Quick answer
A Florida company investing in Chile, whether buying property, holding shares or opening a local agency, first needs a Chilean tax ID (RUT) from the Servicio de Impuestos Internos. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), as a certified copy of the articles of incorporation or, for an LLC, the articles of organization.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 2016
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consulate General of Chile in Miami
- Translation
- Our general rule for translations is certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida, but Chile often needs less or something different.
How a Florida articles of incorporation is used in Chile
A Florida company investing in Chile, whether buying property, holding shares or opening a local agency, first needs a Chilean tax ID (RUT) from the Servicio de Impuestos Internos. That process asks for proof that the company exists and for a representative in Chile with powers. Its articles, certified by the Florida Division of Corporations and apostilled, show the company's formation; a Spanish translation is usually required. Ask the Chilean lawyer whether the documents must also be protocolized at a Chilean notary, which is common before they go into a deed or registry.
Getting a articles of incorporation Florida will apostille
An original certified copy issued by the Division of Corporations; not a Sunbiz printout or photocopy, and not a notarized copy, since Florida notaries can't attest copies of public records. Add certified amendments, name changes or conversions if the company's current name or structure differs from the original filing.
Request a certified copy from the Division with the entity name, document number, document type and filing date. The Florida Department of State also accepts a certified-copy request filed together with the apostille request, paid with two separate checks, which we can file for you. The Division's own fee (listed at $8.75 for a corporation and $30 for an LLC at this writing) is not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the articles of incorporation apostille page.
Who receives it in Chile — and translation
The Servicio Nacional de Migraciones handles residence applications, which can be filed online from outside Chile. The Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación registers births and marriages abroad and handles posesión efectiva for estates without a will. Foreign judgments, including divorces, need exequatur from the Corte Suprema. The Universidad de Chile revalidates U.S. degrees, and the Servicio de Impuestos Internos issues the RUT that foreign owners and companies need.
Our general rule for translations is certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida, but Chile often needs less or something different. Migraciones requires an official translation only for documents in a language other than Spanish or English. The Registro Civil instead wants a certified Spanish translation from Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the relevant consulate; the Ministry's service translates the apostilled original and can deliver it online. Translate after the apostille, and only when the receiving office asks.
For work-based residence, Migraciones requires the criminal-record certificate to be issued no more than 60 days before you apply, so order it last and apostille it immediately. For other documents, ask the receiving office; a freshly certified vital record also avoids the pre-2014 signature problem.
Consular office serving Florida: Consulate General of Chile in Miami.
Four steps, one week
Order online
Pick the document and destination country on the order form and pay by card. After we review your documents, FedEx emails you a prepaid label.
Send your document
Drop the envelope at any FedEx location.
We file in person
We review it, then walk it to the Florida Department of State in Tallahassee for the apostille.
Returned to you
Back in 5–7 business days — anywhere in the U.S., or abroad for a flat $100.
Why articles of incorporations get rejected
- Sunbiz printout or photocopy
- Notarized copy of the articles
- Original articles only, with no amendments showing the current name
- Company inactive, so the foreign bank stops the file
What it costs for Chile
$220 per document, $380 for two and $160 each for three or more — the state fee, request form, in-person filing in Tallahassee and FedEx shipping inside the U.S. are included. Shipping the finished apostille to Chile is a flat $100 per order.
Not included: whatever the issuing office charges for the certified copy or certificate, and notarization (online notarization is $40 for the first document — $10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee — and $20 for each additional one).
