Buying a house in Chile: what foreigners may do, the notary and the register
As a Dutch citizen you may buy a house in Chile, even without a residence permit, but you need a RUT, the tax number. The purchase goes through a deed at the notary and only becomes final once it is registered with the Conservador de Bienes Raíces. Restrictions apply mainly in border areas, and they do not affect Dutch citizens.
4 min read
Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
As a Dutch citizen you may buy a house in Chile. You do not need a residence permit for it, but you do need a RUT, the SII's tax number. The SII explicitly names buying property as a reason why a foreigner without a domicile in Chile must register. The purchase itself goes through a deed at the notary, the escritura pública, and is only complete once it is registered with the Conservador de Bienes Raíces, the property register.
| What | Amount or deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| RUT | compulsory for the buyer, also without a domicile in Chile | SII |
| Registering an ordinary purchase, Santiago | 0.2% of the price, at most 264,200 pesos | ChileAtiende |
| Reply from the Santiago register | within 20 working days | ChileAtiende |
| Certificate of mortgages and encumbrances | within 4 working days; banks want a new one after 30 days | ChileAtiende |
| Property tax on a home | exempt up to an assessed value of 61,711,570 pesos | SII |
| Rate above that | 0.893%, and 1.042% above 220,398,431 pesos | SII |
May you buy anywhere?
Almost. Article 7 of Decreto Ley 1.939 prohibits nationals of Chile's neighbouring countries from buying land in the official border areas, except with permission by decree. Dutch citizens do not fall under it.
For land owned by the state itself, article 6 applies. State land within 10 kilometres of the border is only for Chileans. State land within 5 kilometres of the coast as well, but there a foreigner domiciled in Chile can still obtain the land, after a favourable opinion from the Navy Undersecretariat. State beach land, a strip of 80 metres from the high-water line, is never sold. If you buy an ordinary house from a private seller, none of this applies.
How does the purchase work?
You sign the deed of sale at a notary. The deed then goes to the Conservador de Bienes Raíces of the place where the house is. For Santiago, ChileAtiende describes it like this: you hand in the deed, with a certificate that no property tax is owed and proof of the last payment. If the deed was signed electronically, it can be done online. The register replies within 20 working days. Registering an ordinary purchase costs 0.2% of the purchase price, up to 264,200 pesos, including the copy of the registration.
Before you sign, you request from the same register the certificate of hipotecas, gravámenes y prohibiciones. It shows mortgages, easements and attachments. Banks and buyers use it to check the title. The certificate has no fixed validity, but according to ChileAtiende banks want to see it again after 30 days.
Do not sign a deed of sale before you have seen the certificate of mortgages and encumbrances. Registration in the register is what makes the purchase final; whatever rests on the house there, you take with you.
What tax do you pay as an owner?
Property tax is called contribuciones. The SII sets an avalúo fiscal, an assessed value, for every property. For a home the first 61,711,570 pesos of that value is exempt (amount as of 1 July 2026). Above that you pay 0.893%, and 1.042% on the part above 220,398,431 pesos. The SII adjusts the values and the exemption for inflation every half year; for the second half of 2026 by a factor of 1.028.
Does a house help with your permit?
A rented-out house does. Anyone who lets a home can apply for temporary residence as a rentista with the rental income. For a home in Chile itself the proof of ownership then does not need to be legalised or apostilled. See the residence routes.
Conversely, permanent residence opens a door. Under article 18 of the migration law, holders of the residencia definitiva have the same rights to a home of their own as a Chilean, under the same legal conditions. The article only mentions permanent residence.
If you do not yet live in Chile and receive rental income from the house, the SII says you appoint a representative in the country. How your RUT and cédula fit together is in registration and numbers. If you want to rent first, read renting in Chile.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.6: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Chile or go straight to step 5.6 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Decreto Ley 1.939, articles 6 and 7: state land near the border and coast, and border areas for neighbours (BCN) — bcn.cl
- SII — a RUT for foreigners without a domicile who buy property — sii.cl
- ChileAtiende — registering a purchase with the Conservador de Bienes Raíces of Santiago — chileatiende.gob.cl
- ChileAtiende — the certificate of mortgages, encumbrances and prohibitions (GP) — chileatiende.gob.cl
- SII — the exemption and rates of property tax, second half of 2026 — sii.cl
- SERMIG — rentistas, and no legalised proof of ownership for property in Chile — serviciomigraciones.cl
- Ley 21.325, article 18: equal rights to a home of your own with permanent residence (BCN) — bcn.cl
Read on
- ChileAankomst in Chili4 min
Renting in Chile: notice periods, the lease at the notary and the deposit
Renting a home in Chile falls under Ley 18.101. If the landlord wants to end a lease without an end date, you get two months, plus one month for every full year you have lived there, up to six months at most. Since 2022 you have a written lease signed at a notary. There is no longer a legal maximum for the deposit.
Updated 15 October 2026
- ChileAankomst in Chili4 min
Banking and payments in Chile: first the cédula, then the CuentaRUT
The simplest Chilean account, BancoEstado's CuentaRUT, can only be opened once your cédula is ready. It is for anyone with a valid cédula, without an income requirement and without fixed charges. Until then you pay with your Dutch card. Cash above 10,000 dollars you declare to customs on arrival.
Updated 15 October 2026
- ChileAankomst in Chili4 min
The first weeks in Chile: to the Registro Civil within 30 days, the rest follows
In your first weeks in Chile everything turns on one deadline: within 30 days of arrival you request an appointment at the Registro Civil for your cédula. With that card you then arrange your ClaveÚnica, your bank, your healthcare and school. Clocks also run for your household goods, your address, your driving licence and your tax.
Updated 15 October 2026