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Accepted invoices become tradable, enforceable titles

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

Abroad, an invoice is a payment request that a buyer can dispute at any time; in Chile a buyer that does not claim within 8 calendar days irrevocably accepts it. The accepted invoice can be sold to factoring firms and banks, and the buyer then cannot raise personal defences, delivery problems or credit notes against the assignee. Clauses banning assignment are prohibited and blocking it costs two to five times the invoice value, while the invoice itself supports fast executive collection.

USD figures use the Central Bank exchange rate of CLP 986.58 per US dollar published in the Diario Oficial for 23 October 2026 (CVE 2891564). UF amounts use the SII value of CLP 41,221.08 for 26 October 2026 and UTM amounts the SII value of CLP 72,151 for October 2026. Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Period to claim against an invoice before irrevocable acceptance	8 calendar daysLey Nº 19.983, art. 3, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Contractual bans on invoice assignment	Prohibited; indemnity of 2 to 5 times the invoice value textLey Nº 19.983, art. 4, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Accepted invoice copy as executive title	Yes textLey Nº 19.983, art. 5, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. An invoice is irrevocably accepted unless the buyer returns it (with dispatch guides) on delivery, or claims against its content or total or partial non delivery within 8 calendar days of receipt, by certified letter or another reliable means, returning the invoice or requesting a credit note. Express acceptance within the 8 days also bars later claims. Against assignees of an accepted invoice the buyer cannot raise personal defences it had against the seller, defences based on non delivery, nor credit or debit notes.
Cost to do it: No fee; the cost of inaction is the loss of defences against assignees.
Example: A supplier issues an invoice for CLP 50,000,000; the buyer says nothing for 8 days and the supplier sells it on day 9 to a factoring company. The buyer must pay the factor in full, keeping only its civil claims against the supplier. / About US$50,680.Ley Nº 19.983, regulating the transfer of invoices and granting them executive force, Art. 3, 2004-12-15 official text · verified 2026-10-26

2. The assignable copy of the invoice, marked as assignable, can be assigned once it shows receipt of the goods or services; receipt must be given within 8 calendar days of receipt of the invoice, and if neither receipt nor claim occurs in that time delivery is presumed. Any agreement or practice that limits, restricts or bans the free circulation of an invoice credit is prohibited, as is withholding, destroying or hiding the assignable copy or not giving the receipt; the local police court orders an indemnity of two to five times the invoice value.
Cost to do it: Indemnity of two to five times the invoice value for blocking assignment.
Example: A no assignment clause in a master supply agreement is void, and refusing to acknowledge receipt on a CLP 50,000,000 invoice to frustrate factoring can cost CLP 100,000,000 to CLP 250,000,000. / About US$101,360 to US$253,401.Ley Nº 19.983, Art. 4, 2004-12-15 official text · verified 2026-10-26

3. The assignable copy has executive force if the invoice was not claimed, payment is due and not time barred, receipt is shown (or the 8 day period passed without claim), and the debtor, once judicially notified, does not allege material forgery in the act or within three days. Assignment transfers ownership of the credit and is notified to the debtor through a notary or civil registry officer; electronic invoices follow the same rules using electronic signatures and acknowledgments of receipt.
Cost to do it: Notary notification of the assignment, at notary market rates.
Example: A factoring company sues on an unpaid accepted invoice in executive proceedings, with attachment of assets, instead of an ordinary claim. / The same procedure applies to invoices in pesos for US dollar priced sales.Ley Nº 19.983, Art. 5, art. 7 and art. 9, 2004-12-15 official text · verified 2026-10-26

Day	What happens	Rule
0	Invoice received; receipt of goods or services to be acknowledged	Art. 4, art. 5
1 to 8	Buyer may claim on content or delivery	Art. 3
After 8	Invoice irrevocably accepted; freely assignable	Art. 3, art. 4
30	Payment due	Art. 2
After 30	Late interest and 1 percent fee; executive collection	Art. 2 bis, 2 ter, art. 5

Invoice timeline after receipt (Ley Nº 19.983).

Worked example

A buyer receives a defective shipment invoiced at CLP 50,000,000 and claims by certified letter on day 6, requesting a credit note: the invoice is not accepted and cannot be enforced by a factor as an executive title.
If it claims on day 10, the invoice is already accepted and a factor can collect in full.

Step by step

Route incoming electronic invoices to a team that checks goods and services within 8 calendar days.
Claim in writing within the 8 days, through the SII electronic system or certified letter, with a credit note request where relevant.
Remove no assignment clauses from Chilean supply terms.
Track notarial notices of assignment and pay the assignee, not the supplier, once notified.

Common traps

Silence for 8 days equals acceptance.
Credit notes issued after acceptance cannot be set off against a factoring assignee.
Paying the original supplier after notice of assignment does not discharge the debt.

Sources

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