Buying land in Aysén, Chilean Patagonia: the border zone, State land and access roads

The Aysén Region, with Coyhaique, the Carretera Austral, Lake General Carrera and the valleys near the border, draws buyers looking for large, remote pieces of land, often from abroad. It is also the region where three issues come together that change how you buy: the border zone, which according to the official map reaches almost all of its towns; State land, which makes up most of its surface; and land that depends on a road crossing someone else's property. This guide brings together what to check before you pay.

Short answer: Aysén's records are split among the Real Estate Registrars of Coyhaique, Aysén, Chile Chico, Cochrane and Cisnes. According to our reading of the official map, almost all of the region's towns lie in the border zone, where nationals of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru cannot buy without authorization. 81% of the region's surface belongs to the State, and the State does not sell or grant its land to just anyone: concessions go only to Chilean legal entities. And before buying you must confirm access: a rural lot must reach a public space through a registered right of way at least 5 meters wide.

Five Registrars for a vast region

Certificates and registration are requested from the Registrar (Conservador de Bienes Raíces) for the comuna where the land is located:

• Coyhaique: Coyhaique and Río Ibáñez.
• Aysén: the comuna of Aysén, including Puerto Aysén and Puerto Chacabuco.
• Chile Chico: the comuna of Chile Chico.
• Cochrane: the comunas of the Capitán Prat province: Cochrane, O'Higgins and Tortel.
• Cisnes: under the law, Cisnes, Guaitecas and Lago Verde. Before requesting certificates, confirm which office is serving those comunas.

In a region where the same seller may offer land in different comunas, requesting the certificates from the right Registrar is the first step. What to request and why is in our guide to the checks before you wire the money.

The border zone: the biggest issue in Aysén

The law prohibits nationals of neighboring countries, meaning Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, from acquiring ownership or other real rights in, or holding possession or tenancy of, real estate located wholly or partly in declared border zones. The ban also covers companies based in those countries, companies with 40% or more of their capital held by those nationals, or companies they control. The only way around it is an authorization by supreme decree, signed by the Ministers of the Interior, Foreign Affairs and Defense.

Based on our reading of the official border zone layer published by DIFROL, Chile's border authority, Coyhaique, Puerto Aysén, Chile Chico, Cochrane, Puerto Cisnes, Tortel and Raúl Marín Balmaceda lie inside the zone. Melinka, in Guaitecas, lies outside it. This is a reading of the map, not a certification, so in a specific case it is worth confirming with DIFROL, and our surveyors can overlay that layer on the property's boundaries.

For buyers of other nationalities, the border zone does not prevent buying private land, and DIFROL states that the sale or lease of private property in the border zone does not require its prior authorization. But three rules do apply to everyone:

• before the notary, everyone signing must declare their nationality and place of birth under oath;
• State land within 10 kilometers of the border can only be granted to Chilean individuals or legal entities;
• regularizing a title under Decree Law 2,695 in a border zone requires DIFROL's prior authorization.

We explain the rule in detail in our guide to buying land in Chile's border zones and, for Argentine buyers, in can an Argentine buy land in Chile?.

A region that mostly belongs to the State

According to the 2019 annual report of the Ministry of National Assets, State property in Aysén totaled more than 8.7 million hectares, 81% of the region's surface, and almost two thirds of it was inside protected wild areas. That figure changes how you look at an offer: before asking how much a piece of land costs, you need to confirm that it has a registered private owner.

The State can sell its land, directly or by tender, at a price no lower than its market value, and it can lease it or grant it in concession. Concessions are only granted to Chilean legal entities, although anyone, Chilean or foreign, can apply; they last at most 50 years and can only be transferred to another Chilean legal entity. If someone offers you rights over land that is actually State land, or that they occupy without title, what they are selling you is not property. The warning signs of that kind of offer are in our guide to buying land in Patagonia.

