How to register a company in Chile 2026

TKEG Expat · Updated July 2026

How to Register a Company in Chile: The Short Answer

How to register a company in Chile comes down to six steps and a choice between two routes. First, each foreign shareholder obtains a Chilean tax ID (RUT) from the Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII) through a local representative. Next, you choose a structure — usually an SpA or SRL — and sign the incorporation documents either digitally through the Empresa en un Día platform (Ley N° 20.659) or as a notarized public deed. The notary route adds registration with the Registro de Comercio and publication in the Diario Oficial. The company then registers its own RUT and declares the start of activities with the SII, obtains a patente municipal from the local municipality, and opens a corporate bank account. The digital constitution itself takes 24–48 hours; a realistic all-in timeline for a foreign-owned company, including apostilles and bank KYC, is 1–2 months as of 2026.

Chile is one of Latin America's most stable economies: an OECD member, with its capital Santiago and a network of trade agreements covering more than 60 markets. Under Law 20.848, foreign investors may own 100% of a Chilean company with no residency or visa requirement, and the entire incorporation can be handled remotely through a power of attorney. The trade-off: every company needs a Chile-resident legal representative and a Chilean tax address, and banks apply strict KYC to foreign-owned entities. This guide covers the requirements, both registration routes, real costs, timelines, and the tax obligations that begin once the company declares the start of activities.

Can a foreigner register a company in Chile?

Yes. Law 20.848, Chile's foreign investment framework, lets foreigners own 100% of a Chilean company with no residency or visa requirement. Individuals and foreign companies can both act as shareholders, and the process works fully remotely: a power of attorney lets a local representative sign the incorporation documents, file with the Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII), and complete the registrations on your behalf. You do not need to travel to Chile at any point.

Two local elements remain mandatory for every company, foreign-owned or not. First, a Chile-resident legal representative who holds a Chilean RUT must be appointed — this person answers to the SII, the municipality, and other authorities. Second, the company needs a Chilean tax address (domicilio tributario). Founders without local contacts typically solve both through a provider; TKEG Expat's incorporation package, for example, includes a nominee resident legal representative and a registered company address for one year.

Chile company registration requirements

Line up the following before filing anything. The requirements are the same whether you incorporate digitally or before a notary; only the paperwork route differs.

• Company name: a unique name, checked against the registry and reserved before the deed is drafted.
• Shareholders or partners: an SRL takes 2 to 50 partners (socios); an SpA takes 1 or more shareholders; an EIRL is limited to exactly one natural person.
• Legal representative: a Chile-resident representative holding a Chilean RUT — mandatory for every company.
• Registered address: a Chilean tax address (domicilio tributario) where the SII and the municipality can reach the company.
• Bylaws and deed: company bylaws (estatutos) plus the incorporation instrument — a digital filing or a notarized public deed (escritura pública).
• Investor RUT: each foreign shareholder needs a Chilean tax ID before the company can be constituted.

Who can be a partner or administrator?

Any adult individual or any foreign company can hold shares — Chile imposes no nationality or residency restriction on ownership. Structure choice does depend on headcount: under Ley 3.918, an SRL requires 2 to 50 partners, with management vested in the partners themselves or in appointed administrators — there is no board of directors. A single founder should choose an SpA, which accepts one shareholder, or an EIRL, which is restricted to one natural person and a single business purpose. Administrators can be foreigners, but the legal representative must be resident in Chile and hold a Chilean RUT.

Is there a minimum capital or a required office?

No. Chile sets no statutory minimum capital for an SRL or SpA — you can incorporate with a nominal amount. Two practical points still matter. Advisers often suggest reserving some working capital, since a credible capital figure eases bank onboarding; that is industry practice, not a legal requirement. Declared capital also has cost consequences: the Commercial Registry fee runs about 0.2% of it on the notary route, and the annual patente municipal is tied to it as well. A physical office is not required — a registered tax address is enough until you have staff or premises-based operations.

How does a foreign investor get a Chilean RUT?

A foreign investor gets a Chilean RUT by appointing a local representative, who files an apostilled power of attorney and the investor's passport with the Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII). No Chilean visa, residency, or travel is required, and the same RUT then serves for all future filings. Timing is the real constraint: nothing else in the process moves until each foreign shareholder holds a RUT, so start here. Budget 2–4 weeks for the document and apostille round-trip, depending on your home country. TKEG Expat runs this as a standalone Chile RUT application service for investors who only need the tax ID.

Documents checklist

The document set below comes from live case practice for foreign-owned incorporations. Everything issued outside Chile must arrive in Spanish and carry the correct certification chain — see the note under the table.

Certification chain for foreign documents: Spanish translation, then Spanish-language notarization, then apostille. For mainland-China documents, the apostille applies since China joined the Apostille Convention in November 2023, replacing the consular legalization used before.

SpA, SRL, EIRL, SA or branch: which entity should you register?

Most foreign founders choose between the SpA (sociedad por acciones) and the SRL (sociedad de responsabilidad limitada, governed by Ley 3.918). Both offer limited liability and no statutory minimum capital; they differ in headcount rules and governance. The table compares the five common vehicles; for a deeper look at the SRL — the structure most foreign SMEs use — see the Chile SRL entity guide.

How to register a company in Chile in 6 steps

The sequence below is the same for every structure; only step 3 depends on the route you pick. Steps 1 and 6 — the investor RUT and the bank account — set the real calendar, so run them at the edges of the project: RUT first, bank KYC opened as early as possible.

First decision: digital route or notary deed?

