Buying a car in Chile as a tourist: the RUT, the registration and crossing the border

Every season, travelers arrive in Chile planning to buy a used car and drive across the country, and sometimes across much of South America. The plan makes sense: your own car lets you travel at your own pace and reach places public transport does not. But it runs into two obstacles worth knowing about before you arrive. The first is the RUT, the Chilean tax ID, without which you cannot buy. The second is leaving the country with the car. This guide explains how to solve both, and what to check so you do not buy a problem.

Short answer: a foreign tourist can buy a car in Chile, but needs a RUT, because the tax service (SII) treats the purchase as an investment. The RUT is requested online through an attorney in fact domiciled or resident in Chile, and this always requires a power of attorney: without one, the application cannot be filed. Once the application is filed with the power of attorney, the RUT takes 3 to 5 business days. The purchase must then be registered with the Motor Vehicle Registry within thirty days. To leave the country, Chilean customs asks for the registration certificate, third-party liability insurance and, if the driver is not the owner, a notarized authorization.

The table summarizes the stages; the sections below explain each one.

Why a tourist needs a RUT to buy a car

The SII says so explicitly in its frequently asked questions: a foreign tourist who buys a car needs a RUT, because the purchase is considered an investment. The rule that governs the RUT draws the line clearly. Tourists do not need a RUT for contracts that do not transfer ownership, such as renting a vehicle or a home. But if they buy something in the country, they must register.

In practice, this means your passport is not enough. Without a RUT, the notary cannot draw up the contract in your name and the Civil Registry cannot register the car as yours. That is why the RUT is the first thing to sort out, before you pay the seller anything.

How to get the RUT

Under the SII's current resolution, Exempt Resolution 77 of 2025 with the requirements updated by Resolution 118 of the same year, a foreign national without residence in Chile goes through an attorney in fact domiciled or resident in Chile, who files an online form. The attorney in fact must be a Chilean national or a foreign national with residence in Chile, and must hold a power of attorney signed by you. Without that power of attorney, the application cannot be filed. The application is filed online and, once filed, the RUT takes 3 to 5 business days.

The SII asks for your details exactly as they appear in your passport, so your name, date of birth and country of birth must match precisely. It also asks for your passport number, the country where you pay taxes and your tax identification number there. The documents can be no more than a year old.

The power of attorney is the key piece. If you are already in Chile, you can sign it directly before a Chilean notary or with an advanced electronic signature. If you are still in your home country, there are two routes. The first is to sign it before a notary there and get the apostille in that same country; in the United States, the apostille is issued by the authority of the state where the notary is commissioned, generally its Secretary of State. The second is to sign it at a Chilean consulate, in which case the original is sent to Chile, where the consul's signature is legalized at the Foreign Ministry. If your country is not a party to the Apostille Convention, the consular route is the one to use. Either way, if the power is not in Spanish it must be translated, and it does not need to be protocolized: the SII takes a scanned copy and you keep the original. We explain both routes in our guide to signing a power of attorney abroad for use in Chile. There is one detail worth knowing: in the SII's suggested model power of attorney, the representative takes responsibility for any taxes the foreign national may owe in Chile. That is why not every acquaintance will agree to act as attorney in fact, and it is better to use someone who knows what they are signing.

The procedure is the same one a foreign investor follows to buy property, and we explain it in more detail in our guide to getting a Chilean RUT without traveling.

Before you pay: what to check on the car

A used car can come with debts and problems you cannot see at a glance. Before handing over the money, ask for and review these documents:

• The Civil Registry's certificate of current annotations (certificado de anotaciones vigentes), which shows the current owner, the previous owners and any current limits on ownership, such as liens or prohibitions. If the seller is not the registered owner, find out why before going any further.
• The certificate of unpaid traffic fines. The law provides that the buyer is liable for the fines listed on that certificate at the time of the purchase, and while a fine is recorded, the circulation permit cannot be renewed.
• The circulation permit, the mandatory insurance (SOAP) and the technical inspection, all up to date. Without them, the car can be taken off the road. Watch the permit in particular: it is paid between February and March, and if it was paid in two installments, the second one is due in August and stays attached to the car, not to the seller.

Used car prices are listed in Chilean pesos, and contracts or insurance are sometimes expressed in UF. To compare them with your own currency, you can use our tool with the UF and dollar values for today.

Buying the car and registering it in your name

Chilean law allows a vehicle to be transferred in three ways: through a contract signed before a notary, through a statement that buyer and seller sign before a Civil Registry officer, or through that same statement signed by both with an advanced electronic signature. On the notary route, the notary requests the registration at the buyer's expense.

The deadline is what matters. The buyer must apply for registration with the Motor Vehicle Registry within thirty days of the purchase, and failing to do so can bring a fine of 5 to 75 UTM (Chilean monthly tax units). The registration also records the owner's address, and that is where local police court summonses are sent. As a traveler, think carefully about which address you give. You can work out the thirty-day deadline with our deadline calculator.

