Latin America & Caribbean / Chile
Auto export to Chile.
Let's be straight about Chile, because the two halves of it look nothing alike. Mainland Chile bans used-car imports outright under Ley 18.483, Article 21, and no payment fixes that. The exception is the free zones: ZOFRI in Iquique and the Punta Arenas zone in the south, where used cars enter freely, sell to traders, and either re-export to Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru or release locally under specific franchises. That free-zone lane is a genuine Dapex service, the same shape as our UAE business: we deliver to the zone trader, the HBL is consigned to them, and their onward sale is their booking.
For reference purposes only. Regulations, policies, and procedures change constantly. Ensure you verify and validate all requirements for your specific shipments before initiating any.
The Chile lane, in four numbers.
ZOFRI Iquique in the north, the region's used-car clearing house. Punta Arenas zone in the far south. Direct ocean call on the WCSA rotations.
Six container warehouses. Five RoRo terminals. West Coast and Gulf origins fit the Pacific rotations.
West Coast down the Pacific, or Gulf and East Coast via Panama. Current numbers by origin on the quote.
Ley 18.483 bans used-car imports into mainland Chile. Free zones are the exception. Both LHD and RHD enter the zone.
One country, two regimes. We serve the one that works.
A used car cannot register in Santiago, full stop. The same car sitting in the ZOFRI compound in Iquique is legal inventory, sellable to traders serving Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and the zone's own extension region. The profile decides everything, exactly like our UAE lane.
The Dapex service.
Vehicle consigned to a trading company inside ZOFRI Iquique or the Punta Arenas zone. It enters the zone without mainland customs, sits as inventory, and the trader sells it onward. Dapex's BL ends at the zone. The onward leg to Bolivia or Paraguay is the trader's own booking under the destination's rules.
- HBL consigned to the zone trading company, not an end-buyer
- No mainland Chilean duty, age rule, or registration applies in the zone
- LHD and RHD both enter the zone
- Onward sale to Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru is the trader's business
- The same honest shape as our UAE free-zone service
Franchise cases only.
Mainland registration of a used import happens only through specific franchises: zone-region residents, qualifying returning residents, and the disability franchise, each with Hacienda paperwork and conditions. These are personal cases, not a trade lane. The desk tells you whether yours fits before anything ships.
- Ley 18.483 Art. 21 bans mainland used imports
- Franchises: zone residents, returning residents, disability cases
- Ministry of Finance authorization where required
- Personal cases only, never a dealer volume path
- No franchise, no mainland registration, and we say so
The Pacific run south.
Iquique is a direct ocean call on the west coast South America rotations. West Coast US origins sail straight down. Gulf and East Coast origins transit Panama.
Container origins
NY/NJ, Savannah, Miami, Houston, Long Beach, Seattle. Six warehouses, container loaded by our crew. Long Beach is the natural origin for the Pacific run.
A 40HC commonly holds four cars, five when they nest, three when they are full-size.
Container is the workhorse for zone deliveries, and RHD stock for onward RHD markets moves in the box alongside LHD.
RoRo origins
Baltimore, Brunswick, Galveston, Jacksonville, Port Hueneme. Five RoRo terminals. Port Hueneme serves the Pacific rotations.
Quarter-tank fuel maximum per SOLAS rules on every booking.
RoRo availability to Iquique varies by rotation. The desk confirms the current sailing picture before quoting it.
US origins for this lane
| Origin | Method | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| NY/NJ | Container, via Panama | Quoted per routing |
| Savannah | Container, via Panama | Quoted per routing |
| Miami | Container, via Panama | Quoted per routing |
| Houston | Container, via Panama | 15-25 days |
| Long Beach | Container, direct Pacific | 15-25 days |
| Seattle | Container, Pacific routing | Quoted per routing |
| Baltimore | RoRo, per rotation | Confirmed at quote |
| Brunswick | RoRo, per rotation | Confirmed at quote |
| Galveston | RoRo, per rotation | Confirmed at quote |
| Jacksonville | RoRo, per rotation | Confirmed at quote |
| Port Hueneme | RoRo, per rotation | Confirmed at quote |
Any origin can serve this lane. The desk quotes the routing that fits where your freight sits.
Zone paperwork is its own system, and it is simple.
A zone delivery skips mainland customs entirely. The file is the standard Dapex pack consigned to the zone trader, who handles the zone entry declaration on their side.
Required documents
Original title or bill of sale
Exception: vehicles 25+ years can ship under salvage certificate per US Customs rules. Otherwise, clean title required before booking.
Commercial invoice
Issued by Dapex on letterhead. Buyer or consignee, vehicle details, declared value, HBL number.
Packing list
Standard format. Critical when vehicles are co-loaded with personal effects in containers.
HBL
Consigned to the buyer or their clearing agent. Released after payment of the quoted amount.
