Chile

• Labeling Requirements
• Oenological Practices (Winemaking Standards)
• Required Documents
• Licensing
• Import Procedures
• Industrial Alcohol
• Tobacco Products
• Taxes/Tariffs
• Contacts

LABELING REQUIREMENTS

The label of a beverage alcohol product must indicate, at minimum, the following:

• Product name and type (e.g. red wine) of product
• Country of Origin
• Bottler’s Name and Address
• Importer’s Name and Address/Distributor’s Name and Address (if different from importer)
• Alcohol Content (must be expressed in degrees Gay-Lussac; if original label contains this information in other units, an additional label must be placed on the bottle with the converted information)
• Net volume (must be expressed in metric units; if original label contains this information in other units, an additional label must be placed on the bottle with the converted information)
• Basic ingredient information (for cocktails, only)

Labels on wine bottles must also describe the origin, variety of grape, and year of harvest.  At least 75% of the grapes used to produce the wine must fit the description used.  The expression “Estate Bottled” or similar expressions may be used when the wine comes from grapes grown on lands owned or rented by the vineyard and located in the same geographical area as the denomination of origin.  If a product is imported in bulk and bottled in Chile, the product’s label must clearly include the content’s country of origin and also mention the product was bottled in Chile, if that is the case.

The authority of the Agricultural and Livestock Service (Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero or SAG) to enforce the labeling law is found under Article 35 of Law No. 18.455 (PDF in Spanish, only) and Article 63 of its regulations.

GM (Genetically Modified) Food Labeling:

Please refer to the GMO Labeling section of the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s FAIRS reports for the most up-to-date information on changes in Chilean regulations concerning genetically modified organisms and food containing ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms.  The 2005 FAIRS report contains further details.

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OENOLOGICAL PRACTICES (WINEMAKING STANDARDS)

The U.S. and Chile are signatories to the Mutual Acceptance Agreement on Oenological Practices, which recognizes differences in countries’ winemaking practices.  Through this Agreement, signatory countries (U.S., Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, and New Zealand) accept that wine made in another signatory country should be allowed to be sold in its market, despite the differences in oenological practices.  The Agreement, however, does not apply to variances in labeling regulations; therefore, U.S. exporters are still required to verify their labels are in accordance with Chilean regulations (refer to the Labeling Requirements section for more information).

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REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

The following is a list of documents that may be required in order to import alcohol beverages into Chile from third countries:

• Certificate of Origin – REQUIRED
• Certificate of Free Sale – REQUIRED, must be issued by the sanitary authority in the country of origin.  In the U.S., TTB may issue such certificates.
• Certificate of Customs Destination (Certificado de Destinación Aduanero or C.D.A.) – REQUIRED by Customs officials at time of entry.  The form may be obtained from SAG offices at the port of entry.
• Certificate of Analysis/Statement of Analysis – a chemical analysis of the product in question should be completed in the country of origin and accompany the product
• Commercial invoice
• Bill of lading or Airway bill (depending on the transportation means to be used)
• Insurance certificate
• Packing List
• Pro-Forma Invoice

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LICENSING

There are a number of steps that must be taken in order to import beverage alcohol products.  These are (in the order in which the importer must proceed) the following:

• The importer must first register as an importer of alcoholic beverages at the Chilean revenue agency Servicio de Impuestos Internos, or SII.  The SII will issue the importer a tax identification number (RUT).  For more information on how to obtain a RUT please visit SII’s portal for foreign investors.
• The importer must then register with the Agricultural and Livestock Service (Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero or SAG) as an importer and distributor of alcoholic beverages, within 30 days after having registered with the S.I.I.  The importer registration form is available in an electronic format.
  
• The importer must also register his/her liquor product(s) with the Register of Alcoholic Beverages at the SAG, accompanied with a Statement of Analysis (boletín de análisis) for the product, completed in the country of origin.  The product registration form is available in an electronic format.

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IMPORT PROCEDURES

At the time of importation, the importer or representative must fill out an application of inspection (and have available original papers for previous required registrations with SAG, see Licensing section for details).  The form to be filled out is a Certificate of Customs Destination (Certificado de Destinación Aduanero or C.D.A.) that is issued by the SAG offices located at ports of entry.

The importer must also file an Authorization for Use and Disposal (Certificado de Uso y Disposición), which verifies that the product in question does not represent a threat to the public.  To obtain this Certificate, the importer will need to present the following documentation:

• Two copies of the Certificate of Customs Destination (CDA)
• Certificate of Free Sale

The product is then sampled by the SAG inspectors, to be analyzed in their laboratories.  The product cannot be removed during this time, until the results of the analysis are complete.  The product will then be declared “suitable for import” (“apto para importar”), which means the product is free to remove and in proper conditions to be commercialized, or “not suitable for import” (“no apto para importar”), which would require the product to be re-exported or destroyed.

The results of the sample analysis are communicated to the importer through a Notification Act (Acta de Notificación), which classifies the product and its final destination (e.g., warehouse, storage facility, etc.).  This sample analysis is valid for one year, but only applies to products that are identical in nature.

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INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL

Similar to importers of beverage alcohol products, importers of industrial alcohol must first register with Servicio de Impuestos Internos, or SII.  The SII will issue the importer a tax identification number (RUT), similar to an EIN number in the U.S.  For more information on how to obtain a RUT, please visit SII’s portal for foreign investors.

Within 30 days of having registered with SII, the importer must then register with the Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG) as an importer of alcohols.  The importer registration form is available in an electronic format.

During the SAG registration, the importer must register for an ethyl alcohol permit, which will allow the importer to deal with alcohols for industrial purposes.  In order to register for this permit, the importer must present his/her RUT (tax identification number), as well as their previous registration as an importer of alcohols.  The permit is valid for a period of one (1) year.

Industrial alcohol products falling within HS code 220710 may be imported duty-free if accompanied by a certificate of origin while products falling within HS code 220720 have a 3.5% ad valorem tariff.  Products falling within HS Code 382490 may also be imported duty-free if accompanied by a certificate of origin.

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TOBACCO

Tobacco importers are not required to obtain permits, but a certificate of origin must accompany all shipments in order for the product to be considered duty-free.  Please also refer to the Import Procedures section for other documentation requirements.

Taxes on tobacco depend on the type of product to be imported: there is a 60.4% tax on cigarettes, 51% tax on cigars, and 57.4% tax on manufactured tobacco products (other than cigarettes).

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TAXES/TARIFFS

For the most current tariffs and taxes applied to imported products for this country, please visit the Online Tariff Database provided by Tariffic at: http://www.tariffic.com/ITA/, and click on “On-The-Fly Tariffeed”.  Please ensure you have a 10-digit HS classification code in order to obtain tariff information.  Also see the Census Bureau’s Schedule B search function (http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/schedules/b/index.html), which allows you to classify your product according to United States export codes. Simply click "Search" and enter the keyword (i.e. beer) that best describes your product.

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CONTACTS

Most of the information in this guide was obtained from direct contact with various governmental organizations and embassies, as well as online sources.  The FAS Attaché reports at: http://www.fas.usda.gov/scriptsw/attacherep/default.asp served as the primary (online) sources used for this report.

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