Property
Chile — Property Overview
The Chilean constitution guarantees foreigners the same property rights as citizens, and there is no general restriction on non-resident foreigners buying real estate — no visa or residency is required to purchase, only a Chilean RUT (tax ID). The main restrictions concern officially declared border zones (particularly for nationals of neighboring countries) and indigenous protected lands.
VerifiedCommunity sourceChilean real-estate legal guides (Expat.cl, TheLatinvestor) summarizing constitutional property rights and border-zone rules (DIFROL)Last reviewed: 2026-07-30
Key facts
- No blanket ban on foreign land ownership; foreigners do not need a visa or residency to buy property, but do need a RUT (obtainable from the Servicio de Impuestos Internos, SII).
- Property within roughly 10 km of a national border or 5 km of the coast can trigger additional restrictions for national-security reasons; in declared border zones, express presidential authorization via the Ministry of the Interior (processed through DIFROL) may be required.
- Nationals of neighboring countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Peru) face extra scrutiny specifically when buying in declared border zones near their home country.
- Indigenous protected lands ('tierras indígenas') cannot legally be sold or transferred to non-indigenous parties; violating contracts can be nullified by Chilean courts.