Moving from Chile to Germany (2026): Relocation Guide

Moving from Chile to Germany (2026): Relocation Guide

Key takeaways

• Chileans are third-country nationals in the EU, so a long-stay national visa or residence permit is normally required to live and work in Germany — start with the German mission in Santiago before you ship anything.
• Used household goods can enter Germany free of customs duty and import VAT under transfer-of-residence relief (Zoll form 0350) if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months and owned and used the goods for at least 6 months.
• To leave Chile you clear a Documento Único de Salida (DUS) with the Servicio Nacional de Aduanas; there are no Chilean export duties on personal effects.
• Pets are straightforward: Chile is an EU-listed third country, so a dog or cat needs only a microchip, a rabies vaccination given after the chip and at least 21 days before travel, and an EU animal health certificate — no rabies antibody blood test and no waiting period.
• Sea freight from Valparaíso or San Antonio to Hamburg is a long Pacific-and-Atlantic routing; plan several weeks door-to-door, with air freight as a faster option for essentials.
• Register your German address (Anmeldung) within 14 days of moving in — it unlocks your tax ID, bank account and much else.

1. Leaving Chile: what to close out

Before you leave, settle the administrative side in Chile so nothing follows you across the Atlantic. Close or hand over your housing (give notice on a lease, or arrange the sale of a property), settle your final contribuciones and utility accounts, and make sure your tax position with the Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII) is clean — request any certificates you may need abroad while you are still resident. If you are keeping Chilean bank accounts, tell the bank you are moving and update your contact details so cards and security codes still reach you.

Gather civil documents you will need in Germany: birth and marriage certificates, academic and professional qualifications, and driving licence. For use in Germany these generally need an apostille (Chile is party to the Hague Apostille Convention) and a certified German translation. Doing this in Chile, in Spanish, before you leave is far easier than chasing documents later.

Exporting your household effects. Used personal and household goods (menaje de casa) leave Chile under a customs export declaration. Merchandise leaving the country is presented to the Servicio Nacional de Aduanas through a Documento Único de Salida (DUS); for personal effects you supply an itemised list with a value in US dollars for each item. Chile levies no export duties or taxes on personal effects, but the goods may be subject to control by other agencies (for food, plants, chemicals and similar). In practice your international moving company and its Chilean customs agent prepare the DUS and the packing inventory for you — your job is to give them an accurate, honest inventory.

Your pet’s exit permit. To take a dog or cat out of Chile you need a zoosanitary export certificate from the Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG). SAG issues the Certificado Zoosanitario de Exportación confirming the animal meets the destination country’s health requirements; you apply online through the SAG platform, ideally around ten days before travel, supported by a recent veterinary health certificate and the animal’s vaccination record. This SAG certificate is separate from — and additional to — the EU paperwork described in section 5.

2. How your household goods ship to Germany

Almost all household moves from Chile to Germany travel by sea in a container. Your goods are collected and packed at your home, trucked to the port of Valparaíso or San Antonio (the two main container ports serving central Chile), stuffed into a container, and shipped to a northern European port — most commonly Hamburg, Germany’s largest seaport, for onward customs clearance and delivery.

There is no short route. Vessels from the Chilean Pacific coast typically sail a long way — either around South America or via a transhipment hub — before crossing the Atlantic to northern Europe, so ocean transit is measured in weeks rather than days, and a realistic door-to-door timeline runs to roughly one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half months once packing, sailing, clearance and final delivery are added up. Treat any single quoted figure as indicative; schedules shift with sailings and transhipment.

You will usually choose between a full-container load (FCL) — your own 20ft or 40ft container, best for a whole household — and a shared/groupage (LCL) service where you pay for the volume you use, which suits smaller moves but can add time while the container is consolidated. Because the sea leg is long, pack a separate air-freight or accompanied-baggage set of essentials (a few weeks of clothes, chargers, key documents, children’s and pets’ needs) so you are not waiting on the container. Air freight for the whole household is far more expensive but is a genuine option for a small, urgent shipment.

3. Germany customs & transfer-of-residence relief

When you move your normal residence from a non-EU country such as Chile to Germany, your used belongings can be imported free of customs duty and import VAT under transfer-of-residence relief (Übersiedlungsgut). This is claimed on German customs declaration form 0350.

The German customs authority (Zoll) sets out the core conditions: your usual place of residence must have been outside the EU for a continuous period of at least 12 months; the goods must have been in your possession and used for at least 6 months before the move; and you must be establishing your normal residence in Germany. The relief covers ordinary household and personal effects — furniture, clothing, appliances, personal items — but not goods for commercial use. Items on which relief is granted must not be lent, hired out, pledged or sold within 12 months of import.

Practically, you (or your mover acting for you) submit the 0350 with a detailed inventory, proof that you are taking up residence in Germany (such as a work contract, tenancy agreement or Anmeldung), and evidence of your prior residence in Chile. Alcohol, tobacco and any motor vehicle have their own rules and should be flagged in advance. Because the paperwork must line up with your entry and residence documents, coordinate the customs filing with your shipping company before the container sails, not after it lands.

