What we move
Segucargo is an authorised cargo agent based in Santiago, moving import and export shipments for companies that buy from Asia, North America and Europe and sell Chilean goods abroad.
Ocean freight — FCL
A full 20’ or 40’ container for your cargo alone. The usual choice above roughly 15 m³.
Asia to Chile: 28-35 days at sea
Ocean freight — LCL
You pay only for the cubic metres you use and share the container with other shippers.
Asia to Chile: 30-40 days at sea
Air freight
For samples, spare parts, perishables and high-value cargo that cannot wait for a vessel.
3-7 days in transit
Customs brokerage
Filed by our own licensed broker, not subcontracted, so clearance is scheduled against the vessel ETA.
Mandatory in Chile above USD 1,000
Where your cargo arrives
Chile is 4,300 km of coastline with no land route from Asia, so almost all containerised trade comes through four port clusters. Which one suits you depends on where the goods are going, not only on the ocean rate.
San Antonio
Chile’s busiest container port, serving Santiago and the central region.
Valparaíso
The other main central gateway, with reefer and breakbulk capacity.
Iquique
Northern port and free-trade zone (ZOFRI), used for re-export into Bolivia and Peru.
Antofagasta / Mejillones
Serve the mining region, including project and oversized cargo.
Chilean customs, in plain terms
Chile is an open economy with a low tariff wall, and the paperwork is more of an obstacle than the duty itself. The general rate is 6% on the CIF value plus 19% VAT on CIF plus duty — but Chile has free-trade agreements with China, the United States, the European Union, Mercosur, South Korea and others, so with a valid certificate of origin the 6% frequently becomes zero.
Above USD 1,000 FOB, a licensed customs broker must file the import declaration (the DIN) with the Servicio Nacional de Aduanas. Certain goods add a second agency: the SAG for food, plants, wood and animal products, the ISP for medicines and cosmetics, the DGMN for anything on the controlled list. Each one is a certificate that has to exist before the vessel arrives, not after.
This is the part we do differently. Because the broker is in house, the document review happens while the cargo is still at origin, and clearance is booked against the vessel ETA rather than started once the container has already begun accruing demurrage.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a customs broker to import into Chile?
Yes, for any shipment above USD 1,000 FOB. Chilean law requires a licensed customs broker (agente de aduana) to file the import declaration, the DIN, with the Servicio Nacional de Aduanas. Segucargo holds that licence in house, so the freight and the clearance are handled by the same company.
What duty and taxes will I pay?
The general import duty is 6% on the CIF value, plus 19% VAT (IVA) on CIF plus duty. Many origins pay no duty at all: Chile has free-trade agreements with China, the United States, the European Union, Mercosur and others, so the 6% often drops to zero when the certificate of origin is in order.
How long does clearance take once the vessel arrives?
Two to five working days when the documents are complete and the goods are not subject to inspection by a second agency such as SAG or the health authority. Delays almost always come from paperwork, not from the port, which is why we review documents before the cargo sails.
Which Incoterms do you work with?
All of them, but the practical ones for cargo coming into Chile are FOB, EXW, CIF and DAP. If your supplier quotes CIF, they control the carrier and you lose visibility; we normally recommend FOB so the freight and insurance stay on your side.
Can you handle exports out of Chile?
Yes. Fresh fruit, wine, salmon, copper concentrate and industrial equipment, by sea and by air, including the export declaration and the certificates each market requires.
Shipping to or from Chile?
Send us the origin, the Incoterm and the cargo details. Free quote, no commitment.
More in English: guides on shipping to and from Chile. En español: agente de carga en Chile.