The short answer: a foreigner can buy a car in Chile with a Chilean tax number (RUT). Before paying, check the vehicle's registry certificate for liens, prohibitions and theft reports; after signing, make sure the transfer is registered in your name, because until then the law presumes the seller is still the owner. And do not plan on shipping a used car from home: Chile only allows new vehicles to be imported, with narrow exceptions.
Who can buy, and what you need
There is no nationality or residency restriction on owning a vehicle in Chile. Ownership, transfer and liens over vehicles follow the general rules for movable property in the Civil Code (Traffic Law, article 38). What you do need is a Chilean tax number (RUT), because the vehicle is registered against it.
What to check before paying
The Civil Registry Service keeps the Vehicle Registry, where each vehicle and its owner are recorded, along with changes to the vehicle and reports of theft (Traffic Law, article 39). Its certificate of registrations and annotations is the single most important document in a used-car purchase. Check that:
The seller is the registered owner. If the person selling is not the one on the certificate, stop until that is explained.
There are no liens or prohibitions. A vehicle bought on credit is commonly pledged to the lender, and a court can prohibit its sale; either one travels with the car.
There is no theft report. Theft reports are annotated on the registry and appear on the certificate.
The chassis and engine numbers match the car in front of you.
Ask for the certificate the same day you pay. It reflects the registry at the moment it is issued; one from last week does not show a lien or report recorded since.
Signing and registering the transfer
The sale is signed before a notary or through the transfer procedures the Civil Registry accepts, and the transfer tax on a used vehicle is paid before it can be registered. Then the transfer is recorded in the Vehicle Registry in the buyer's name.
Registration is what protects you. Under article 44 of the Traffic Law, the person in whose name the vehicle is registered is presumed to be its owner unless proven otherwise. A buyer who pays and drives away without registering the transfer leaves the seller as the presumed owner — with everything that implies for fines, liability and resale.
Bringing a car from abroad
This is where many foreigners' plans change. Under article 21 of Law 18.483, only new vehicles may be imported into Chile. The exceptions are narrow: special-purpose vehicles (motorhomes, ambulances and the like), vehicles imported under special customs regimes or with total or partial duty exemptions, and classic vehicles fifty years old or more that meet the Traffic Law's requirements. For most people relocating or buying property, the practical answer is to buy in Chile.
After the purchase
Owning a car in Chile brings recurring obligations — the annual circulation permit issued by the municipality, compulsory accident insurance and periodic technical inspection — and the registry address matters, because fines and notices are linked to the registered owner. If you will spend months abroad, decide who looks after these in your absence.
What we do
We review the registry certificate and the seller's title before you pay, draft and sign the transfer under your power of attorney if you are not in Chile, handle the tax and the registration, and confirm that the vehicle is recorded in your name.
By Felipe Andrés Solar Rojas, partner · Published 8 October 2026 · Last reviewed 8 October 2026
Heads the real estate, wealth structuring and company advisory practice at Iriarte & Solar. His work runs through Chilean notaries, the Conservadores de Bienes Raíces, the Internal Revenue Service and municipal works departments. Full profile (in Spanish).
Sources: Traffic Law (DFL 1 of 2009, consolidated text of Law 18.290), articles 38, 39 and 44, at Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional · LeyChile. Law 18.483 on the automotive industry, article 21, at Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional · LeyChile.
This guide states the general rule in force at the date of last review. It is not legal advice for a specific matter, and it is not a substitute for advice on your own documents. Amounts expressed in UF move daily. Every transaction has features that can change the conclusions set out here.