4. Arriving: registration, residence, driving, healthcare

Residence and visa. As a Chilean citizen you are a third-country national. Chileans can enter the Schengen area visa-free for short stays, but to live, work or study in Germany you normally need the correct long-stay national (D) visa or residence permit — for example a work, EU Blue Card, family reunification, or study permit. Apply through the German mission responsible for Chile before you move, and confirm the exact route on the official Make it in Germany portal. If you hold EU citizenship through ancestry (for instance a Spanish, Italian or German passport), you instead enjoy EU free movement and skip the visa route entirely.

Anmeldung (address registration). After moving into your German home you must register your address at the local Bürgeramt/Einwohnermeldeamt, generally within 14 days. You will need your passport, the tenancy confirmation from your landlord (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) and a completed form. The Anmeldung triggers your tax identification number and is the key that unlocks a bank account, health insurance registration and much of daily bureaucracy — book the appointment early, as slots fill up.

Healthcare. Health insurance is compulsory in Germany. Most residents join the statutory system (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung); depending on your income and status you may instead take private cover. Sort this out as soon as you have your registration and, if employed, your employer will usually help enrol you.

Driving licence. A Chilean licence generally lets you drive in Germany for up to 6 months after you become resident. Chile is not on Germany’s list of countries with a straightforward one-to-one swap, so after that period you will usually need to obtain a German licence, which can involve theory and practical tests. Carry an official translation or international permit in the meantime and check the current rules with your local licensing office (Führerscheinstelle).

5. Pets

Bringing a dog or cat from Chile to Germany is one of the more straightforward parts of the move, because Chile is an EU-listed third country. That listing means your pet does not need a rabies antibody titration (blood) test and there is no three-month waiting period — the requirement that makes moves from many other countries so slow simply does not apply.

The steps, in order, are: (1) have your pet fitted with an ISO-standard microchip; (2) give a rabies vaccination — it must be administered after the microchip and at least 21 days before travel; and (3) obtain an EU animal health certificate issued by an official veterinarian in Chile, confirming the microchip and vaccination. On top of the EU paperwork you also need the SAG export certificate to leave Chile (section 1). Because the vaccination-to-travel gap is only three weeks, you can comfortably start the pet process about a month before you fly. Confirm the current certificate wording and any airline crate rules before booking, and use an approved travelled-animal route into the EU.

6. Money, banking & tax basics

Opening a German bank account is much easier once you have your Anmeldung and tax ID; digital banks can sometimes be opened sooner and bridge the gap. Budget for the cost-of-living difference and for one-off setup costs (deposit of typically two to three months’ cold rent, furniture, insurance).

On tax, you become liable to German taxation once you are resident here; Chile and Germany have a double-taxation agreement, so income is not taxed twice, but you should take advice if you keep Chilean income, property or investments. Tell the Chilean SII about your change of residence and keep evidence of the date you left — it matters for both countries’ tax years and for your customs relief. Church tax, solidarity surcharge and social-security contributions are deducted through payroll if you are employed, so your net pay will look different from a Chilean gross-to-net calculation.

How Flyto handles your Chile to Germany move

Flyto Relocation manages the whole Chile-to-Germany journey as one project rather than a series of disconnected bookings. We coordinate professional packing in Chile, the DUS export formalities with a local customs agent, sea or air freight from Valparaíso or San Antonio, and German customs clearance under transfer-of-residence relief with the 0350 filed correctly the first time. Because we run our own hubs across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, delivery, unpacking and the last-mile details in Germany are handled by people who do this every week. We also help sequence your pet’s SAG and EU certificates and point you to the right registration and visa steps on arrival. Get a quote and we will map your timeline, costs and paperwork end to end.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a visa to move to Germany as a Chilean?
For short visits Chileans can enter the Schengen area visa-free, but to live, work or study in Germany you normally need a long-stay national visa or residence permit; apply through the German mission for Chile and check the official Make it in Germany portal.

Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to enter Germany?
No. Chile is an EU-listed third country, so there is no rabies antibody titration test and no waiting period — you need only a microchip, a rabies vaccination given after the chip and at least 21 days before travel, and an EU animal health certificate, per the European Commission.

Can I import my used furniture duty-free?
Yes, under transfer-of-residence relief on customs form 0350 if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months and owned and used the goods for at least 6 months, as set out by German Customs (Zoll).

How long does shipping from Chile to Germany take?
The Pacific-and-Atlantic sea routing is long; plan for roughly one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half months door to door, and ship a small air-freight set of essentials separately.

When must I register my address in Germany?
Generally within 14 days of moving in, at the local Bürgeramt (Anmeldung); it triggers your tax ID and is needed for banking and health insurance.

Can I drive on my Chilean licence?
Usually for up to 6 months after becoming resident; after that you will normally need a German licence, which can require tests — confirm with your local Führerscheinstelle.

Sources

• German Customs (Zoll) — Transferring residence
• Make it in Germany — official government portal (visas & registration)
• European Commission — Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country
• Your Europe — Travelling with pets and other animals in the EU
• German Federal Ministry (BMLEH) — Pets entry regulation
• Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG) — Export zoosanitary certificate for cats and dogs
• Servicio Nacional de Aduanas (Chile) — Departure of goods (DUS)