Traffic rulesChile

Driving licences are issued by the Municipal Department of Transit and Public Transport in a municipality authorised to provide the service.

The application must normally be made in the municipality corresponding to the applicant’s residence.

Yes. Municipalities report issued licences, restrictions, suspensions and other relevant information to the National Register of Motor Vehicle Drivers, administered by the Civil Registry and Identification Service.

The Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications establishes national rules, while CONASET develops road-safety material and the municipalities conduct the licensing process.

The National Traffic Safety Commission is the public body responsible for coordinating road-safety policy and producing official study material for licence applicants.

Yes. A licence lawfully issued by an authorised municipality is valid throughout Chile, subject to its class, restrictions and current legal status.

No. The law provides for one driving licence for each driver, with all authorised classes recorded on it.

Yes. Chile’s current system provides a redesigned physical licence and a digital version accessed through the official application where the system is enabled.

The digital document is legally valid within the official system, while the physical card remains part of the licensing model and may still be required in practical situations.

Yes. National law defines the licensing standards, but appointment systems, local service hours and municipal charges can vary.

The normal minimum age is 18 years.

Exceptionally, a person older than 17 may obtain Class B after completing an approved driving-school course and receiving express authorisation from a parent, guardian or legal representative.

Until turning 18, the driver must be accompanied in the front seat by a person able to take over who has held an appropriate licence for at least five years.

Yes. Once the holder turns 18, the special accompaniment condition ends by operation of law.

The applicant must have completed basic education and provide the evidence requested by the municipality.

A Class C applicant must normally have completed basic education, with a specific exception for an applicant restricted to motorised cargo tricycles.

A valid Chilean identity card and the documents requested to establish residence and education are normally required.

Yes. Municipalities commonly request a residence certificate, utility document or another locally accepted proof.

Yes. The municipality considers the applicant’s moral suitability using the legal criteria and information from the national driver record.

Yes. Relevant convictions, licence cancellations, suspensions or other legal disqualifications can prevent or delay issue.

Yes, if the person satisfies the residence, identity, education, medical and examination requirements or qualifies for a recognised exchange procedure.

No. Except where a specific legal recognition applies, the applicant must still pass the required municipal examinations.

Yes. Applicants must pass the physical and psychological fitness assessment required for the relevant licence class.

Yes. Visual acuity and other relevant visual functions are assessed as part of the municipal examination.

It is an assessment of functions important for safe driving, such as reaction, coordination, attention and perception.

Yes. Hearing ability can be tested where required by the applicable medical standards.

Yes. The application and medical process require truthful disclosure of illnesses, treatments and conditions that may affect driving.

A person applying for or renewing a licence must provide the required sworn declaration concerning illnesses or conditions that could make driving unsafe.

No. The municipal doctor assesses the individual condition and may approve the applicant, impose restrictions, shorten the control period or reject the application.

Yes. A restriction can require corrective lenses whenever the driver is operating a vehicle.

Yes. Restrictions may specify vehicle adaptations or operating conditions needed for safe driving.

The applicant can request the official medical reassessment procedure through the competent health service within the applicable rules.

Yes. A judge or municipal authority can require a new control before the ordinary renewal date where fitness is in doubt.

Yes. A licence can be suspended or cancelled if a later physical or psychological incapacity makes driving dangerous.

Yes. A first-time Class B applicant must pass the national computer-based theory examination administered by the municipality.

The principal official resource is CONASET’s Book for Driving in Chile for Class B.

The test contains 35 randomly selected questions.

Three questions carry double points, producing a maximum score of 38 points.

The applicant must obtain at least 33 points.

Double-point subjects include alcohol or drugs, speed, helmets, seat belts and child-restraint systems.

Yes. At the applicant’s request, the Class B theory test may be taken in English.

No. The exam draws from a national bank. Applicants should understand the official handbook rather than memorise unofficial question lists.

The test covers traffic law, signs, priority, safe driving, vulnerable road users, vehicle safety, risk perception, alcohol, drugs, speed and environmental responsibility.

