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Registro de Empresas y Sociedades versus the notary route in Chile: forms, signatures, apostilles, fees, migration and timelines

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Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Status: Stable

Chile runs two parallel company registration systems. The free online Registro de Empresas y Sociedades of the Ministry of Economy covers the SpA, closed S.A., Ltda., EIRL and partnerships: founders sign an electronic form with an advanced electronic signature or before a notary at a capped tariff, and the company is registered with a RUT on the date of the last signature. The traditional route uses a notarial deed, the Commercial Registry kept by the Conservador and a Diario Oficial publication within 60 days. Companies can migrate between the two.

USD figures use the dólar observado of CLP 972.60 per US dollar for 1 October 2026, the latest value in the SII dólar observado table on 26 October 2026. The UF is CLP 41,221.08 for 26 October 2026 (SII UF table) and the UTM is CLP 72,151 and the UTA CLP 865,812 for October 2026 (SII UTM table). Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Fee to incorporate in the online Registro de Empresas y Sociedades	0 CLPLey Nº 20.659, art. 11, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Days to collect all signatures on an online form	60 daysLey Nº 20.659, art. 10, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Notary tariff for signing a registry form	0.26 UFDecreto Exento Nº 11 of 2019, Ministry of Economy, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Notary tariff per person for reviewing signing documents	0.18 UFDecreto Exento Nº 11 of 2019, Ministry of Economy, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Days to file a digital copy of meeting minutes in the registry	30 daysLey Nº 20.659, art. 14, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Days to migrate out when a company stops qualifying	60 daysLey Nº 20.659, art. 19, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Diario Oficial fee per company extract	1 UTMLey Nº 20.494, art. 4, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Capital below which the extract is published free	5000 UFLey Nº 20.494, art. 4, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Time to incorporate online once all founders have signed	Same day: registered from the last signature, RUT assigned at the same time textLey Nº 20.659, art. 4 and art. 13, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. The individual limited liability company, limited liability company, closed corporation, reciprocal guarantee corporation, commercial general partnership, SpA and both kinds of limited partnership may be formed, amended, transformed, merged, divided, terminated or dissolved only by signing the relevant electronic form and incorporating it in the Registro de Empresas y Sociedades. The registry is a single national website, public and free of charge, run by the Ministry of Economy. Companies that do not opt in follow their own laws. Where a law requires registration in the Commercial Registry or publication in the Diario Oficial, incorporating the form in the registry replaces both.
Cost to do it: CLP 0 (US$0) registry fee (art. 11).Ley Nº 20.659, Art. 1, art. 2, art. 4, art. 11 and art. 21, 2013-02-08 official text · verified 2026-10-26

2. Founders, partners or shareholders sign the form with their advanced electronic signature, or through representatives or attorneys with theirs. Anyone without an advanced electronic signature signs before a notary, who applies the notary's own signature. A power of attorney may be granted through the registry's own Registro de Poderes, by public deed, by a notarized and protocolized private instrument, or by an electronic document with advanced signature; a power granted abroad must be legalized or apostilled, and a full digital copy is filed in the registry. All required signatures must be applied within 60 days of the first, or the form is deemed unsigned; once the first person signs, the form cannot be changed. The act is dated on the first signature but is only incorporated when the last required signature is applied.
Example: The first shareholder signs on 1 December 2026; if the second has not signed by 30 January 2027, the form lapses and must be started again. / Lapsed forms cost nothing in fees but lose the incorporation date.Ley Nº 20.659 as amended by Ley Nº 21.366, Art. 4, art. 9 and art. 10, 2021-08-25 official text · verified 2026-10-26

3. Notaries may only charge the tariff set by supreme decree for applying their advanced electronic signature to registry forms: 0.26 UF for signing the form and related tasks, whatever the number of people appearing before the same notary for the same act; 0.18 UF per person for reviewing and incorporating documents needed for that person's signature, where applicable; 0.07 UF for incorporating any other document; and, for migration into the registry, 0.39 UF for checking the migration certificate against the form, plus 0.18 UF per person for their documents.
Cost to do it: 0.26 UF is CLP 10,717 (US$11.02); 0.18 UF is CLP 7,420 (US$7.63); 0.07 UF is CLP 2,885 (US$2.97); 0.39 UF is CLP 16,076 (US$16.53), at UF CLP 41,221.08.
Example: Two founders without electronic signatures sign an SpA form before the same notary, who reviews each one's documents: 0.26 + 2 × 0.18 = 0.62 UF, CLP 25,557. / About US$26.28 in total notary charges for the online route, against a registry fee of US$0.Decreto Exento Nº 11 of 2019, Ministry of Economy, under Ley Nº 20.659 art. 9, Artículo primero Nº 1 and Nº 2, 2019-03-01 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. Once signed by everyone required, the form is incorporated automatically in the registry from that date and the SII is deemed informed. The SII assigns a RUT to every legal person formed under this law at the same time as the incorporation, with no further formalities; the RUT is the company's registry number, and the constitution form can also request start of activities and authorization of tax documents. Certificates issued by the registry have the evidentiary value of public instruments and are enforceable titles.
Example: The SII portal shows the new RUT and a downloadable RUT certificate as soon as the last signature is applied (SII Res. Ex. Nº 77 of 2025, VI Nº 1).Ley Nº 20.659, Art. 13 and art. 22, 2013-02-08 official text · verified 2026-10-26

