First Day Abroad

Driving in Chile: licence, roads and tolls

Part of the Chile arrival guide.

This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by

Driving in Chile: the three basics

Drives on the
right

The driver sits on the left and overtakes on the left. Roundabouts turn anticlockwise.

Your licence
Licence plus an IDP

Your own licence works with an International Driving Permit beside it. Get the permit at home before you fly - no country issues one for another country's licence.

Motorways
Tolls by distance

Motorways charge for the distance driven, at barriers or by camera. Budget for it on a long drive; it is rarely trivial.

Chilean motorways are tolled and Santiago's urban network is electronic-only, so a hire car needs a TAG.

Interurban toll plazas and an electronic-only urban network in Santiago.

  • Santiago's motorways charge through the TAG transponder with no barriers at all. A hire car must have one; without it, using the urban motorways generates fines rather than tolls.
  • Interurban tolls on Ruta 5 are conventional plazas taking cash and cards.
  • The alcohol limit is 0.03 %, above which the offence is "driving under the influence" with a licence suspension; 0.08 % is drunk driving with far harsher penalties.
  • The country is 4,300 km long and rarely more than 200 km wide. Distances north-south are the constraint on any itinerary.
  • Mountain passes to Argentina close in winter and the Cristo Redentor crossing can shut for days after snow.
Report a change

Suggest a correction

JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 5 MB. Location metadata is removed.

Corrections and photos are private and visible only to the review team.

Comments

No comments yet. Share the first one.

Share a tip

Sign in to continue.

Sources (1)

What this guide was checked against. Rules and prices change — follow the official link before you rely on a detail.