Chile

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Transport Operator Licence Required

No

No national operator licence for domestic moves. Supreme Decree 163 of 1984, which regulates road transport services, states that individuals and companies wishing to provide national freight transport services do not need authorization from the MTT. The obligations that apply are attached to the vehicles and drivers, set out below. Cross-border road moves are different and are covered on the International: Chile page.

Business Registration Required

Yes. A company must be legally constituted (for example as a limited liability company, a joint-stock company known as an SpA, or a corporation) and must declare the start of its activities (“inicio de actividades”) with the Internal Revenue Service (Servicio de Impuestos Internos, SII) within two months of beginning operations. This also gives the company its tax identification number (RUT). Available sources indicate that businesses also need a municipal commercial licence (“patente municipal”) from the municipality where they operate.

Ownership or Nationality Conditions

None identified for domestic moves. The domestic freight provision applies to “individuals and companies” without a nationality condition. Ownership conditions do apply to international road permits (see International: Chile).

Vehicle Registration and Inspection Required

Yes. Every truck must be registered in the National Motor Vehicle Register kept by the Civil Registry and Identification Service (Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación). Ley 19.872 added further registration details for trucks and tractor units, and a Special Register of Trailers and Semi-trailers. Trucks, trailers, and semi-trailers used to carry goods must pass a technical inspection (“revisión técnica”) at an authorized inspection plant every six months, and a valid inspection is required to obtain the annual municipal circulation permit (“permiso de circulación”).

Professional Driver Licensing Required

Yes. Drivers of goods vehicles need a professional driving licence of the correct class, not an ordinary Class B car licence. Class A4 covers rigid goods vehicles and Class A5 covers rigid or articulated goods vehicles. Applicants must be at least 20, have held a Class B licence for at least two years, and pass theoretical and practical courses at a state-recognized driving school; Class A5 also requires two years with Class A4 (or a special course) and simulator training. Licences are issued by the municipal traffic department.

Compulsory Motor Insurance Required

Yes. Every motor vehicle, trailer, and semi-trailer must carry the Compulsory Personal Accident Insurance (“Seguro Obligatorio de Accidentes Personales”, SOAP) under Ley 18.490, which is needed to obtain the circulation permit. SOAP covers death, bodily injury, and medical costs for people harmed in accidents involving the vehicle. It does not cover damage to vehicles or to the goods being carried. No compulsory goods-in-transit insurance for domestic carriers was identified.

Carrier Liability Rules

Set by the Commercial Code, which governs the contract of carriage by land (“contrato de transporte”). The carrier (“porteador”) answers for slight negligence, and loss, damage, or delay is presumed to be the carrier’s fault. Losses caused by unforeseeable events (“caso fortuito”) or by the inherent nature of the goods fall on the customer, unless the carrier contributed to them or failed to take proper care. For carriers that offer their services to the public, the Code also provides that they are not liable for money, jewelry, documents, or other high-value items whose contents were not declared when handed over, and that printed clauses limiting liability to a set amount do not release the carrier from compensating proven losses. No removal-specific contract law was identified; the general carriage rules apply.

Claim Deadlines

Short. Under the Commercial Code, the carrier’s liability for loss and damage can end if the goods are received and the freight paid without reservation, if visibly damaged packages are accepted without protest, or if hidden damage found on unpacking is not reported within 24 hours of delivery. Claims are time-barred after six months for moves within Chile and one year for shipments abroad.

Consumer Protection

Yes. Ley 19.496 on the Protection of Consumer Rights is Chile’s general consumer protection law, and SERNAC is the consumer agency. In standard-form contracts, the law deprives of effect clauses that impose absolute limitations on the business’s liability toward the consumer where these could deprive the consumer of compensation for defects affecting the essential purpose of the service.

Consumer Complaint Resources (For Movers Not Vetted as ITMs)

Yes. Consumers can file a complaint (“reclamo”) with SERNAC online, at regional offices, or by phone (800 700 100) within two years of the problem. SERNAC forwards the complaint to the business, which may accept it in full or in part, reject it, or not respond; the process can take up to 18 business days. SERNAC cannot impose a resolution. A consumer who is not satisfied can go, without a lawyer, to the local police court (“Juzgado de Policía Local”) of the relevant municipality, which can impose fines and order compensation for breaches of the consumer law.

Industry Association

None found. No dedicated Chilean household-moving trade association was identified in this research.

OverviewOverview & Scope

Chile does not license domestic road freight carriers as businesses. A company that carries household goods within Chile does not need an operating authorization from the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications. Instead, Chile regulates the equipment and the people: each truck and trailer must be registered with the Civil Registry, pass six-monthly technical inspections, carry compulsory accident insurance, and hold a municipal circulation permit, and every truck driver must hold a professional licence of the right class. These obligations attach to whichever company operates the vehicles. A mover that uses its own trucks must meet them directly. Where a mover subcontracts the trucking, the carrier’s own registrations, inspections, insurance and driver licences cover the transport it performs, and the mover should use carriers that hold them. Liability for the goods follows the land carriage provisions of the Commercial Code, which presume carrier fault but set short claim deadlines. Consumer complaints go to SERNAC and, if unresolved, to the local police courts.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Company licensing

1. Constitute the business as a legal entity and declare the start of activities with the SII within two months of beginning operations.

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

2. Register every truck, trailer, and semi-trailer with the Civil Registry, including the additional entries for heavy goods vehicles and the Special Register of Trailers and Semi-trailers.
3. Keep every truck’s technical inspection current, renewing it every six months, and renew the annual municipal circulation permit.
4. Keep SOAP compulsory accident insurance in force for every vehicle, trailer, and semi-trailer.
5. Ensure every driver holds the correct professional licence class (A4 or A5) for the vehicle driven.

Subcontracted transport

6. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

Customer practices

7. Make sure contracts and practices meet Ley 19.496 and the Commercial Code’s carriage rules, avoiding standard-form clauses that impose absolute limits on liability.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Business constituted as a legal entity and start of activities declared with the SII (RUT issued)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

• Every truck, trailer, and semi-trailer registered with the Civil Registry (including the Ley 19.872 entries and the Special Register of Trailers and Semi-trailers)Where applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Technical inspection current for every operated vehicle (six-monthly)Where applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Municipal circulation permit current for every operated vehicleWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• SOAP compulsory accident insurance in force for every operated vehicle, trailer, and semi-trailerWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Every driver holds the correct professional licence class (A4 or A5) for the vehicle drivenWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired

Customer practices

• Contracts and practices comply with Ley 19.496 (including no standard-form clauses imposing absolute limitations on liability, Art. 16(e)) and the Commercial Code’s carriage rulesVerified by AffirmationRequired