, Archives, and Museums of Chile.

17. Are residents of Easter Island entitled to personal exemptions?
Easter Island residents qualify to the same exemptions than Chilean residents when they enter and exit the country.