Our team goes to your Alibaba supplier’s factory, films the visit without editing and sends a full written report in Spanish or English, for buyers in Chile.
In Chile, llantas are the wheels and tires are neumáticos, the opposite of Mexico, where llantas are tires. A license plate is a patente and the trunk is the maleta. This mix-up is a classic cause of wrong orders, so never rely on the Spanish word alone.
| In English (as on Alibaba) | Usual term in Chile | Also heard |
|---|---|---|
| Brake pads | pastillas de freno | balatas / pastillas de frenos |
| Alloy wheels | llantas | aros / llantas de aleación |
| Tires | neumáticos | llantas |
| Auto parts / spare parts | repuestos | — |
| Bumper | parachoques | — |
| Hood | capot | — |
| Trunk | maleta | maletero |
| Taillight | luz trasera | foco trasero |
| License plate | patente | — |
Terms are the ones buyers in Chile most often use; usage can vary by region within a country. Always send the English name with your specification.
Chile changes its clocks twice a year: it is on UTC−4 for part of the year and UTC−3 in summer time, so Guangzhou (UTC+8) is 12 or 11 hours ahead. A visit that starts at 9:00 in Guangzhou starts at 21:00 or 22:00 the evening before in Santiago. You get the report in Spanish or English, and we can stream the visit to you live on WhatsApp while it happens.
Auto parts is the category where our checklists go deepest, and Chile’s customs data below shows why it fits: vehicles and machinery are among the biggest chapters Chile buys from China. We also cover construction products such as expandable and container homes, and promotional items such as badges, medals and keychains; start with the auto parts guides.
No client in Chile has agreed yet to let us publish their case, and we do not publish cases without that consent. The closest example of a full visit is the Guatemala case study (names and factory details removed); the sample report shows what the paperwork looks like.
We coordinate shipping to your door; customs clearance is handled by an authorized customs broker in your country.
Chile and China have had a free trade agreement in force since 1 October 2006. It is listed among Chile's agreements in force on the SUBREI website, and the customs service (Servicio Nacional de Aduanas, SNA) announced its entry into force in Oficio Circular 467. This matters for your landed cost. Chile's general import duty is 6% of the CIF value (cost, insurance and freight, the price at the Chilean port; our guide to FOB, EXW, CIF and DDP quotes explains the terms), and the SNA says the duty can be exempt or reduced for goods from a country with which Chile has an agreement (SNA: import taxes). Whether your product qualifies depends on its tariff line and on proof of origin: the SNA lists a certificate of origin among the documents needed to claim a preference (SNA: how to import).
IVA, the value-added tax, is 19% and is calculated on the CIF value plus the duty. The SNA's own example: CIF value US$1,000, duty US$60, IVA US$201.40, total US$261.40 at the full 6%. Ask your agente de aduanas to confirm the duty for your tariff line before you pay a deposit, and ask your supplier early who will issue the origin document: a trading company can only pass on what the factory gives it.
Commercial goods up to US$1,000 invoiced can be cleared by the importer in a simplified procedure. Above US$1,000 FOB you must hire an agente de aduanas, who prepares the Declaración de Ingreso (DIN) from your documents. Every commercial import needs the original bill of lading, the original commercial invoice and the importer's sworn declaration on the price, and a packing list is required for containerized goods (SNA). Ask the supplier to check that invoice, packing list and bill of lading match before the cargo sails.
Chile reported imports from China of US$26.5 billion in 2025, 28.5% of everything it imported. Its biggest purchases by Harmonized System (HS) chapter:
| HS chapter | What it covers | US$ million | Share of imports from China |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Electrical machinery and electronics | 6,451 | 24.4% |
| 84 | Machinery and mechanical appliances | 3,186 | 12.0% |
| 87 | Vehicles and their parts | 2,625 | 9.9% |
| 61 | Knitted apparel | 1,337 | 5.1% |
| 62 | Woven apparel | 1,148 | 4.3% |
| 72 | Iron and steel | 1,124 | 4.2% |
Parts and accessories of motor vehicles (HS 8708) came to US$198 million from China, which is 25.5% of Chile's imports under that code. Source: UN Comtrade (Chile as reporter), 2025, queried 28 October 2026; figures may be revised.
For the sea leg, the freight forwarder iContainers estimates 30 to 35 days for a 40-foot container from Shanghai to San Antonio on Pacific loop services (iContainers). That is a forwarder's estimate, not a carrier schedule, and it does not include customs clearance; your forwarder will quote the actual sailing.
Do I pay the 6% duty on goods from China? Not necessarily. The SNA says goods from a country with a trade agreement can enter exempt or at a reduced duty, and Chile has had one with China since 2006. Whether your product qualifies depends on its tariff line and on proof of origin, so ask your agente de aduanas to check both before you order. We are not a customs broker.
Customs paperwork only shows what the supplier declares. The goods themselves are checked against your order by sampling, and our inspection standards explain how; the sample report shows what you receive, how to choose a provider compares your options, and the impartiality statement explains how we are paid.