Chile Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Chilean Business

TL;DR. Chile operates two parallel company registration systems: the modern Registro de Empresas y Sociedades (RES) for companies formed after 2013, and the traditional Conservador de Comercio network for older entities and certain legal forms. Free basic data is available through the Empresa en un Dia portal. Certified extracts cost CLP 5,000-30,000 (~USD 5-33). The RUT (Rol Unico Tributario) is the primary identifier across both systems. Foreign buyers can access basic data without a Chilean identity document.

What is the official Chile business registry?

Chile’s company registration market has two main channels operating in parallel.

The Registro de Empresas y Sociedades (RES) was created by Law 20.659 of 2013 and is administered by the Ministerio de Economía, Fomento y Turismo. RES handles the registration of Empresas Individuales de Responsabilidad Limitada (EIRL), Sociedades por Acciones (SpA), Sociedades de Responsabilidad Limitada (SRL), Sociedades Anónimas (SA), and Sociedades en Comandita formed through the simplified online process. The primary public portal is Empresa en un Día, which is also the name of the fast-track incorporation platform built on top of RES.

The Conservador de Comercio network handles companies formed before RES, and continues to be the authority for certain older legal forms and for companies that chose traditional notarial registration after 2013. Each Conservador (there are around 17 regional ones) is an independent private entity acting under public delegation. Santiago’s Conservador de Bienes Raíces de Santiago handles the highest volume of commercial registrations. For companies registered through the traditional route, the official published record appears in the Diario Oficial (Chile’s official gazette) and is then annotated in the relevant Conservador’s books.

Both systems use the RUT (Rol Unico Tributario) as the primary company identifier. The RUT is issued by the Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII), Chile’s tax authority, and serves as the cross-system linking key across the registry, tax, and customs databases. For due diligence purposes, the RUT is the anchor identifier for any Chilean legal entity.

Chile is a member of GAFILAT (Grupo de Acción Financiera de Latinoamérica), the FATF-style regional body covering Latin America. GAFILAT membership means Chilean AML/CFT frameworks are subject to mutual evaluation under FATF Recommendation standards.

What can you search?

Via Empresa en un Día / RES portal (registrodeempresas.cl):

• Company name search by exact or partial match
• RUT lookup returning entity name, legal form, registration date, registered address, and current status
• Director and shareholder information for RES-registered entities
• Activity codes (giro) and corporate objects
• Historical extract of modifications and amendments

Via SII (sii.cl) free public data:

• RUT verification: confirm whether a RUT is assigned and to what entity type
• Activity status and tax category
• Registered address as filed with the tax authority

Via Conservador de Comercio (for older entities):

• Commercial certificates and annotated extracts: available in person or online depending on the individual Conservador office
• Some regional Conservadores offer online search tools; coverage varies

Data in RES reflects filings on an event-driven basis. When a company files a modification through the Empresa en un Día platform, the record updates immediately. For Conservador-registered companies, updates depend on when the notarial act is presented and annotated.

How much does it cost?

Prices are approximate based on published fee schedules as of May 2026. CLP/USD conversion used: 1 USD = approximately 900 CLP (verify at point of purchase as the Chilean peso floats). Conservador fees vary by office and by the length of the record being extracted.

Do you need a local account or ID?

For basic public searches on the Empresa en un Día portal and SII RUT verification, no account and no Chilean RUT or identity document is required. Both are publicly accessible.

For ordering certified extracts through RES, an account on the Empresa en un Día platform is required. Account creation uses an email address. Foreign users without a Chilean RUN (Rol Unico Nacional, the individual equivalent of the RUT) can create an account using passport details. The process is in Spanish.

For Conservador de Comercio extracts, the procedure varies by office. Some Conservadores accept online orders from foreign users with international payment cards; others require an in-person request or a local representative. Santiago’s Conservador has an online ordering portal.

Is the website in English?

Partially. The Empresa en un Día portal at registrodeempresas.cl has limited English-language navigation in some sections, but the majority of the interface, the document output, and all certified extracts are in Spanish only.

The SII RUT verification tool at sii.cl is in Spanish only. Document output from any Chilean registry source is in Spanish; no automated translation is provided.

Foreign compliance buyers who do not read Spanish will need translation assistance to interpret company extracts. Legal Spanish terminology for Chilean entity forms (SpA, EIRL, SA, SRL) differs in some respects from standard corporate law terminology in other jurisdictions.

What’s the turnaround time?

Basic public data from the RES portal is available instantly. RUT status from SII is also real-time.

Certified extracts ordered through the RES online system are typically generated within 24-48 hours. Conservador de Comercio extracts, depending on the office and order volume, generally take 1-3 business days when ordered online. In-person requests at some offices may be completed the same day.

Is there an API?

No public API is available from the Registro de Empresas y Sociedades or from the Conservadores de Comercio for registry data extraction.

The SII offers a limited set of developer services for taxpayer RUT validation, but these are designed for registered Chilean businesses rather than for international compliance queries. Bulk or automated queries to any registry portal violate terms of service.

Local data aggregators (see the section on alternatives below) offer API access built on top of registry and supplementary data sources for platform-level integration.

What you legally cannot do

The Empresa en un Día portal terms of use prohibit automated bulk downloading of company data or certified documents. Commercial redistribution of registry extracts without authorization from the issuing authority is not permitted.

Chile’s data protection framework is governed by Law 19.628 on the Protection of Private Life, with a modernized replacement (based on GDPR principles) having been under parliamentary debate. Personal data of directors and shareholders obtained from the registry may only be used for legitimate stated purposes (due diligence, counterparty verification) and may not be aggregated for resale as a marketing database.

