Your cargo has arrived at the port, and the duties and VAT (IVA) add up to more money than you have available this month. Leaving it at the port costs storage every day, and paying everything at once leaves you without cash.
In short: the private bonded warehouse for imports (almacén particular de importación) is a customs regime that lets you collect the cargo and keep it in your own warehouse, without paying the duties or VAT yet, for up to 90 days. It is processed with a declaration called the DAPI, requires a guarantee in favor of the Chilean Treasury (Fisco) and charges interest from day 31. Until you pay, the goods cannot be sold or used. It works as a cash bridge and does not reduce what you pay.
What is the private bonded warehouse for imports and what does it allow?
It is governed by Articles 109 to 111 of the Customs Ordinance (Ordenanza de Aduanas) and by Chapter III of the Compendium of Customs Rules (Compendio de Normas Aduaneras). Chilean Customs (Servicio Nacional de Aduanas) temporarily approves a facility of yours (your warehouse, for example) to store a specific shipment under its supervision. The taxes are suspended until you import the goods, in full or in parts.
The most misunderstood limit is the one on use. Selling, transferring, consuming or using the goods in your production before paying the taxes allows Customs to enforce the guarantee and report the matter to the Public Prosecutor's Office (Ministerio Público). Storing them at an address other than the one declared, or failing to close the regime on time, carries a fine of up to 25% of the customs value.
Requirements: minimum amount, guarantee and warehouse
- Minimum amount: the operation must have a customs value of US$10,000 or more. There are exceptions, including goods that by their nature cannot stay in a customs warehouse (bulk, flammable, toxic or dangerous goods).
- Guarantee: a bank guarantee (boleta bancaria) or insurance policy in the name of "Fisco de Chile. Servicio Nacional de Aduanas", in US dollars, for the total duties and taxes calculated under the general regime. Its validity must exceed the regime's period by 30 days: for 90 days, 120. It is a tax bond, separate from cargo insurance.
- Warehouse: a sworn statement with the address and a sketch, sufficient capacity and security, identified goods, an inventory and facilities for inspection. If Customs sets special supervision, its cost is yours.
- Excluded goods: meat, fish and seafood, milk, fruit, live plants, wheat flour and certain fats and oils, according to their tariff code.
The declaration is filed by a customs broker (agente de aduana) at the customs office of entry, before the normal port storage period expires.
How much does it cost? Period, interest and a cash flow example
The period is up to 90 calendar days and is counted from the notification of the declaration's legalization, not from when the container reaches your warehouse. The first 30 days carry no interest. From day 31, daily interest is charged on the suspended duties and taxes (not on the value of the cargo), at a rate that Customs publishes based on the average monthly rate of the financial system reported by the Central Bank. The latest published rate, in force since September 7, 2026, is 0.015806% per day. Since the rate is updated over time, check the Customs table before doing your numbers.
An example, with that rate: a shipment with a customs value of CLP 50,000,000, a 6% tariff and 19% VAT. The accumulated interest percentage is recorded to three decimal places.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ad valorem duty | 6% of CLP 50,000,000 | CLP 3,000,000 |
| VAT | 19% of CLP 53,000,000 | CLP 10,070,000 |
| Deferred taxes | Duty + VAT | CLP 13,070,000 |
| Interest if you import on day 60 | 30 days × 0.015806% = 0.474% | CLP 61,952 |
| Interest if you import on day 90 | 60 days × 0.015806% = 0.948% | CLP 123,904 |
Add to that the premium for the guarantee bond and the fees for opening and closing the regime, which are quoted case by case. A detail for your accountant: import VAT is used as a tax credit in the period in which it is paid, so deferring payment also defers the credit.
When does the Private Bonded Warehouse pay off, and when does it not?
| Situation | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Large lot that you sell little by little, with your own warehouse | Good candidate: you import in parts and pay as you need the goods |
| You expect a payment in 30 to 60 days | Works as a cash bridge |
| Port or off-dock storage is expensive | May pay off for the logistics savings alone |
| You need the goods now, to produce or deliver | Does not work: you have to import them before using them |
| Lot close to the minimum, with low taxes | Fixed costs may exceed the benefit |
| You will not have funds at maturity | It does not solve the problem, it only postpones it |
Do not count on an extension. The Compendium expressly provides for one only for certain exemption schemes, so closing is planned within the 90 days.
How is the regime closed?
There are five ways out: import (all at once or in partial shipments, paying taxes and interest), re-export, send the goods to a free zone, hand them over to Customs, or re-enter them, where applicable. At maturity everything must be closed. Any remaining balance falls into presumed abandonment and pays a surcharge, a topic we cover in cargo held at customs. Once the regime is closed, the guarantee is returned.
Differences from the off-dock warehouse, customs warehousing and the free zone
- Off-dock warehouse (almacén extraportuario): a customs storage facility run by a third party. Your cargo can stay there for up to 90 days, but the daily charge we explain in demurrage and storage keeps running.
- Customs warehousing (depósito, as a regime): a different customs destination, with a period of up to 365 days.
- Free zone (zona franca): a delimited territory with its own customs treatment. A private warehouse does not become a free zone by having a DAPI.
What SICE does in this case and where its responsibility ends
SICE handles the Private Bonded Warehouse and its guarantee bond through its network: it coordinates the customs broker who files the DAPI, the insurer that issues the guarantee and the transport to your warehouse. The declaration, the assessment of taxes and interest and the closing of the regime are carried out by the customs broker, and the authorization is granted by Customs. Custody of the goods and the decision on when to import are yours. SICE is not a customs agency or an insurer. The service is described in Private Bonded Warehouse.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell the goods while they are in the Private Bonded Warehouse?
No. First you import and pay the taxes on the part you are going to sell.
Can I import in parts?
Yes. The regime can be drawn down with partial imports, and you pay taxes only on what you take out of it.
What happens if the goods are lost or damaged in my warehouse?
You remain liable to the Treasury for the duties and taxes on those goods.
Is the guarantee calculated with the 0% tariff of the free trade agreement (FTA, TLC)?
No. It is calculated on the taxes under the general regime, even if you later import with a tariff preference.
Official sources (in Spanish)
- BCN: Customs Ordinance. Articles 109 to 111: period, interest, supervision and liability.
- Customs: Compendium of Customs Rules, Chapter III. Section 15: minimum amount, exclusions, period and ways to close.
- Customs: Compendium, Chapter I. Guarantee rules: beneficiary, amount and validity.
- Customs: Annex 83, sworn statement for the private bonded warehouse. Warehouse requirements.
- Customs: interest on goods in a private bonded warehouse. Table with the current daily rate.
- SII: tax credit for imports. The credit is used in the period in which the VAT is paid.
If you want to know whether the Private Bonded Warehouse pays off for you, write to us with the value of the cargo and the date you need it. In the free complete quote we give you, in writing, the total landed cost delivered to your warehouse, with estimated duties and VAT. You can also write to us on WhatsApp at +56 9 9872 6863.
