Moving from Australia to Chile
A practical guide to the trans Pacific move from Australia to Chile, claiming the menaje de casa relief that only residence visa holders get, and obtaining your Chilean tax number once you land.
Moving from Australia to Chile, in one honest summary.
A move from Australia to Chile is a sea freight straight across the Pacific. A container is packed at your home, trucked to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Fremantle, and sails to the Chilean ports of San Antonio or Valparaíso, which serve Santiago. Because the route is a direct ocean crossing rather than a long way round, door to door is usually five to eight weeks once you add packing, the sailing and customs clearance.
Cost is driven by volume and by whether you fill a container or share one. As an indicative 2026 range, a two to three bedroom home runs about 8,000 to 19,000 Australian dollars door to door in a full container, with a shared container lower for a small home that can wait for a consolidation sailing. Air freight exists for a few urgent boxes but is expensive for a household.
The part that shapes this corridor is Chilean customs and one firm rule. The menaje de casa relief, which lets you bring used household goods without paying duty or tax, is only open to people entering Chile on a temporary or permanent residence visa, not on a tourist entry. Almost everything also runs through a Chilean tax number, the RUT, and usually a licensed customs agent.
Below you will find indicative 2026 costs by home size and mode, a realistic timeline for the Pacific route, how Chilean customs treats used household goods, the residence routes that fit a typical mover on this corridor, and how to choose a mover without guesswork.
What it costs in 2026, by home size and method.
These are indicative 2026 ranges in Australian dollars for the Australia to Chile sea move, door to door. Your volume, the choice of a shared or full container, port and delivery access, and the season move the number more than anything else.
A shared container is cheaper because you pay for the space your goods use and travel with other shipments, but it is slower and tied to consolidation schedules. A full container, sole use of a twenty or forty foot box, is faster and simpler to clear, and is the sensible choice for a two to three bedroom home or larger.
- +Lowest cost for studios and one bed flats
- +You pay only for the volume you use
- −Slower, tied to consolidation sailings
- −Wider delivery window at the Chile end
- +Your goods travel sealed and alone
- +Faster and simpler customs clearance
- +Right for a full two to three bed home or larger
- −You pay for the whole box even if part empty
- +Fast for essentials you need on arrival
- +Useful for documents and small valuables
- −Costly per kilo for a household
- −Not viable for furniture volumes
Get moving quotes for Australia to Chile.
Tell us your home size and timing and we put your Australia to Chile move in front of vetted movers who run this lane. Free, no obligation.
A realistic schedule for this route.
A realistic schedule for the Australia to Chile sea move. Chilean customs clearance depends on your residence visa and your RUT, so begin those before the container sails, not after it lands.
Get quotes and book
Request a binding pre move survey from movers who run the Australia to Chile lane. Book early, since container space and sailing slots from the Australian ports fill up well ahead.
Secure your visa and RUT
Make sure your Chilean residence visa is in hand, since the menaje de casa relief depends on it, and arrange your RUT tax number. Prepare a detailed valued inventory in Spanish or English.
Pack and load
Movers pack and load the container over one or two days, then seal it for the road leg to an Australian port. Keep passports, your visa and the inventory with you, since you need them to clear customs.
Pacific crossing
The container sails across the Pacific to San Antonio or Valparaíso. A Chilean customs agent prepares the clearance against your residence visa, RUT and inventory while the vessel is en route, so it is ready on arrival.
Clear customs and deliver
Your goods clear through the Servicio Nacional de Aduanas under the menaje de casa relief, then deliver to your home in Santiago or elsewhere. Register locally and obtain your identity card so daily life can settle.
How Chile treats your used household goods.
Chile allows people settling in the country to import used household goods and personal effects without paying customs duty or value added tax, under the relief known as menaje de casa. It is administered by the national customs service, the Servicio Nacional de Aduanas. The relief covers genuinely used furniture, clothing, appliances and effects that match a normal household, not new goods bought for resale.
