How to Get a RUT in Chile as a Foreigner

If you are moving to Chile, studying here, starting a business, or even just planning to stay long enough to sign a lease or a work contract, you will run into one question almost immediately: "¿Tienes RUT?" ("Do you have a RUT?"). The RUT (Rol Único Tributario, sometimes written RUN for Chilean citizens) is the national ID and tax number that almost every formal transaction in Chile is built around. Without one, you cannot open a bank account, sign a rental contract in your own name, get a local mobile plan, invoice a client, or register for most public services.

This guide walks through what a RUT actually is, who is eligible, the two main paths to get one (through immigration, or through a notarized process if you are not yet a resident), the documents you will need, and what to do once you finally have the number in hand.

What Exactly Is a RUT, and Why Does Everyone Ask for It

The RUT is issued by the SII (Servicio de Impuestos Internos), Chile's tax authority, and administered alongside the Civil Registry (Registro Civil) for identity purposes. For Chilean citizens, the RUT is the same number as their RUN, printed on their national ID card (cédula de identidad). For foreigners, the RUT is a separate number assigned once you have some form of legal status in the country, or once a notary formalizes your tax identification for a specific purpose.

The number format looks like this: 12.345.678-9, where the last digit is a verification digit (dígito verificador). You will type this number constantly: on boletas (receipts/invoices), in lease agreements, when registering a SIM card, when paying utility bills, and when filling out almost any official form.

Without a RUT, you are not completely locked out of life in Chile — you can still travel, stay in short-term rentals, and pay cash for most things — but every transaction that requires a contract, an invoice, or a bank transfer will be harder or impossible.

Who Needs a RUT, and When

• Visa holders (temporary or permanent residency): You are required to get a RUT as part of your residency process, and it becomes your main identification number once your residency is approved.
• Investors, business owners, and remote contractors invoicing Chilean clients: You need a RUT to issue a boleta or factura, even without residency, through a notarized tax registration.
• Property buyers: A RUT is required to sign a deed (escritura) at a notaría and register the property.
• Digital nomads on a tourist visa: Technically you do not need a RUT just to visit, but if you plan to open a bank account, buy a car, or rent long-term, you likely will.

Option 1: Getting Your RUT Through Immigration (If You Have a Visa)

If you already hold or have applied for a Chilean visa (subject to contract, temporary residency, or another category processed through what is commonly called Extranjería, the immigration department now largely absorbed into the Servicio Nacional de Migraciones), your RUT is assigned as part of that process.

The typical sequence looks like this:

1. Apply for your visa online through the Servicio Nacional de Migraciones portal, or at a Chilean consulate if applying from abroad.
2. Receive approval and, if applying inside Chile, get your visa sticker or residency card appointment.
3. Register at the Civil Registry (Registro Civil) to get your cédula de identidad (Chilean ID card for foreigners). The RUT is printed on this card.
4. Use the RUT immediately for everything from opening a bank account to signing a lease, even before the physical card arrives, since the number itself is assigned before the card is printed.

This route is the cleanest because your RUT becomes permanently tied to your immigration record, and it upgrades automatically if you move from temporary to permanent residency.

Option 2: Getting a RUT Without a Visa, Through a Notaría

If you do not have residency yet — for example, you are an investor setting up a company, a freelancer who needs to invoice a Chilean client, or someone buying property before relocating — you can still get a RUT through a notarized process, without going through immigration first.

The usual path is:

1. Have a notary (notaría) draft and certify a power of attorney (mandato) or a sworn statement confirming your identity and the reason you need a RUT (starting a business, buying property, signing a specific contract).
2. Submit the notarized documents to the SII, either directly or through a lawyer or accountant (contador) who handles the registration on your behalf.
3. Receive your RUT number, which at this stage is valid for the specific tax or legal purpose stated in the paperwork, rather than as a general personal ID.