Compliance buyers using registry data for CDD, AML screening, or counterparty risk assessment are within permitted use, provided queries are not automated in bulk and purpose is documented.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• Use the RUT as the anchor identifier. The RUT format for legal entities is 7-8 digits followed by a hyphen and a verification digit (e.g., 76.123.456-7). Collect the RUT from the first search; every subsequent query across SII, RES, customs (Aduana), and judicial databases uses this number.
• Check both registries for pre-2013 entities. A company incorporated before 2013 will not appear in RES. Verify the incorporation date first; if older, go to the relevant Conservador de Comercio.
• SII active status is a quick pre-check. The SII public RUT search shows whether the entity is “Activo” or has ceased activities from a tax perspective. This is a fast preliminary check before ordering a full registry extract.
• SpA vs SA disclosure. Sociedades por Acciones (SpA) are a simplified joint-stock form favored by startups and foreign subsidiaries. Sociedades Anónimas (SA) have stricter disclosure requirements. Listed SAs are regulated by the Comisión para el Mercado Financiero (CMF) and disclose financials and material shareholdings publicly at cmfchile.cl.
• GAFILAT and FATF context. Chile is a GAFILAT member and a FATF associate. It is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. Chile’s financial sector regulator is the CMF; its AML/CFT supervisor is the Unidad de Análisis Financiero (UAF) at uaf.cl.
• Beneficial ownership declarations. Chile’s Company Law and AML regulations require disclosure of ultimate beneficial owners. The UAF receives reports from regulated entities. A public UBO register does not yet exist at the same level as EU-style registers, though reforms have been under discussion.

Alternatives if you cannot access RES directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes Chilean company filings from the Diario Oficial but lags official data and does not cover the full RES database. Useful for a quick name check; not for compliance-grade verification.
• SII RUT validator: The SII public portal at sii.cl provides free RUT status and basic entity information without needing a full registry extract.
• Diario Oficial: Incorporated company announcements, capital increases, and dissolutions are published at diariooficial.interior.gob.cl, searchable by company name.

Local data suppliers

• Equifax Chile (equifax.cl). The Equifax operation in Chile provides commercial credit reports and business risk scoring for Chilean entities. Covers payment behavior, credit history, and judicial records alongside registry data. Used by banks, telecoms, and large enterprises for counterparty and supplier assessment.
• Siisa (siisa.cl). Chilean business intelligence provider offering company reports, director profiles, and financial data for domestic entities. Covers formal sector companies with data sourced from registry, tax, and commercial databases.

Use the RES or Conservador de Comercio for the official filing record. Use Equifax Chile or Siisa when you need payment behavior, credit scoring, or ongoing risk monitoring layered on top of the registry data.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access Chilean registry data without a Chilean identity document?

Yes. Basic public data from the Empresa en un Día portal and SII RUT verification require no Chilean identity document. Ordering certified extracts through the RES online system requires a user account; foreign users can create one using passport details and an international email address. Some Conservador de Comercio offices require a local representative for certified document orders.

What is the RUT number in Chile?

The RUT (Rol Unico Tributario) is Chile’s unified tax and entity identifier for both companies and individuals. For legal entities, the format is a 7-8 digit base number followed by a verification digit, written as XX.XXX.XXX-V (e.g., 76.123.456-7). It is issued by the SII and serves as the primary identifier across the registry, customs, banking, and procurement systems. Never confuse the company RUT with an individual’s RUN (Rol Unico Nacional), which uses the same format but belongs to a natural person.

What entity types are registered in Chile?

The main forms are: Sociedad Anónima Abierta (SAA, publicly listed), Sociedad Anónima Cerrada (SAC, private joint-stock), Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (SRL, private limited), Sociedad por Acciones (SpA, simplified joint-stock), Empresa Individual de Responsabilidad Limitada (EIRL, individual limited liability), and Sociedad en Comandita (limited partnership). Branch offices of foreign companies (Agencia) are also registered. The SpA is increasingly favored by foreign investors for its flexibility.

Does Chile have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Chile does not have a fully public UBO registry equivalent to EU-style registers as of May 2026. However, AML obligations under Law 19.913 (which created the UAF) and subsequent regulations require reporting entities to identify and verify beneficial owners. The UAF receives this information from obligated entities. Chilean companies are required to disclose controlling shareholders to the CMF if listed. Legislative reform toward a more formalized public UBO register has been under discussion.

How current is the data in the Chilean registry?

RES data updates on a near-real-time basis when a company files through the Empresa en un Día platform. For Conservador de Comercio-registered companies, updates depend on when notarial instruments are presented and annotated at the relevant office, which may take days to weeks after the underlying corporate event. Annual accounts are not filed with the registry (they go to the SII and, for listed companies, to the CMF), so financial data is not in the registry record.

Is Chile on the FATF grey list?

No. Chile is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. Chile participates in GAFILAT mutual evaluations and has been subject to standard FATF follow-up cycles. For current status, see fatf-gafi.org and gafilat.org.

What is the difference between the registry and tax filings in Chile?

The RES and Conservador de Comercio handle commercial registration: legal existence, corporate structure, and amendments. Tax filings (annual returns, VAT, income tax) go to the SII separately. The SII holds financial data for tax purposes; this is not publicly accessible in detail. The CMF holds disclosed financials for listed companies. A compliance check on a Chilean company typically requires combining the registry extract (legal status, directors) with SII activity status (tax registration active) and, for larger entities, CMF filings (financials, major shareholders).

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: Registro de Empresas y Sociedades / Empresa en un Día (registrodeempresas.cl), Servicio de Impuestos Internos (sii.cl), FATF (fatf-gafi.org), GAFILAT (gafilat.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.