What runs after the BL — Profile A: into the zone
HBL to the zone trader
HBL consigned to the ZOFRI or Punta Arenas trading company.
Zone entry
Zone entry handled by the trader under the zone regime.
No mainland charges
No mainland duty, VAT, or age check applies.
Zone inventory
Vehicle becomes zone inventory for onward sale.
Service completes at discharge
Dapex delivers the HBL at discharge and the service completes.
What runs after the BL — Profile B: a franchise release
Eligibility first
Franchise eligibility confirmed before anything ships.
Hacienda authorization
Hacienda authorization where the franchise requires it.
Duty and VAT at release
Duty and VAT paid at release into mainland territory.
Registration
Registration follows under the franchise conditions.
Personal cases only
Personal cases only, walked through by the desk.
What Dapex files, US side
AES filing with US Customs. ISF where required. HBL issuance under Dapex's NVOCC license. Commercial invoice and packing list on Dapex letterhead. Pre-alert pack to your clearing agent with all documents at vessel sailing.
The zone takes almost everything. The mainland takes almost nothing.
Which profile a car is on decides its fate completely. The desk confirms the consignee type before booking so there is never a car sailing toward the wrong regime.
The full range.
Clean stock, older cars, salvage for onward markets that accept it, LHD and RHD alike. Zone inventory rules are commercial, not regulatory.
Personal cases.
Zone-region residents, qualifying returning residents, disability franchise holders. Everything else is refused by statute, and no fee changes that.
Same as every lane.
Clean title or salvage cert (25-year exception), no unreleased liens, no personal effects loose in RoRo. Title verification before pickup protects the trader's onward sale.
What moves the rate on this lane.
Locked components stay locked. Pass-through moves with carrier and port pricing. Three things drive variance on this lane.
Our work, our cost.
- Warehouse operations
- Booking fee
- Documentation handling
- Dispatch coordination
- HBL issuance
Carrier and port-driven.
- Ocean freight (carrier-set)
- Routing and transshipment surcharges
- Fuel and bunker surcharges
- Origin port charges (container and RoRo)
- THC at discharge port
- Inland trucking to loading point
Service standards.
- Compliance
- Documentation accuracy
- Submission urgency
- Dispatch priority
Lane-specific drivers
Pacific rotation pricing
The WCSA services price differently from West Coast versus canal-transit origins. Where your auction freight clusters decides the cheaper side, and the desk optimizes it per booking.
Zone demand cycles
ZOFRI inventory demand moves with the Bolivian and Paraguayan buying seasons. Traders pre-position ahead of peaks, and space on the rotations tightens with them.
Title quality for onward sale
A zone trader's margin dies when a hidden rebuilt branding surfaces in the onward buyer's VIN check. Our title team verifies before pickup, the same discipline as the UAE lane, so the trader buys what they think they are buying.
Who handles Chile accounts.
The Spanish-speaking desk runs every Chile account. Same person from the first quote through every BL.
Spanish-speaking Desk
Latin America and the Caribbean. Business hours across US Eastern and Latin American time zones, plus extended hours by request.
What the desk owns.
Quote signing, file management through BL, escalation on title or compliance issues, coordination with your destination agent or clearing agent. The desk lead's name and direct line are on every quote we send.
Things buyers ask about the Chile lane.
Into mainland Chile, no. Ley 18.483, Article 21 bans it, and no payment changes that. Into the ZOFRI Iquique or Punta Arenas free zones, yes, freely. The zone delivery is the Dapex service.
A trading company registered in the zone. The HBL is consigned to them, they handle the zone entry, and the car becomes their inventory. If you do not have a zone counterparty yet, the desk can describe how the trade is structured.
Only under specific franchises: zone-region residents, qualifying returning residents, and the disability franchise, with Ministry of Finance paperwork. These are personal cases. There is no dealer path into the mainland.
It is the region's historic used-car gateway, and zone traders sell heavily to Bolivian buyers. But Bolivia's own import rules are severe and the informal cross-border trade is not something a US-licensed forwarder touches. Read the Bolivia page for the straight picture, then decide.
Yes. The zone takes LHD and RHD alike, since zone inventory serves multiple onward markets. What the car can do after the zone depends entirely on the destination country's rules.
Yes, for onward markets that accept them. We verify title history before pickup because the zone trader's onward sale depends on the title being what it claims.
Fifteen to twenty-five days on the water depending on origin, West Coast direct or via Panama. Zone entry is fast once the vessel discharges.
No Chilean duty or VAT applies inside the zone. The costs are freight, port charges, and the zone's own handling, which the trader typically carries under their zone account. The desk itemizes the split on the quote.
Ready to ship to the Chilean free zones?
Send VIN, lot number, and the zone trading company details to the Spanish-speaking desk. We verify the title, book the Pacific routing, consign the HBL to your zone counterparty, and quote door to Iquique or Punta Arenas. Itemized quote signed by your account manager within 4 business hours.