Because notarial procedures and document requirements can change and vary by notaría, this is one step where it is worth working with a local notary office directly rather than guessing. In Providencia, {{biz:firmavirtual-providencia}} and {{biz:tupatrimon-io-providencia}} both handle document certification and digital signature services that are commonly used in this kind of process, and {{biz:notaria-wood-sexta-notaria-de-puente-alto}} in Puente Alto is a full-service notaría that can draft and certify the power of attorney itself.

Documents You Will Typically Need

Requirements vary depending on which path you take and which office processes your request, but across both routes you should have ready:

• A valid passport, with photocopies of the identification pages.
• Proof of your legal basis for being in Chile — your visa approval, residency application receipt, or the specific business/property reason if going through a notaría.
• A Chilean address, even a temporary one, since most forms ask for a domicilio.
• Your foreign tax ID, if you are also registering a company or invoicing internationally.

If any document is in a language other than Spanish, it generally needs to be translated and, for documents issued abroad, apostilled or legalized before a Chilean notary or the SII will accept it.

Getting Help From a Contador (Accountant)

Especially if your reason for needing a RUT involves invoicing, starting a business, or managing ongoing tax obligations, it is worth bringing in a contador (accountant) early rather than after the fact. Chilean tax paperwork — monthly tax declarations, boletas, and the F29 form that most self-employed people and small businesses file — is not intuitive if you are new to the system, and errors can delay your RUT registration or create cleanup work later.

Firms like {{biz:asesoria-tributaria-y-contable-best-business-solutions-consulting-ltda-santiago}} in Santiago and {{biz:f5-contable-actualiza-tu-contabilidad-y-mantente-al-dia-providencia}} in Providencia work with both local and foreign clients on exactly this kind of registration and ongoing bookkeeping, and can usually tell you in a short consultation which path applies to your situation.

Once You Have a RUT: What Changes

With a RUT number in hand, a lot of day-to-day friction disappears:

• Banking: You can open a Chilean bank account, which most employers and landlords expect for direct transfers.
• Phone and internet: Mobile carriers require a RUT to register a postpaid SIM card or home internet contract.
• Paying bills: Utility companies, rent, and services are typically paid via transfer, Servipag, or CajaVecina, all of which ask for your RUT to look up or create your account. You will find Servipag counters, like {{biz:servipag-vina-del-mar}}, in most larger supermarkets and shopping strips, and they handle everything from utility bills to vehicle permit payments.
• Signing contracts: Rental agreements, employment contracts, and purchase agreements for anything significant (a car, an apartment) are written with your RUT as the legal identifier.
• Issuing boletas or facturas: If you are freelancing or running a business, your RUT is what the SII uses to track your tax obligations and what shows up on every receipt you issue.

Common Mistakes and Delays

• Using the wrong path for your situation. Going through a notarized registration when you actually qualify for a residency-based RUT (or vice versa) wastes time. If you are not sure, a quick consultation with a notaría or contador before you start is worth it.
• Mismatched documents. A passport number that does not match across your visa application, notarial documents, and bank forms is one of the most common causes of delay.
• Assuming the RUT alone is enough. For residency-based RUTs, your cédula de identidad (physical ID card) is what most institutions ultimately want to see, even though the RUT number itself works for most transactions in the meantime.
• Not translating or legalizing foreign documents. Marriage certificates, degrees, and other foreign paperwork used to support a visa or business registration usually need an apostille or consular legalization before Chilean institutions will accept them.

A Practical Starting Point

If you already have a visa in process, your RUT will come through the Servicio Nacional de Migraciones and Registro Civil as part of that process — there is no need to seek it separately. If you do not yet have residency but need a RUT for a specific purpose (buying property, invoicing a client, forming a company), start with a notaría or a contador rather than trying to approach the SII cold: both can tell you quickly which documents you are missing and keep the process from stalling halfway through.

Either way, budget more time than you think you need. Notarial appointments, SII processing, and document legalization all move at their own pace, and having your documents organized in advance is what actually speeds things up — not how urgently you need the number.