The sale pays a tax of 1.5% on the sale price, which can never be lower than the fiscal appraisal the SII sets for that make, model and year. The law puts it on the seller unless agreed otherwise, so it is worth putting in writing who pays it.

One last practical point: the official guidance for the Civil Registry procedure is written for people with a Chilean ID card. With a passport and a RUT, confirm beforehand with the notary or the Civil Registry office how the signing will work, so you do not find out on the day of the purchase that something is missing.

Your driver's license

Chile's Traffic Law allows tourists to drive for as long as they are authorized to stay as tourists, using the valid license from their home country, as long as it is equivalent to the Chilean class B license, which covers cars and light trucks. A court may require an official translation, so carry one if your license is not in Spanish. A license or international permit issued under the Geneva Convention is also valid. If the vehicle is a motorcycle or a heavy motorhome, check beforehand whether your license covers it.

Leaving Chile with the car

To cross the border with a car registered in Chile, Chilean customs authorizes a temporary exit. It asks for the driver's identity document, the car's registration certificate (padrón), valid third-party liability insurance and, if the driver is not the registered owner, a notarized authorization from the owner. Customs does not ask for the circulation permit or the technical inspection, but recommends carrying them for police checks. The procedure is free.

Three details are worth keeping in mind:

• When you sign the exit, you commit to bringing the car back to Chile within the period customs authorizes. Returning late means a fine.
• A notarized authorization for someone else to drive has a limited life: according to customs, a notarized power of attorney expires after six months and a public deed after five years. For Peru, the authorization must also be apostilled.
• The Chilean SOAP is not enough outside the country. Customs also requires international third-party liability insurance.

Some official pages describe this procedure for Chileans and for foreign nationals with residence in Chile, while the customs resolution accepts a passport regardless of the type of residence. If you are a tourist, confirm it before planning your route.

On the Argentine side, the customs rule allows a car with Chilean plates to enter temporarily when the driver is its owner, or is authorized by the owner, and is not resident in Argentina. It asks for an identity document, the title or the authorization to use the car, a driver's license and proof of valid insurance, and the period is the same as your stay as a tourist.

When you leave: selling the car

If you sell the car in Chile at the end of your trip, make sure the buyer registers the transfer. Until they do, the law presumes that the owner is whoever is registered, which means you. Camera fines and summonses will be addressed to you, and the registered owner is jointly liable for damage the vehicle causes, unless it was used against their will. Signing the sale before a notary, who requests the registration, or before the Civil Registry is how you close that risk.

Common mistakes

• Believing a passport is enough to buy, and finding out after the money has changed hands.
• Paying without checking the certificate of annotations and the certificate of fines.
• Forgetting the second installment of the circulation permit, due in August.
• Not registering the transfer within thirty days.
• Traveling with an expired notarized authorization, or assuming the SOAP covers you outside Chile.
• Selling the car without the buyer registering it in their name.

If someone offers to sell you land during your trip, the logic is the same but the stakes are higher; before wiring any money, read our guide to avoiding real estate scams in Patagonia and our guide to buying property in Chile as a foreigner. If you decide to buy, we carry out the title study before you pay.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a RUT to rent a car in Chile?

No. The SII's rule makes clear that tourists do not need a RUT for contracts that do not transfer ownership, such as renting a vehicle. The RUT is needed to buy.

Can I apply for the RUT myself at an SII office?

The SII's current resolution provides that, for a foreign national without residence, the procedure is carried out by an attorney in fact domiciled or resident in Chile, through an online form. That is why you always need a power of attorney in favor of an attorney in fact in Chile; without it, the application cannot be filed.

How long does the RUT take, and where do I sign the power of attorney?

Once the application is filed online with the power of attorney, the RUT takes 3 to 5 business days. If you are in Chile, you sign the power before a Chilean notary or with an advanced electronic signature. If you are in your home country, you can sign it before a notary there and get the apostille in that same country, or sign it at a Chilean consulate and have it legalized afterwards at the Foreign Ministry in Chile. If it is not in Spanish, it is translated.

Do I need an international driving permit?

No, if your valid license is equivalent to the Chilean class B and you are in Chile as a tourist. If your license is not in Spanish, carry an official translation, because a court may ask for it.

Can someone else drive my car outside Chile?

Yes, with a notarized authorization from you as the registered owner. Check how long it remains valid before you travel, and if you are going to Peru, make sure it is apostilled.

How we can help

At Terreno en Regla we obtain your RUT online as your attorney in fact before the SII, using the power of attorney you sign in Chile or in your home country, handle the transfer and the registration of the car in your name at the Civil Registry, and prepare the notarized authorization to take the car out of Chile or for someone else to drive it. Write to us with your travel dates and we will tell you where to start. You can find every way to reach us on our contact page.