Cross-Border Jurisdictional Protocol
Chile has not ratified the 1965 Hague Service Convention, despite occasional suggestions to the contrary; as a founding member of the Organization of American States, Chile instead participates in the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and its Additional Protocol (IACAP), which provides a structured, treaty-based alternative for judicial cooperation across the Americas. Where the IACAP doesn't apply, service proceeds through traditional Letters Rogatory via diplomatic channels. Most documents other than the standard Convention form must be translated into Spanish.
Since both the U.S. and Chile are IACAP treaty partners, we route eligible requests through this streamlined regional framework rather than the slower traditional Letters Rogatory process.
Discuss IACAP service options →For matters outside IACAP's scope, we prepare traditional Letters Rogatory transmitted through diplomatic channels between the U.S. and Chilean judicial authorities.
Discuss Letters Rogatory options →Summons, complaints, and supporting documents generally require Spanish translation for use in Chilean proceedings. We prepare certified translations to meet this requirement.
Prepare a compliant translation →Complete National Jurisdiction
Active network of local agents, court officers, and Central Authority specialists covering every administrative region.
All international document handoffs are executed pursuant to local sovereignty statutes and returned with court-certified evidentiary declarations.
Judicial Knowledge Base
No. Chile has chosen not to ratify the Convention, despite some ambiguous signals in its 2008 response to a Hague Conference questionnaire. Service instead relies on the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory (IACAP) or traditional Letters Rogatory.
IACAP is a regional treaty among Organization of American States members, including both the U.S. and Chile, that provides a more structured judicial cooperation framework than traditional letters rogatory, though it is separate from the Hague Service Convention.
Generally, yes — summons, complaints, and other supporting documents typically require Spanish translation, though the IACAP's own standard form is not always required to be translated.
Traditional Letters Rogatory transmitted through diplomatic channels remain available as a fallback, though this route is slower than IACAP.
Chile's 2008 response to a Hague Conference questionnaire included language that some sources have misread as suggesting eventual accession; as of now, Chile has not ratified the Convention.
Consult with our international legal support specialists about service of process in Chile.