Freight Forwarding United States → Chile

Ocean freight from the USA to Chile takes 14-22 days. Miami to Valparaiso/San Antonio takes 14-18 days via direct or one-stop service through Panama Canal. From Houston: 16-20 days. From Los Angeles: 12-16 days (West Coast is closer via Pacific route). Air freight from Miami to Santiago takes 2-4 days with daily flight options.

Yes. Under the US-Chile FTA (effective since 2004), virtually all US goods enter Chile duty-free. Over 99% of tariff lines are at 0%. You must provide an FTA certificate of origin to claim the preferential treatment. Chile's 19% VAT (IVA) still applies on top of the duty-free import value.

Air freight rates from USA to Chile range from $2.50-$5.00 per kg in 2026. Miami to Santiago is the most competitive route at $2.50-$4.00/kg. Express services run $5-$8/kg. Medical devices and temperature-controlled shipments are $4-$7/kg. Rates are generally lower than to other South American destinations due to strong bilateral trade volume.

Standard documents: commercial invoice (in English and Spanish), packing list, bill of lading or AWB, FTA certificate of origin. Additional requirements by product: electronics need SUBTEL certification, medical devices need ISP registration, food/agriculture needs SAG phytosanitary certificate, chemicals need SDS (Safety Data Sheet) and SERNAGEOMIN declaration for certain hazardous materials.

Miami is the primary gateway for air and ocean freight to Chile. For ocean FCL, Los Angeles/Long Beach offers the fastest transit via Pacific route (12-16 days). Houston is competitive for Gulf Coast shippers. New York/New Jersey serves the US East Coast with transit via Panama Canal (18-22 days). For air freight, Miami is the clear winner with the most daily connections.

Yes. We handle medical device exports to Chile including ISP registration support, proper temperature control for sensitive devices, sterile packaging compliance, and customs documentation. Chile's ISP process is well-structured and our Santiago customs partners expedite clearance for pre-registered medical products.

Air freight from USA to Chile in 2026 typically costs $2.20-$4.50 per kg for general cargo, depending on origin airport and cargo type. Specific benchmarks through our partner network: Miami (MIA) → Santiago (SCL) $2.20-$3.80/kg with daily LATAM and American Airlines wide-body flights, New York (JFK) → SCL $2.80-$4.50/kg, Los Angeles (LAX) → SCL $2.60-$4.20/kg. Personal effects shipments add 15-30% premium for handling. Express services (DHL, FedEx) run $5-$8/kg for 48-72 hour door-to-door delivery. Pharmaceutical cold-chain or fragile electronics command 20-40% premium. For 100 kg general cargo from Miami to Santiago, expect $220-$380 in air freight charges plus airport handling. Request a specific quote with HS code and dimensions for accurate pricing.

Ocean transit from USA to Chile depends heavily on origin port and routing. Miami → Valparaíso/San Antonio is the fastest at 12-18 days direct via Panama Canal. Houston → Valparaíso 14-20 days via Panama. Los Angeles → Valparaíso 16-22 days direct down the Pacific (no canal needed). New York → Valparaíso 18-24 days via Panama. For LCL with weekly consolidation, add 5-10 days to the FCL transit time for cargo waiting at origin CFS. Total door-to-door from US Midwest to Chilean inland typically runs 25-35 days for FCL. Our partner network handles the inland leg both sides — US trucking from origin to ports, plus Chilean overland from Valparaíso/San Antonio to Santiago, Concepción, or further south.

Yes, for the vast majority of goods. The US-Chile Free Trade Agreement (signed 2003, fully phased in by 2015) eliminated tariffs on essentially all manufactured goods of US origin, with very limited exceptions for sensitive agricultural products. The key requirement is a valid USCFTA certificate of origin — which the US is unique among FTA partners for allowing self-certification (no government form, no chamber of commerce stamp needed). Your commercial invoice must include a certification statement signed by the producer, exporter, or importer attesting to USCFTA origin. Chilean customs accepts this without additional verification 95% of the time. For high-value shipments, our brokers prepare the certificate with detailed substantial-transformation analysis to defend against post-clearance audits. Note: VAT (IVA) of 19% still applies as a separate tax on all imports — duty-free does not mean tax-free.

Both ports serve the central Chile region (Santiago metro and beyond) with similar transit times from US origin, but they have different operational profiles. **Valparaíso** is the historic main port, deeper draft, accepts the largest vessels, and is closer to Santiago by rail. However, it has higher congestion, especially during Q4 (Christmas import surge) and the Chilean new year. **San Antonio**, 100 km south of Valparaíso, is now the largest container port in Chile by volume, with newer terminals (DP World San Antonio, San Antonio Terminal Internacional), faster crane productivity, and lower demurrage rates. For most US shippers, San Antonio is the default choice for FCL containers. Valparaíso remains preferred for vehicle imports (RoRo terminal), bulk cargo, and breakbulk. Our partner network uses both depending on vessel schedule and customer destination — we can route to either without changing your final delivery cost.