Ley N° 20.659, the "Tu empresa en un día" law, created a simplified digital incorporation register at registrodeempresasysociedades.cl. Filings there need no notary deed and no Diario Oficial publication. The traditional route runs through a notarized public deed instead, followed by registration and publication. Decide based on how customized your bylaws need to be.

Step 1: Obtain the investor RUT from the SII

Each foreign shareholder — individual or company — obtains a Chilean tax ID (RUT) from the Servicio de Impuestos Internos through a local representative, who files the apostilled power of attorney. Nothing else moves without it: the deed cannot name a shareholder who has no RUT. Start the apostille paperwork immediately; the round-trip typically takes 2–4 weeks depending on the home country.

Step 2: Reserve the name and sign the incorporation deed

Check and reserve the company name, draft the bylaws, and sign the incorporation instrument. On the digital route this is an electronic filing on Empresa en un Día; on the traditional route the founders — or their attorney-in-fact under the POA — execute a public deed (escritura pública) before a Chilean notary. Remote founders sign nothing in person: the power of attorney covers execution.

Step 3: Register and publish (notary route only)

Notary-route companies must register an extract of the deed with the Registro de Comercio, kept by the Conservador de Comercio, and publish it in the Diario Oficial — both within 60 days of the deed. Miss the window and the incorporation must be redone. Digital-route companies skip this step entirely; registration on the platform is the incorporation.

Step 4: Company RUT and start of activities

The new company obtains its own RUT and files the declaration of start of activities (inicio de actividades) with the SII. This filing activates the company for tax purposes and enables invoicing — Chile's invoicing system is fully electronic, so no sales can be billed before this step. Monthly filing obligations begin from here.

Step 5: Patente municipal and sector permits

Apply for the patente municipal, the annual municipal business licence, from the municipality of your registered address; its fee is tied to the company's capital. Businesses in regulated sectors — food, health, finance, mining — need their sector permits first, so sequence those before the licence application.

Step 6: Open the corporate bank account

The corporate bank account is the slowest step for foreign-owned companies: KYC review typically takes 4–8 weeks, and banks examine foreign shareholders' documentation closely. Fintech accounts are a common interim solution for receiving early revenue while the traditional account clears. Bank account opening assistance shortens the back-and-forth but cannot skip the KYC itself.

How much does it cost to register a company in Chile?

As of 2026, the government-and-notary layer is inexpensive by international standards: the digital platform itself is free to file on — providers report basic all-in setups from roughly CLP 128,000 — while the notary route adds deed fees, gazette publication (free when capital is under UF 5,000), and a registry charge of about 0.2% of declared capital. The real budget drivers for foreigners sit elsewhere — translations, notarizations, apostilles, the investor RUT process, and a year of legal-representative and address service. The table separates the two layers.

How long does company registration take in Chile?

Published timelines look contradictory — "24 hours" and "2 months" are both true, because they measure different things. The constitution itself is fast: 24–48 hours on the digital route, or about 15–20 business days for the notary route's registration stage. What stretches the calendar for non-residents happens before and after: preparing, translating, and apostilling documents plus the investor RUT typically takes 2–4 weeks, and bank KYC adds 4–8 weeks at the end. A realistic all-in figure for a foreign-owned company is 1–2 months, with the bank account sometimes trailing the rest.

What taxes will your Chilean company pay?

Registration is the cheap part; the recurring obligations deserve a line in the budget from day one. Chile taxes corporate profits under the First Category Tax at 27% on the general, partially-integrated regime, with a temporary 12.5% Pro-Pyme SME rate for FY2025–2027 under Law N° 21.755, returning to 15% from FY2028. VAT (IVA) runs at 19% with monthly returns, and profit repatriation triggers the 35% Additional Tax with a credit for corporate tax already paid. Ongoing bookkeeping and filings can be handled through a dedicated Chile accounting service.

Compliance calendar at a glance

Chilean compliance runs on a monthly rhythm. From the declaration of start of activities onward, expect the following recurring items — plus employer obligations, pension (AFP) and health (Fonasa/Isapre) contributions, as soon as you hire employees.

Common mistakes when registering a company in Chile

Most failed or delayed incorporations trace back to sequencing errors rather than legal complexity. These seven come up repeatedly in foreign-owned cases:

• Starting bank KYC late. The account takes 4–8 weeks of compliance review; open the file the day the company is constituted, not after the first invoice is ready to send.
• Choosing an EIRL by default. An EIRL fits exactly one natural person and a single business purpose — a corporate shareholder, a co-founder, or a second activity forces a restructuring into an SpA or SRL.
• Missing the 60-day window. On the notary route, the deed extract must be registered with the Registro de Comercio and published in the Diario Oficial within 60 days of the deed, or the incorporation fails.
• Sending unapostilled documents. Foreign documents need Spanish translation, Spanish-language notarization, and an apostille; a broken chain means rejected filings and a restarted courier loop.
• Applying for the patente before sector permits. Food, health, finance, and mining businesses need their sector approvals first; the municipality will not license the activity without them.
• Skipping the name check. Drafting a deed around a name already on the registry means redrafting — and on the notary route, re-signing — the incorporation documents.
• Ignoring foreign-exchange reporting. Capital contributions wired from abroad can carry reporting obligations to the Banco Central de Chile; confirm what applies before moving the funds.

Glossary: the Spanish terms you will keep meeting

Chilean filings are in Spanish, and most official portals have no English version. These are the terms that appear on nearly every document in the process.

Frequently asked questions