To make sure you have a smooth arrival in Chile, it’s important to know which items are not permitted. This helps you avoid issues at Chilean customs checks on arrival.
Chilean authorities, through the Agricultural and Livestock Service, locally known as SAG, regulate the entry of certain types of products that may pose a risk to public health or the environment.
In this guide, we explain which types of items are not allowed by Chilean authorities, why these regulations exist, and how the SAG Entry Affidavit fits into these entry regulations.
Why Are Certain Products Restricted from Entering Chile?
Chile has strict regulations on certain types of animal and plant products to protect the country’s agricultural and livestock. These controls help protect Chile’s production of natural goods, public health, and the export economy.
What Items Are Not Allowed Through Chile Customs?
Under Chilean regulations for personal luggage, prohibitions and restrictions apply to the following items:
Foods made of animal products
- Raw or fresh meat: All types of raw or fresh meat are not allowed, including ground or processed meats.
- Offal products: Not permitted unless part of an authorized industrialized product.
- Processed meat products: Allowed only if industrially produced and factory-sealed in countries free of foot-and-mouth disease, swine fever, or avian influenza (depending on species).
- Jerky (dried meat): Permitted only if sliced or cut into small pieces.
- Canned meat products: Allowed, provided they are hermetically sealed.
Dairy and fast-based products
- Milk and dairy products: Permitted only if industrially processed, factory-sealed, and properly labeled.
- Lard and derivatives: Must meet the same conditions as dairy products.
Beekeeping products
- Honey: Allowed only if industrially processed, sealed, and treated through irradiation or cold pasteurization.
- Pollen, wax, and royal jelly: Must be industrially processed and treated for sanitary safety.
- Honey contained in processed foods: Cereal bars, candy, syrups, or cosmetics containing honey may enter without restriction.
Pet food
- Pet food and treats: Prohibited if containing ruminant meat and bone meal, unless the product originates from a country that’s free of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Exception: One opened portion is allowed if used to feed the pet during travel.
Veterinary medicines
- Prohibited: Ketamine, thiopental, euthanasia solutions, narcotics, psychotropics, and anabolic substances.
- Permitted: Only if intended for dogs, cats, or ferrets and part of an ongoing treatment.
Products and other objects of animal origin
- Taxidermy and hides: Hoof-based mate gourds are prohibited. Other items may enter if they’re dry, clean, and free of organic residue.
- Saddles and riding equipment: Freely permitted.
- Pet carriers: Allowed if clean and free of organic residue.
Important: If you plan to visit Easter Island (Rapa Nui), additional regulations apply for bringing certain goods into the territory.
What Risks Do Animal and Plant Products Pose?
SAG carefully monitors which goods are brought into the country due to the sanitary risks they may present, including:
- Beekeeping and honey products: May carry diseases such as American foulbrood, nosema, and varroa mites.
- Handicrafts and decorative items containing animal or plant parts: May carry pests, pathogens, or contaminants that can spread diseases affecting agriculture, livestock, wildlife, or native plants.
- Fruits and vegetables: Risk of introducing pests such as fruit flies or weevils.
- Flowers and plants (wild, garden, or commercial): May carry harmful insects, fungi, bacteria, or viruses.
- Insects, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and microorganisms: May introduce pests, pathogens, or diseases that can harm agriculture, ecosystems, or human health.
- Animals: May carry diseases such as rabies, toxoplasmosis, and psittacosis.
- Meat, meat products, and dairy: Risk of spreading diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and foodborne illnesses.
- Agricultural and veterinary chemical and biological products: May contain agents capable of carrying or transmitting animal diseases.
To prevent these risks, all visitors must complete the Chile customs declaration form online. This helps declare all restricted products that you intend to bring into the country.
Reminder: Depending on your nationality and purpose of travel, you may also need a visa for Chile.
What Happens If I Do Not Declare Prohibited Items in Chile?
Failure to declare prohibited items at Chilean customs may result in serious penalties. To avoid fines, all animal-origin products must be declared in the Customs Affidavit form prior to entry.
Chile customs authorities evaluate each case individually to determine whether your luggage items may enter or must be confiscated.