Roads, rights of way and access to lakes and rivers

In Aysén, a piece of land can be kilometers from the nearest public road, and access becomes a fundamental question. For lots created by subdividing rural land, the law requires each one to have access to a public space, and the right of way cannot be less than 5 meters wide. Since 2022, rights of way shown on plans certified by the SAG, Chile's agricultural service, are deemed established, must be registered with the Registrar, and shared roads are maintained by the owners in proportion.

Before buying, check that the right of way is registered and that the route used in practice matches the one on the plan. If there is no right of way, our guide to right of way easements explains when one can be required and when it has to be paid for.

If the land borders a lake or a river, the owner must provide free access to it, for tourism and fishing, when there are no other public routes. The regional authority sets the route, and closing it carries a fine of 10 to 100 UTM (Chilean monthly tax units).

Parks, glaciers and native forest

A large part of the region lies within protected areas, such as Cerro Castillo National Park, in Coyhaique and Río Ibáñez, the Coyhaique National Reserve and Queulat National Park. Land next to them should have clearly defined boundaries.

Any felling of native forest, on any type of land, requires a management plan approved by CONAF, the national forestry agency, before cutting, including to open a road or build a house. In Aysén there is also a less known rule: the law prohibits cutting native trees and shrubs within 500 meters of glaciers. We explain the rules in our guide to cutting trees on your land.

Rural plots and water rights

In 2025, 375 applications to subdivide rural land in Aysén were filed with the SAG. Those plots are governed by Decree Law 3,516: lots of at least 5,000 square meters and a ban on changing their use, as we explain in our guide to subdividing agricultural land in Chile. If the sale includes water rights, check that they are registered: the deadline for registering rights granted by the authority with the Registrar has been extended to 2032, as we explain in our guide to the water rights deadline.

The Austral Law for investors in the region

Law 19,606, known as the Austral Law (Ley Austral), gives a tax credit to those who invest in the Aysén and Magallanes regions and the province of Palena. It is available to First Category taxpayers who report their actual income under full accounting, that is, a company or a sole proprietor keeping full accounting, not an individual buying in a personal capacity without keeping accounts. The investment must exceed 500 UTM (Chilean monthly tax units), and the deadline to invest has been extended to 31 December 2035.

The credit is 32% of the investment up to 200,000 UTM, 15% above that and below 2,500,000 UTM, and 10% from there on, with a maximum of 80,000 UTM per taxpayer. The credit is calculated on the value of buildings, machinery and equipment; the land does not count, because it is not depreciable. Qualifying investments include real estate used mainly for commercial tourism, acquired new or completed during the year, and the construction of buildings for offices or housing completed during the year, once per property. If your project in Aysén is a lodge, cabins or a building, the ownership structure decides whether you can use the benefit, as we explain in our guide to owning Chilean property personally or through a company and, if you live in the United States, in our guide to forming a company in Chile as a U.S. citizen.

Heating in Coyhaique: the air pollution plan

Coyhaique and its surrounding area have an air pollution plan, and its rules affect anyone who buys or builds a house there. The plan defines dry firewood as wood with less than 25% moisture and requires firewood sold to meet that standard. It bans open fireplaces, homemade heaters and salamander stoves, and since 1 January 2025 single-chamber heaters. Since 1 January 2026 it also bans wood-burning heaters that do not meet the emission standard of Supreme Decree 39 of 2011, except those supplied by the replacement programme, and during critical episodes no more than one wood-burning appliance may be used per home, unless it meets that standard or came from the replacement programme. The plan also sets thermal insulation standards for new homes.

If you buy a house in Coyhaique, check which heater it has and whether it complies with the plan, because replacing it can be an immediate cost. If you are going to build, the project must account for the thermal standards from the design stage.

Building far from town

A lodge or cabins in a rural area are tourism buildings: before the municipal Building Department's permit, they need a favorable report from the regional housing authority (Seremi de Vivienda) and the SAG. The owner's house does not need that report, because it is among what the law allows to be built outside the urban boundary, but it does need the permit and final approval before it is occupied, as we explain in our guide to fines for building without a permit. Far from public networks, the drinking water and sewage project must be approved by the regional health authority (Seremi de Salud), which also authorizes the system before it is used.

