Pallet Shipping to Chile from the UK
Chile is one of the more straightforward countries to ship to in South America. Customs are efficient by regional standards, the documentation requirements are clear, and there’s a UK-Chile trade deal in place that can reduce import duties on qualifying goods. This page covers how pallet shipping from the UK to Chile works, what your Chilean importer needs to have ready, and what to watch out for.
How Pallet Shipping to Chile Works
The only realistic option for palletised cargo from the UK to Chile is sea freight. Chile is roughly 12,000 kilometres from the UK, and the economics of air freight for pallets simply don’t work unless your cargo is extremely high value and time-critical.
Sea freight from the UK to Chile routes primarily to the Port of San Antonio or the Port of Valparaíso — both on Chile’s central Pacific coast and close to Santiago. San Antonio handles the bulk of container traffic. Valparaíso is the historic port and handles a significant share of general cargo.
For pallets that don’t fill a full container, LCL (groupage sea freight) is the standard option. Your pallets are consolidated with other cargo at a UK freight depot, shipped in a shared container, and deconsolidated at the Chilean end. It’s cost-effective for volumes between a single pallet and around 10–12 cubic metres. Above that, a 20ft FCL (full container load) often works out cheaper.
Transit times from UK ports to San Antonio or Valparaíso typically run at 25–35 days depending on the carrier and routing. Some services run direct; others tranship via a hub port such as Callao (Peru) or Cartagena (Colombia), which can add a few days.
We handle sea freight shipments to Chile and across Latin America. For a specific quote based on your pallet dimensions and weight, get in touch here.
The UK-Chile Trade Agreement
Since the UK left the EU, the government has rolled over or renegotiated a number of trade agreements — including one with Chile. The UK-Chile Association Agreement means that goods of UK origin can benefit from reduced or zero import duties when entering Chile, depending on the product category.
This matters in practice. Without preferential rates, your Chilean importer pays import duty based on the MFN (Most Favoured Nation) tariff rate — Chile’s standard rate for countries it doesn’t have a trade deal with, which is a flat 6% on most goods. With the UK-Chile agreement, many categories of goods attract 0% duty.
To claim the preferential rate, the goods need to genuinely originate in the UK under the relevant rules of origin, and the commercial invoice needs to include a statement of origin. If you’re not sure whether your products qualify, ask us. It’s not complicated to check, and the saving on your customer’s import duty can be meaningful.
Chilean Customs: What to Expect
Chilean customs (Servicio Nacional de Aduanas) is one of the more efficient customs authorities in South America. Clearance for straightforward shipments with clean documentation typically takes 2–5 working days.
The key things to get right:
The commercial invoice needs to be detailed and accurate. Chilean customs uses the transaction value method to assess duty — meaning they base import duty on the price you actually sold the goods for, plus international freight and insurance costs (CIF value). The invoice needs to clearly state the goods, their origin, the unit price, total value, and Incoterms.
Your Chilean importer needs an RUT number. This is the Chilean tax ID (Rol Único Tributario). Every entity importing commercially into Chile needs one. If your buyer is a company, they’ll have one. If they’re an individual, they’ll have a personal RUT. Without it, the import declaration can’t be filed.
SAG (agricultural/biosecurity authority) clearance applies to certain goods. If you’re shipping anything that could carry plant pests or diseases — including wood packaging — it’s subject to SAG inspection. This is separate from customs clearance and applies in addition to ISPM 15 requirements.
Required documentation for importing to Chile:
- Commercial invoice (in Spanish or bilingual — preferred)
- Packing list
- Bill of lading (sea freight)
- Certificate of origin or statement of origin (to claim preferential UK-Chile tariff rates)
- Any applicable product certifications (for regulated goods)
ISPM 15 and Wood Packaging
Chile enforces ISPM 15 — the international standard for wood packaging in international trade. All wooden pallets, crates, and dunnage must be heat-treated or fumigated and marked with the ISPM 15 stamp before export.
SAG (Chile’s agricultural and livestock service) is strict on this. Non-compliant wood packaging can be refused entry, destroyed, or treated at the importer’s expense. Check that your pallets carry the mark before they’re loaded. If they don’t, swap them for compliant pallets or use plastic alternatives — not something to fix on arrival.
Shipping Machinery and Spare Parts to Chile
Chile’s mining, energy, and manufacturing sectors import significant volumes of industrial machinery and spare parts from the UK. It’s a strong market for this type of cargo, and Chilean customs handles industrial equipment imports regularly.
A few things worth knowing if you’re shipping machinery to Chile:
Accurate HS codes are essential. Chilean customs uses the harmonised system and applies tariff rates accordingly. For machinery, this typically falls under Chapter 84 or 85 of the HS. The more precisely you can describe the equipment and its function, the better — both for classification and for avoiding any holds at customs.
Temporary import is available for certain equipment. If your customer is bringing in equipment for a specific project or for demonstration and intends to re-export it, there are temporary import mechanisms under Chilean customs law. This is worth exploring if it applies to your situation.
Used machinery may attract additional inspection. Chile requires sanitary and phytosanitary clearance for used equipment in some categories, particularly agricultural machinery. If you’re shipping used industrial equipment, check whether an inspection certificate is required before the goods leave the UK.
We regularly handle machinery and spare parts shipments to Latin America and can advise on the specific documentation for your equipment type.
Transit Times and Planning
To summarise the timeline for a typical UK-to-Chile pallet shipment:
UK collection and export customs filing takes 2–3 days. UK port loading and vessel departure adds another 1–3 days depending on the port cut-off schedule. Sea transit is 25–35 days. Chilean customs clearance after arrival is typically 2–5 working days for clean shipments.
In total, plan for approximately 5–7 weeks from collection to delivery at your customer’s premises in Chile. If you need to meet a specific deadline, work backwards from the delivery date and book accordingly — vessels depart on fixed schedules and missing a sailing adds a week or more.
Why Use ALINNZA for Chile Shipments
Chile is part of our Latin American network, and it’s a route we know well. We handle the full process — UK export declaration, sea freight booking, documentation preparation, and coordination with our partners at the Chilean end for import clearance and final delivery.
If you’re new to exporting to Chile or if you’ve had frustrating experiences with shipments getting stuck at customs, the most common cause is documentation. We’ll tell you exactly what’s needed before your goods move, not after they’ve arrived in Valparaíso.
