Driving license in Chile for expats

No — not through canje. Chile has no bilateral driving-licence treaty in force with the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. Holders of licences from those countries who become Chilean residents must complete the full Chilean licensing process: the 35-question theory exam (in Spanish, from the CONASET Manual del Conductor, pass mark 33/38), a practical exam, plus medical and psychometric exams. All exams are taken at the Dirección de Tránsito of the municipality where you are registered as a resident.

Per the Subsecretaría de Transportes register, Chile has driving-licence treaties in force with exactly 9 countries: Spain, South Korea, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Japan, Paraguay and Bolivia. Holders of valid driving licences from these countries can canje without taking theory or practical exams. A Chile–Brazil treaty has been signed but is not yet in force. All other countries — including all EU/EEA states except Spain, and all of North America and Oceania — must take the full process.

No. The official 35-question theory exam administered by the municipal Dirección de Tránsito is available only in Spanish. The exam draws from a published pool of ~1,000 questions based on the CONASET Manual del Conductor (Libro para la Conducción en Chile, Clase B), available free on the CONASET website. Pass mark is 33 of 38 points (3 questions are double-weighted). Use AutoviaTest to practise in English before sitting the Spanish exam.

Tourists may drive on a valid foreign licence — accompanied by an International Driving Permit (IDP) if the licence is not in Spanish or uses non-Latin script — for the duration of their tourist stay (typically 90 days). Once you obtain Chilean residence and a RUT, you should apply for canje (if eligible) or start the full process promptly. There is no statutory grace period for residents, and Carabineros stops can result in a fine if a Chilean resident is driving on a foreign licence.

Chilean Law 18.290 (Ley de Tránsito) assigns issuance of non-professional driving licences to the Dirección de Tránsito of each municipality (comuna). Each comuna sets its own fees (within the legal range of 0.5–0.8 UTM, currently around CLP 35,000–55,500), schedules its own exam slots and contracts its own Servicios Médicos. The Subsecretaría de Transportes centralises canje verification but the physical licence is always issued by your local comuna.

Yes. The medical and psychometric exams are mandatory for every applicant — canje and full-process alike. The exams cover visual acuity, hearing, locomotor function, reaction time and a basic personality assessment. They must be taken at a Servicio Médico authorised by the municipality where you apply, and the certificates are valid for a limited period (usually 60 days), so coordinate the medical appointment with your municipal exam slot.