Soft landing for foreign companies and investors
Foreign Investment and Soft Landing in Chile
Setting up in a new country means decisions that are hard to undo: corporate form, tax regime, hiring your first team. We guide that landing so the first decision is also the right one.
Soft landing is the legal, tax, and operational process of a foreign company setting up in Chile: which corporate vehicle to use, how to repatriate profits, how to hire the first local team, and which regulatory obligations apply from day one.
Chile offers legal stability and preferential access to markets across the region, but the entry process involves decisions that are costly to reverse. We design that landing before the company starts operating, not after.
How we work
Choosing an investment vehicle
Comparative analysis of an agency, branch, or subsidiary (SpA, SA, Ltda.) based on the business, the applicable tax regime, and the double-taxation treaties available for the investor's home country.
Incorporation and initial filings
Incorporating the company, registering with the SII, opening a corporate bank account, and registering with sector regulators when the business line requires it.
First hires and labor framework
Designing the initial labor policy: contracts, work visas for foreign executives, and compliance with the foreign-worker cap and other rules specific to a newly established company.
Repatriation of capital and profits
Structuring the flow of profits and capital back to the parent company, taking into account the applicable Double Taxation Treaty.
Bilingual point of contact for the parent company
Direct reporting and communication in English or French with the parent company, so the language barrier never delays decisions that, in Chile, tend to run against the clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to legally incorporate a foreign company in Chile?+
With the parent company's documentation ready and legalized (or apostilled), a company can be incorporated and registered within 1 to 2 weeks. The most common bottleneck isn't the Chilean process itself, but gathering and legalizing the corporate documentation in the country of origin.
Is it better to open an agency, a branch, or incorporate a Chilean subsidiary?+
It depends on the home country's tax regime, whether a double-taxation treaty exists with Chile, and how much operational autonomy the local operation needs. A subsidiary (SpA or SA) usually offers more corporate flexibility; an agency can be simpler for limited operations. It's a decision best made with a 3-5 year horizon, not just the first contract in mind.
What is legal soft landing, and why isn't it the same as 'setting up a company'?+
Setting up a company is a filing; soft landing is the complete installation process: optimal corporate structure, tax regime, first hires, bank accounts, and sector regulatory compliance, coordinated as a single process rather than isolated filings resolved on the fly.
Let's talk about foreign investment
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