Chile Importer of Record at a Glance:
Importer of Record
- Chile dictates that your Importer of Record manage asset ownership which requires expertise to execute
IT Shipping & Logistics
- Delivery times may differ due to limited availability of wide-bodied air freight and last-mile delivery security requirements
Importer of Record and Pre-Shipment Documentation
Many countries in Latin America have special regulations and rules that govern the movement of assets. Because of this, they require complex documentation to track the flow of purchase transactions, ownership, and product location. If you are looking to import into Chile, or any other country in South America, we highly recommend hiring a logistics professional who is familiar with the necessary documents, the process, and local customs.
Importer of Record
In some countries, you can simply assign an entity to be your Importer of Record and declare it to the customs officials. In Chile, however, the importer of the shipment must be the official “owner” of the products being imported. Because of this, you will need to have an Importer of Record who knows the different methods of transferring ownership to and from your local entity, and can help you choose the transaction methodology that will work best for your business.
Despite the heavy regulations when importing hardware, buying in the US and shipping into Chile is still often the better option for many of our clients. Buying in the US gives you more control over the procurement process including providing more options and transparency in price and quality. Additionally, Chile can have long lead times when procuring equipment locally from a chilean re-seller. It is often quicker to buy equipment locally in the US and ship to your desired location in Chile.
Lastly, Chile is one of many countries that have very specific detail-oriented requirements for paperwork. Discrepancies in paperwork can cause long delays in customs clearance. The paperwork must also accurately value the equipment in correspondence with Chilean customs evaluations, regardless of what you may have paid for it. These evaluations are based on market value of new equipment and FGX can accurately value your equipment for you when working as your importer of record.
IT Shipping & Logistics
There are fewer wide-bodied air freight options into Chile than are readily available in other locations. You should budget for slightly longer flight times due to indirect flights and/or flight availability.
Chile also measures 2,653 miles long end to end. This may result in slightly longer last mile delivery times and should also be budgeted into the overall delivery timeline.
While just-in-time shipments may be necessary Chile has higher than usual administrative and logistics fees. Centralizing your logistics process and consolidating your IT purchases help make each shipment more cost-efficient. As the fixed costs of customs clearance, permits, and document preparation are spread out a large amount.
FGX manages all of our client’s shipments door-to-door (or door-to-data center). This case study showcases how we navigated IT logistics and importation into Chile at the time that it was written. Regulations and challenges are constantly changing and exact shipping requirements may have changed. To learn more about FGX and how our global shipping platform can help your company, reach out here.