5. Amendments, mergers, divisions, transformations and dissolutions are made by signing the relevant form. Where a shareholders' meeting is required, its minutes must be reduced to public deed or protocolized, unless all shareholders sign the form or a common representative signs for all; in any case a digital copy of the minutes must be filed within 30 calendar days. Powers and delegations can be granted, amended and revoked through the public Registro de Poderes, and powers registered there count as meeting every formality, including public deed, for the acts they cover.Ley Nº 20.659 as amended by Ley Nº 21.366, Art. 13 ter and art. 14, 2021-08-25 official text · verified 2026-10-26

6. A company formed on the traditional route can migrate into the online registry: the migration must be approved by all partners or, in companies run by shareholders' meetings, by an absolute majority of voting shares if the bylaws are silent; a migration certificate is obtained from the Commercial Registry of the Conservador, and the migration form must be signed within 30 days of that certificate. A company that stops qualifying for the registry must migrate back to the general system within 60 days, and the extract issued on migrating out must be registered with the Conservador and, if its law requires, published in the Diario Oficial within 30 days. Migration in either direction is not a bylaw amendment.
Cost to do it: Notary review of the migration form, if used: 0.39 UF (CLP 16,076, US$16.53) under Decreto Exento Nº 11 of 2019.Ley Nº 20.659 as amended by Ley Nº 21.366, Art. 18, art. 19 and art. 20, 2021-08-25 official text · verified 2026-10-26

7. On the traditional route, Diario Oficial publications for the constitution, dissolution and amendment of private legal persons are made on its website, which anyone may consult free. Each extract costs one UTM, except for companies with capital below 5,000 UF, whose publication is exempt; the Diario Oficial must publish at the latest on the second business day after the request and payment, and notaries send the extracts electronically with their advanced signature.
Cost to do it: 1 UTM = CLP 72,151 (US$74.18) in October 2026; exempt if capital is below UF 5,000 = CLP 206,105,400 (US$211,912).
Example: An SpA with capital of CLP 300,000,000 pays CLP 72,151 to publish its extract; one with CLP 150,000,000 pays nothing. / Roughly: capital above about US$212,000 pays about US$74 per publication.Ley Nº 20.494, Art. 4, 2011-01-27 official text · verified 2026-10-26

8. Public documents from a state party to the Apostille Convention need only an apostille from that state, not consular legalization, and apostilled documents have the value of public instruments without protocolization. The Convention entered into force for Chile on 30 August 2016.Ley Nº 20.711; HCCH Apostille Convention status table, Ley Nº 20.711 art. 1 and art. 2, 2014-01-02 official text · verified 2026-10-26

Step	Online registry (Ley Nº 20.659)	Traditional route	Source
Instrument	Electronic form	Public deed or protocolized private instrument	Ley Nº 20.659 art. 4; Código de Comercio art. 425; Ley Nº 18.046 art. 3
Signatures	Advanced electronic signature or notary at 0.26 UF	Notary	Ley Nº 20.659 art. 9; Decreto Exento Nº 11 of 2019
Registration	Automatic on last signature	Commercial Registry within 60 days	Ley Nº 20.659 art. 13; Código de Comercio art. 426
Publication	Replaced by the registry	Diario Oficial within 60 days, 1 UTM or free below UF 5,000	Ley Nº 20.659 art. 21; Ley Nº 20.494 art. 4
RUT	Assigned at once	Separate SII application	Ley Nº 20.659 art. 13; SII Res. Ex. Nº 77 of 2025
Share register	Kept inside the registry	Kept by the company	Ley Nº 20.659 art. 13 bis; Código de Comercio art. 431
Available to branches and open S.A.	No	Yes	Ley Nº 20.659 art. 2

Online registry versus traditional route

Worked example

An Argentine parent forms an SpA. Its Chilean lawyer holds a power granted in Buenos Aires and apostilled in Argentina, a Convention party since 18 February 1988 (Ley Nº 20.711; HCCH status table), and signs online with an advanced electronic signature on Monday. The registry fee is CLP 0, the SpA is registered that day and the SII shows its RUT immediately (Ley Nº 20.659 art. 11 and art. 13).
Had a second founder without an electronic signature signed before a notary, the notary could charge at most 0.26 UF plus 0.18 UF for that founder's documents, CLP 18,137 or about US$18.65 (Decreto Exento Nº 11 of 2019).

Step by step

1. Check the entity type is one of the eight in Ley Nº 20.659 art. 2; branches and open corporations must use the traditional route.
2. Get advanced electronic signatures for signatories, or plan notary signing; for foreign founders, prepare an apostilled or legalized power less than one year old (art. 9; SII Res. Ex. Nº 77 of 2025).
3. Complete the form on the registry site, sign within 60 days of the first signature and download the registry certificate and RUT (art. 10, art. 13 and art. 22).
4. For later changes, use amendment forms and file meeting minutes within 30 days (art. 14).
5. On the traditional route, register the extract with the Conservador and publish it in the Diario Oficial within 60 days, paying 1 UTM unless capital is under UF 5,000 (Ley Nº 20.494 art. 4).

Common traps

The form is frozen once the first person signs; mistakes require a new form or a later amendment (art. 10).
Signatures not completed within 60 days void the form (art. 10).
Mixing systems: a merger between a registry company and a traditional company follows each one's own formalities (art. 15).
A notary charging more than the decree tariff for registry signatures is outside the law (art. 9; Decreto Exento Nº 11 of 2019).
Diario Oficial publication is only free below UF 5,000 of capital, about US$212,000 (Ley Nº 20.494 art. 4).

Sources

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