You have two clearance quotes for the same cargo and one is double the other. Before choosing the cheaper one, it is worth looking at what each one is charging for.
In short: there is no official rate sheet, and Chilean Customs (Servicio Nacional de Aduanas) states that what a customs broker (agente de aduana) charges in Chile is freely agreed with the client. As a market reference as of October 2026, published fees for a standard import range from CLP 80,000 to CLP 200,000 per clearance (or US$100 to US$400), and when charged as a percentage, from 0.5% to 1.5% of the CIF value with a minimum. On top of that comes 19% VAT (IVA). That fee is one of the three parts of the bill: the other two are the expenses the broker pays on your behalf and the taxes.
Are customs broker fees regulated?
There is no price table. The Customs Ordinance (Ordenanza de Aduanas) does not set a percentage, a minimum or a rate by type of cargo, and the National Customs Service says in its public guidance that the broker's fees "are freely agreed between the parties". The same Ordinance requires the broker to comply with the rules the National Director of Customs issues on charging fees (article 201), but this has not translated into a published rate sheet.
What is regulated is how they charge. The broker must use the funds you hand over only for your clearance, invoice the fees and expenses directly to you, and give you a documented accounting without you having to ask for it.
How is what a customs broker charges in Chile calculated?
Four ways of charging coexist in market quotes:
- Percentage of the CIF value, which is the value of the goods plus freight and insurance.
- Percentage with a minimum: if the percentage comes out below a floor, the floor is charged.
- Flat fee per clearance.
- Brackets, with amounts that rise according to the value of the cargo.
An example with assumed figures: suppose you agree on 0.5% of CIF with a minimum of US$150. That reads as "whichever is higher", not as percentage plus minimum:
- With a CIF of US$10,000, 0.5% comes to US$50. Since that is less than the minimum, you pay US$150. With 19% VAT, US$178.50.
- With a CIF of US$60,000, 0.5% comes to US$300. With VAT, US$357.
That is why the minimum governs on low-value cargo and the percentage governs on high-value cargo. Ask for the quote to show both figures.
Reference ranges by type of operation
These are the values published by Chilean agencies and operators between 2024 and 2026. They serve as a market reference as of October 2026: they are not official rates, and most do not state whether they include VAT.
| Type of operation | Published fee | Year of publication |
|---|---|---|
| Standard import, rate in pesos | CLP 80,000 to CLP 200,000 per clearance | 2025 |
| Standard import, rate in dollars | US$100 to US$400 per clearance | 2026 |
| Complex clearance (many items, permits or special regimes) | CLP 200,000 to CLP 500,000 per clearance | 2024 |
| Percentage-based charge | 0.5% to 1.5% of the CIF value, with a minimum | 2026 |
None of those publications separates air cargo, consolidated cargo (LCL) and full containers. By mode of transport, the only things circulating are calculation examples in which the fee is an assumption, like the container example further down. In addition to the fee, several agencies charge their own clearance expenses, which in the values published in 2025 and 2026 range from US$20 to US$150 per operation.
What does the fee include and what is charged separately?
The fee pays for the broker's professional work: preparing and filing the Import Declaration (Declaración de Ingreso, DIN) with the documents you provide, and representing you before Customs. In a well-prepared quote you will see five blocks:
- Fee: customs processing and representation, with its formula, its minimum and its VAT. Ask for it to state whether it includes tariff classification and valuation.
- Clearance expenses: the agency's own charges for documentation, electronic transmission or processing. They only apply if they are quoted.
- Third-party disbursements: what the broker pays on your behalf, such as storage, terminal and shipping line charges, cargo moves for an inspection, transport and approval fees. Require the receipt for each one.
- Taxes: import duties and VAT, which go to the State. You can pay them directly yourself at Chile's Treasury (Tesorería General de la República) or have the broker do it.
- Contingencies: additional storage, inspection (aforo, the cargo examination ordered by Customs), container demurrage or corrections. Ask for them to be listed separately and as an estimate.
Do not assume anything is included if it is not written down: transport to your warehouse, monitoring the container's free days, processing permits and amendments after clearance.
To cover the disbursements, the broker asks you for an advance of funds (provisión de fondos), which is a prepayment and not yet the final bill. At the end, the broker must give you the accounting with the actual payments and the balance. The rules do not set a deadline in days for returning any surplus, so put it in writing in the quote.
VAT is also read block by block. The fee and the agency's own charges carry 19%. Third-party disbursements that the broker passes on to you as a reimbursement, with a mandate, receipts and detail on the invoice, do not have VAT added again, according to the position of Chile's tax authority (Servicio de Impuestos Internos, SII). An example with assumptions taken from cost calculations published in 2025 and 2026 for a 40-foot container: with a fee of US$400 and clearance expenses of US$60, the broker's own bill comes to US$460 net, plus US$87.40 of VAT, that is, US$547.40. Storage, the shipping line and taxes sit outside that total.
How do you compare two clearance quotes?
Give every agency the same operation sheet: product, origin, Incoterm (the sales term, such as FOB or CIF), value, weight, mode of transport and known permits. Then put the quotes side by side and check five things:
- The basis of the fee: percentage, minimum or flat fee, what value it is calculated on and in what currency.
- Whether the amounts are net or include VAT.
- What clearance expenses of its own each agency charges on top of the fee.
- Which third-party disbursements are estimated and which were left out.
- How much they ask for as an advance of funds, and how soon they account for it and return the balance.
Also ask for two scenarios, one normal and one with inspection. A quote that looks cheap because it only includes the fee does not compare fairly with another that has already estimated storage and transport. The rest of the lines of an import are covered in how much an import delivered to your warehouse costs and in hidden costs of importing.
What SICE does in this case and where its responsibility ends
SICE is not a customs agency. It coordinates clearance with customs brokers from its network, 3 to 4 trusted brokers, and the declaration is filed by the broker under your mandate. In the complete quote, fees, freight, insurance and transport are firm and in writing, and duties and VAT are estimated. Payments to Customs, the shipping line and the warehouse are charged by each of them, and the broker accounts for them with its receipts.
Frequently asked questions
Does the customs broker's fee carry VAT?
Yes. The SII confirmed in 2023 that the customs broker's service is subject to VAT, which is currently 19%. The exception is services linked to an export, which are exempt.
Can I import without a broker and save the fee?
Only in limited cases. Up to US$1,000 FOB there is a simplified procedure in which Customs prepares the declaration at your request. For courier shipments, Customs guidance indicates that the courier company can handle the entry up to US$3,000, but that regime changed in 2025: confirm the limit with the courier before buying. Above those amounts you need a broker, as the guide on when a customs broker is mandatory explains.
Where do I check that a customs broker is licensed?
In the list of customs brokers published by the National Customs Service, updated as of October 2, 2026. Look up the name of the broker who will sign your clearance, not just the agency's trade name.
Official sources (in Spanish)
- Customs Ordinance, DFL 30 of 2004 (BCN): mandate (article 197), broker liability (articles 199 and 200) and charging of fees and expenses (article 201).
- Customs, frequently asked questions on exemptions: states that customs broker fees are freely agreed between the parties.
- Customs, Compendium of Regulations, chapter 3: customs broker obligations, accounting and simplified clearance up to US$1,000 FOB.
- SII, Ruling (Oficio) No. 966 of 2023: VAT on services provided by customs brokers.
- SII, expense reimbursements and VAT: conditions for an expense reimbursement to stay out of the VAT base.
- Customs, List of Customs Brokers: brokers with a valid license and their general duties.
If you want to see the broker's fee together with everything else, ask for the free complete quote or write to us on WhatsApp at +56 9 9872 6863. We reply the same day.