In Caleta Tortel, which is a typical zone (zona típica), any new building, rebuilding or conservation work also requires prior authorization from the National Monuments Council, which is only granted when the works are in keeping with the style of the zone.

If you are buying from abroad

The RUT is requested online by an attorney in fact domiciled or resident in Chile, under a power of attorney you sign in Chile, or in your home country with an apostille or at a Chilean consulate followed by legalization at the Foreign Ministry in Chile; once the application is filed, it takes 3 to 5 business days; it is the same procedure a traveler follows, for example, to buy a car in Chile for a trip down the Carretera Austral. Your attorney in fact can sign the deed, and the price should stay in the notary's custody until registration, as we explain in our guide to closing a property purchase in Chile. In Aysén, the promesa should say what happens to the deposit if the land turns out to be State land or to have no access, as we explain in our guide to the promesa de compraventa.

Aysén's Registrars are outside Santiago, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar and San Miguel, so the maximum registration surcharge is 50% higher than in those cities. If you already own land in the region, we can check it from abroad, including a site visit.

Property tax in Coyhaique and the rest of the region

According to the SII's statistics for the second half of 2025, Coyhaique had 32,106 properties on the tax roll, of which 4,595 were agricultural; in Río Ibáñez the figure was 1,616 of 4,833, and in Cochrane, 821 of 2,821. Land that can be used predominantly for farming, livestock or forestry is appraised in the agricultural series even if it is not farmed, and a recreational plot (parcela de agrado), where farming is absent or secondary, in the non-agricultural series. From 1 July 2026, the exempt amount is CLP 50,177,135 for agricultural land and CLP 61,711,570 for non-agricultural residential property, and it is deducted from the fiscal appraisal to calculate the tax. If the appraisal seems high, our property tax team can review it.

What to check, depending on the land

Frequently asked questions

Can a foreigner buy land in Coyhaique?

Yes, unless they are a national of Argentina, Bolivia or Peru, because Coyhaique is in the border zone. For other nationalities there is no restriction on private land, although everyone must declare their nationality before the notary.

Can I buy land from the State in Aysén?

The State sells its land directly or by tender, at a price no lower than its market value. But State land within 10 kilometers of the border can only be granted to Chileans, and concessions are only granted to Chilean legal entities.

I am being offered rights over land with no title. Is it safe?

No. If the land belongs to the State or the seller merely occupies it, what is being sold is not registered property. If the land is private, possession can be regularized under Decree Law 2,695 when the requirements are met, but in a border zone that also requires DIFROL's prior authorization.

How do I know whether the land has legal access?

By checking that a right of way is registered with the Registrar, at least 5 meters wide if the lot comes from a rural subdivision, and that the actual road matches the route on the plan.

Do you have an office in Aysén?

We do not have a physical office in Aysén, but we work in the region: the title study and the paperwork are coordinated remotely, and the site visit is scheduled according to where the property is.

Does the Austral Law help if I buy a house to rent out?

Only if the investment is made by a First Category taxpayer with full accounting, such as a company, exceeds 500 UTM and consists of building a residential property completed during the year or a new tourism property. Buying a used house does not qualify, and an individual buying in their own name, without full accounting, cannot use it.

What heating can I use in a house in Coyhaique?

The air pollution plan bans open fireplaces, homemade heaters, salamander stoves and single-chamber heaters, and since 2026 heaters that do not meet the emission standard, except those from the replacement programme. Firewood sold in the plan area must be dry, with less than 25% moisture, and during critical episodes only one wood-burning appliance may be used per home, unless it meets the standard or came from the replacement programme.

How we can help

At Terreno en Regla we work in the Aysén Region, although we do not have a physical office there. We carry out the title study at the relevant Registrar, survey the property to place it against the border zone and verify access, and if the title needs to be regularized, we handle the title regularization. If you live outside Chile, we coordinate everything remotely. Write to us with the location or tax roll number of the land. You can find every way to reach us on our contact page.