Documents to import into Chile: which ones do I need and who issues each one?

Your supplier has already shipped the cargo, and the customs broker (agente de aduana) is asking you for "the file". You have a PDF invoice, a half-finished packing list and an email from the shipping line, and you don't know whether that is enough.

In short: the documents to import into Chile that cannot be missing are three: the commercial invoice, the transport document (BL, air waybill or road waybill) and the mandate to your customs broker. Depending on the cargo, you add the packing list, the certificate of origin, the insurance policy and the product permits. With that file, the broker prepares the Import Declaration (Declaración de Ingreso, DIN), the document with which your goods legally enter the country.

What documents do I need to import into Chile?

This table applies to a commercial import with a customs broker.

The packing list can be omitted only if the invoice already includes all its data. The certificate of origin has no single format: under some treaties it is issued by an authorized entity and under others the exporter itself declares it, as is the case with the European Union since February 2025. The sworn value declaration is only required in post-clearance audits, for operations of US$50,000 CIF or more.

What data must the commercial invoice include?

The Customs rule requires at least seven data items: number and date, name and address of the issuer, name of the consignee, identification of the goods by kind, type or variety, quantity and unit of measure, unit value and total value. If any is missing, your broker will ask you for a simple sworn statement to supplement the invoice. The currency and the Incoterm (the sale condition, such as FOB or CIF) are not on that list, but the broker needs them for the DIN.

RUT and start of activities: what your company must have beforehand

The tax ID (Rol Único Tributario, RUT) is assigned by Chile's tax authority (Servicio de Impuestos Internos, SII) and is the data item the declaration uses to identify the importer, so the name on the papers must correspond to that RUT. Having a RUT does not replace the start of activities (inicio de actividades), the sworn statement before the same service that must be filed within two months after you start operating. Do it before the first import: the VAT (IVA) you pay when importing can only be recovered if your company is a VAT taxpayer.

Do I need the original BL, or does electronic release work?

You have to separate what Customs requires to clear the goods from what the shipping line requires to hand over the cargo.

For Customs, the rule is the original transport document that proves you are the consignee. That original can be physical, digitized or electronic, and your broker keeps it in the clearance file together with the mandate. When the original was surrendered to whoever issued it, the rules accept an authorized photocopy with the acknowledgment of receipt of that surrender.

Electronic release happens between your supplier and the shipping line. In a telex release, the shipping line at origin notifies the destination that the original BL has already been surrendered and that the cargo can be released. A sea waybill is issued without negotiable originals from the start. Chilean rules do not name either of these two methods, so a release email or just any PDF does not by itself replace the document the broker must have on file. Before shipment, agree with your supplier on how the BL will be issued, and ask your broker what backing it needs.

Which errors stop a customs clearance?

There is no automatic fine for every discrepancy between papers. What happens is that the broker cannot declare with confidence, and Customs can order a documentary review or a physical inspection of the cargo (aforo).

• Invoice and BL that don't match. They don't have to be identical, but any difference in quantity, value, classification or origin must be clarified before declaring.
• Consignee incorrectly stated. A typo can be clarified. A BL consigned to another company leaves the declared importer without backing.
• Generic description. "Equipment" or "spare parts" cannot be classified. It helps to send a data sheet with the technical name, function, material, brand and model.
• Weight and packages different from what was shipped. A shortage or a surplus can end in a formal charge (denuncia). The 5% tolerance that exists for weight in manifests does not apply to the number of packages.
• Certificate of origin with errors. Customs accepts proofs of origin with minor errors, such as typos, under criteria it updated in July 2025. A description that does not allow the goods to be identified can cost you the reduction, as the guide on the certificate of origin explains.
• Missing permit. Before paying your supplier, check which agency regulates your product.

The fine depends on which data item was wrong in the declaration, and the Customs Ordinance (Ordenanza de Aduanas) sets maximums: up to twice the difference if the error meant paying less tax (article 174), and up to half a UTM (unidad tributaria mensual, the monthly tax unit) if it was a statistical data item. If you or your broker report the error before Customs gives notice of an audit and pay the corresponding duties, Customs does not file a charge (article 177). When the cargo is already held, follow the steps in cargo held at customs.

How many days before arrival must the documents be ready?

The rules do not set a number of days. What they allow is advance filing: the broker can file the DIN before the goods arrive, if it already has the supporting documents. Once that declaration is legalized, the cargo must be presented to Customs within 60 days, a deadline that runs for the goods and not for your papers.

A recommended work order while the vessel is on its way, which is not a legal deadline:

1. Before shipment, review the drafts of the invoice, packing list and BL.
2. As soon as the supplier issues the final versions, send them to your broker with the technical data sheet, the proof of origin and the permits.
3. Before the broker legalizes the DIN, resolve any difference in value, origin, weight or packages.
4. Before arrival, ask for written confirmation that the file is complete.

What SICE does in this case and where its responsibility ends

Before shipment, SICE contacts your supplier and reviews the invoice, the packing list, the certificate of origin and the transport document, which is when they can still be corrected. The DIN is filed by a customs broker from its network, with your mandate, because SICE is not a customs agency. Approvals are granted by each agency, and the transport document is issued by the shipping line or the forwarder. You deal with a single partner throughout the entire import.

Frequently asked questions

How do I give the mandate to my customs broker?

By endorsing the transport document to the broker, through a public deed or with a private instrument that meets Customs' conditions.

Which certificate of origin works for China?

Form F under the treaty between Chile and China. Form E does not work.

Can I claim the duty reduction after clearance?

Yes. If you paid the general duty, your broker can request the change to the preferential regime with a valid proof of origin, along with the refund of the duties. The general deadline is one year from the import (two years with the European Union), and Customs reviews each request.

Official sources (in Spanish)

• Customs, Compendium of Customs Rules, chapter 3: supporting documents, minimum invoice data, mandate and advance filing.
• Customs, Compendium of Customs Rules, chapter 2: sworn value declaration and 2% insurance on FOB.
• Customs Ordinance, DFL 30 of 2004 (BCN): mandate and infringements (articles 173 to 177).
• Customs, Oficio Circular No. 143 of 2025: minor errors in proofs of origin.
• Customs, Payments Manual, chapter IV: post-clearance preferential regime and duty refunds.