Opening a company in Chile: locals, foreigners, freelancers and digital nomads

At a glance: SpA with no minimum capital created free online through Empresa en un Día in a day with the RUT from the SII at once, 27 percent corporate tax (25 percent Pro Pyme for SMEs), 19 percent IVA from the first sale with no threshold, no digital nomad visa. Legal forms. Sole trader (persona natural con giro) or single-owner limited company (Empresa Individual de Responsabilidad Limitada, E.I.R.L.). Simplified stock company (Sociedad por Acciones, SpA): one or more shareholders, no minimum capital, free transfer of shares, the default vehicle for foreign investors. Limited company (Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Ltda.): 2 to 50 partners, no minimum capital. Public company (Sociedad Anónima, S.A.): no minimum capital, three-member board. Registration. Empresa en un Día (Registro de Empresas y Sociedades): free online incorporation with Clave Única; the company exists on filing and the SII issues the RUT at once. Traditional route: notarial deed, registration at the Conservador de Bienes Raíces and publication in the Diario Oficial, two to four weeks, about CLP 300,000 to 800,000 (about 270 to 730 euros). Then inicio de actividades with the SII and the municipal licence (patente municipal). Total excluding capital from under 100 euros online to about 2,000 euros. Taxes 2026. First category (corporate) tax 27 percent; Pro Pyme regime 25 percent for companies with average annual income up to UF 75,000 (about 2.8 million euros). Dividends: residents pay global complementary tax up to 40 percent with credit for the corporate tax (65 percent of it under the general regime, 100 percent for Pro Pyme); non-residents pay the 35 percent additional tax with the same credit, so 35 percent overall with a treaty and about 44.45 percent otherwise. IVA 19 percent, no registration threshold. Personal income tax progressive to 40 percent above 310 UTA (roughly 235,000 euros). Freelancers and the self-employed. Freelancers register inicio de actividades with the SII and issue electronic fee receipts (boletas de honorarios); the payer withholds 15.25 percent in 2026, rising by 0.75 points a year to 17 percent in 2028, as an advance on personal tax computed after a 30 percent presumed expense deduction. The annual return settles mandatory pension, health and accident contributions, about 17 percent of 80 percent of gross fees. No flat or simplified regime exists for freelancers. Foreigners. 100 percent foreign ownership in nearly all sectors; restrictions cover coastal fishing, border-zone land for nationals of neighbouring countries and media. No resident director requirement, but every foreign shareholder obtains a Chilean RUT and the company needs a tax representative domiciled in Chile. Temporary residence for investors and traders is applied for from abroad with a business plan and proof of funds, no fixed minimum, one to two years renewable, then definitive residence after two years. Banks open accounts only for holders of a Chilean identity card and a RUT, generally in person. Branch of a foreign company. Agency of a foreign company (agencia de sociedad extranjera, article 121 of the Corporations Law): legalised and translated parent documents and a power of attorney to an agent resident in Chile, registered and published within 60 days, then a RUT; assigned capital optional. Taxed as a permanent establishment at 27 percent on Chilean-source profits, with the 35 percent additional tax on remittances less the credit; representative offices are not recognised. Nearly every foreign group uses an SpA subsidiary. Digital nomads. No digital nomad visa. Tourists from most countries get 90 days, extendable once for another 90; remote work for a foreign employer on a tourist stay is tolerated but not authorised, and longer stays mean a temporary residence (investor, worker, rentier) applied for from abroad. Tax residence starts after 183 days in any twelve-month period; new residents pay tax only on Chilean-source income for the first three years. Changed recently. Tax Compliance Law 21,713 with a reinforced anti-avoidance rule (October 2024); IVA on low-value imports and foreign platforms (October 2025); pension reform with a new employer contribution starting at 1 percent in August 2025 and rising to 7 percent over nine years; fee-receipt withholding 15.25 percent (January 2026); minimum wage CLP 529,000 (May 2025). Figures checked October 2026 from the Servicio de Impuestos Internos, the Registro de Empresas y Sociedades, the Servicio Nacional de Migraciones and PwC and local law-firm summaries; thresholds and fees change yearly. Confirm with a licensed adviser in Chile before you file.