The applicant has two opportunities within the same process.

The repeat test must be taken within no more than 25 working days after the first failure, unless an authorised extension applies.

The licence application is denied and a new process must be started after the applicable waiting period.

No. It is generally optional for an applicant aged 18 or older, although professional instruction is strongly recommended.

Yes. The applicant must have passed a course at a duly authorised driving school.

No. Chile does not issue a general learner permit that authorises an unlicensed person to practise independently on public roads.

The applicant normally arranges a suitable vehicle, frequently through a driving school. Local municipal instructions must be followed.

It must be legally permitted to circulate, properly documented, equipped with the required safety elements and mechanically safe.

It lasts at least 25 minutes.

The route must cover at least five kilometres.

The test includes a free-driving stage lasting about 10 to 15 minutes and a guided-driving stage following the examiner’s instructions.

The route must enable assessment of pedestrian crossings, stop and give-way signs, traffic lights, parking and other normal traffic situations.

Failure results from one disqualifying error, at least two serious errors, at least ten minor errors, or at least one serious and five minor errors.

Two attempts are allowed, with the second normally required within 25 working days after the first failure.

A new application can generally be started after waiting 30 working days.

Later applications normally require a waiting period of six months from each denial.

A municipality may grant an extension for a properly justified reason under the applicable procedure.

Yes. The applicant must normally present current documents and satisfy the requirements again.

No. The medical professional determines the appropriate period before a medical reassessment.

The Director of the Municipal Department of Transit and Public Transport grants and signs the licence after all legal requirements are met.

The municipality must report issue to the Civil Registry within the legally specified period, generally within five working days.

Yes, if another legal requirement is not satisfied or a disqualification, false statement or record problem is discovered.

Yes. False declarations or documents can lead to denial, cancellation and possible criminal consequences.

The available review depends on the reason. Medical rejection has a specific reassessment route, while other decisions may be challenged through administrative or judicial procedures.

Class B covers private passenger vehicles with up to nine passenger seats excluding the driver, and cargo vehicles with a gross vehicle weight up to 3,500 kg.

Yes, when the trailer is not heavier than the unladen towing vehicle and the combined weight does not exceed 3,500 kg.

No. Motorcycles require Class C.

Class C covers motorised vehicles with two or three wheels, including motorcycles, scooters and similar vehicles.

Yes. A specific restricted Class C route exists for motorised cargo tricycles.

Class D authorises specified self-propelled machinery such as tractors, harvesters, bulldozers, loaders, cranes and similar equipment.

Class E authorises animal-drawn vehicles such as carts, carriages and similar vehicles.

Class F covers institutional vehicles of the Armed Forces, Carabineros, Investigations Police, Gendarmerie, specified aeronautical rescue services and firefighters.

The ordinary minimum age is 18, together with the class-specific requirements.

Yes. A professional licence holder may also drive vehicles that require Class B.

Yes. The driver must satisfy the requirements and examinations applicable to the new class.

The applicant must be at least 20 years old.

The applicant must normally have held Class B for at least two years.

Yes. Applicants must complete the required theoretical and practical course at a professional driving school officially recognised by the State.

Class A1 authorises taxis.

Class A2 authorises taxis, ambulances and public or private passenger vehicles with 10 to 17 seats excluding the driver.

After holding A2 for at least two years, the driver may operate a vehicle with up to 32 seats if its length does not exceed nine metres.

Class A3 authorises taxis, paid school transport, ambulances and public or private passenger vehicles without a passenger-seat limit.

Class A4 authorises simple cargo vehicles with a gross vehicle weight above 3,500 kg.

Class A5 authorises simple or articulated cargo vehicles above 3,500 kg.

The applicant normally needs at least two years with A1, A2, A4 or A5, unless using the authorised special-course route.

The applicant normally needs at least two years with A2, A3 or A4, unless using the authorised special-course route.