The firm condition on this corridor is your immigration status. The menaje de casa relief is open to foreigners entering Chile on a temporary residence visa or a contract based visa, and to returning Chileans who have lived abroad. It is not available to someone arriving as a tourist. If you ship before your residence visa is settled, you risk paying duty on the whole load, so the visa and the shipment have to be lined up together.
Practically, you need a Chilean tax number, the RUT or Rol Único Tributario, obtained from the tax service, and a detailed inventory valued and listed item by item. Because a household shipment exceeds the small value threshold, a licensed customs agent, an agente de aduana, handles the declaration at San Antonio or Valparaíso. Used electrical items are usually listed with brand, model and serial number.
Vehicles are treated separately and importing a car into Chile is heavily restricted and often not worth it, so most people sell before they leave. Keep your valued inventory beyond what customs strictly asks, because it also protects you on the insurance side if anything is lost or damaged on the Pacific crossing.
The routes in for this corridor.
Most people moving from Australia to Chile need a residence visa before they ship, both to live there and to claim the menaje de casa relief. Each route is summarised in two sentences. None of this is immigration advice, so confirm the current rules before you rely on them.
The temporary residence visa is the main route for people settling in Chile for work, family, investment or as professionals. It is the status that unlocks the menaje de casa customs relief, so secure it before the container sails.
A visa tied to a Chilean employment contract suits people moving for a specific role. The job and the contract drive the application, and the residence right and customs relief flow from it.
People with a pension or stable income from abroad can apply for residence on that basis. It suits retirees and remote earners who can show regular funds without local employment.
Family members of a Chilean citizen or resident can apply for residence based on the relationship. Marriage, partnership or dependent status shapes the paperwork rather than employment.
How to pick a mover for this route, without the guesswork.
We do not rank or recommend individual companies. We teach you the criteria that separate a safe international move from an expensive mistake, then put your request in front of vetted movers who run this lane.
Look first for membership of FIDI or IAM, the two international moving networks whose members are audited for financial stability and quality. A mover that runs the Australia to Chile lane regularly will know the trans Pacific sailing options, the clearance routine at San Antonio and Valparaíso, and how to work with a Chilean customs agent so your goods are not held while the menaje de casa file is checked.
Insist on a binding pre move survey, in person or by video, so the quote reflects your actual volume rather than a guess. Ask exactly what the price includes: packing and materials, the ocean freight, Chilean customs clearance and agent fees, delivery and unpacking, and any long carry or access charges in Santiago where a container truck cannot reach the door.
Compare like with like. Get two or three quotes on the same scope and the same dates, check each carries proper marine transit insurance with a clear claims process, and read recent reviews from other movers on routes between Australia and Chile. The cheapest headline number is rarely the cheapest move once you add port handling and customs that were left out.
Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from Australia to Chile?
As an indicative 2026 range, a one bedroom home runs roughly 4,200 to 11,000 Australian dollars and a two to three bedroom home roughly 8,000 to 19,000 dollars door to door, depending on volume, whether you fill a container, port access and the season.
How long does shipping take from Australia to Chile?
Door to door is usually five to eight weeks for a full container, with the trans Pacific crossing to San Antonio or Valparaíso taking around four to seven weeks plus packing and clearance. A shared container runs longer.
Do I pay duty on my furniture moving to Chile?
Not if you qualify for the menaje de casa relief, which lets residence visa holders bring used household goods free of duty and tax. It is only open to people entering on a temporary or permanent residence visa, not on a tourist entry.
What is the RUT and why do I need it?
The RUT, the Rol Único Tributario, is the Chilean tax number from the tax service. You need it to clear your household goods, sign a lease, open a bank account and work, so arrange it early in the move.
Can I bring my car from Australia to Chile?
Importing a car into Chile is heavily restricted and rarely worth the cost, so most people sell before they leave. Confirm the current position if you are set on bringing a vehicle.
Last reviewed: 11 January 2026. We refresh this guide as costs, customs, and visa rules change.