Applicants for the relevant professional classes must pass the municipal professional theory examination in addition to completing the required course.

The underlying entitlement is described as indefinite while the holder continues to satisfy the law, but periodic controls are mandatory.

They must normally demonstrate continued moral, physical and psychological fitness every six years.

Professional drivers must normally complete the required control every four years.

Yes. Age, health or another relevant condition can justify a shorter validity or review period.

The municipality verifies identity, the driver record, moral suitability and the required physical, psychological, vision and psychotechnical fitness.

Not normally, although a court or authority may order new examinations in an individual case.

Yes, subject to current municipal service and transfer procedures.

A driver should not operate after the legally valid period has ended unless a specific statutory extension applies.

It is generated through the current national licensing platform when the municipality issues or renews the new-format licence, and is accessed using the official digital service.

No. Holders normally move to the new format when they renew or complete another issue procedure, unless an authority directs otherwise.

The driver should block the lost document and request a duplicate through the competent municipal and Civil Registry procedures.

The Civil Registry provides a temporary blocking service, while a permanent block follows the required identification procedure.

The driver should report the theft where appropriate, block the document and request a replacement.

No. A replacement card does not change a suspension, cancellation or other restriction recorded against the driver.

Yes. The driver should update the address and municipal record according to the current procedure.

Yes. Civil-status records should be updated first, followed by the licence record and replacement document.

The hoja de vida del conductor is an official Civil Registry certificate showing relevant serious and very serious infringements and other driver-record information.

A driver can obtain the certificate for lawful employment or administrative purposes, and an authorised organisation may request it under applicable rules.

Certain annotations can be removed from the National Driver Register once the statutory conditions and waiting periods are satisfied.

The official digital system is designed to allow authorities to verify the licence and its current validity through secure national records.

A visitor may generally drive with a valid licence from the country of origin during the authorised stay, subject to Chilean law and any translation or rental-company requirements.

Not always, but it is advisable when the national licence is not in Spanish or is not readily understandable.

No. It must be used together with the valid domestic licence.

It is the Permiso Internacional de Conducir or PIC.

The Automobile Club of Chile issues it through its authorised offices.

It is valid for one year, and cannot remain valid beyond the underlying Chilean licence.

No. Test-free exchange or recognition is available only under specific bilateral arrangements.

Current procedures include agreements involving Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Japan, Paraguay and Peru, with class and documentary conditions varying by agreement.

The applicant normally requests the required recognition or exchange certificate through the Subsecretariat of Transport and then completes the municipal process.

No. Only the classes covered by the relevant agreement can be recognised, and Chilean age, medical, residence and professional requirements still apply.

No general national demerit-points system is currently in force. Chile uses recorded infringements, court-ordered suspensions, cancellation rules and administrative fitness measures.

Yes. A very serious infringement can lead to a suspension generally ranging from five to 45 days, without prejudice to special penalties.

The licence can be suspended for 45 to 90 days.

The licence can be suspended for five to 30 days.

Cancellation can apply after three or more very serious infringements within 12 months or after the other repeat conditions specified by law.

Unless a longer or permanent disqualification applies, a person may generally seek a new licence after two years and must complete the legal first-licence requirements.

A blood-alcohol concentration from 0.31 to 0.79 grams per litre is treated as driving under the influence of alcohol.

A blood-alcohol concentration of 0.8 grams per litre or more is treated as intoxicated driving.

Yes. Unjustified refusal can lead to criminal penalties, fines and licence suspension, with more severe consequences after a serious collision.

Yes. Serious injury, death, repeat offending or driving while already cancelled or disqualified can lead to cancellation or permanent inability to drive under the applicable judgment.

This FAQ was prepared from the consolidated Chilean Traffic Law, current licensing regulations, official ChileAtiende information, CONASET study material and Subsecretariat of Transport guidance.

Last reviewed: 4 August 2026.

This website is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with CONASET, the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Registry, a municipality, examination authority or driving school.

Official law and the instructions of the competent municipality always take precedence.