Practice area
Family Law
Divorce, child support, custody and protective measures, handled with closeness and discretion.
What this area covers
- Child and spousal support
- Travel authorization for minors
- Economic compensation
- Child support enforcement
- Family home declaration
- Divorce filed from abroad
- Divorce obtained abroad
- Divorce by mutual consent
- Fault-based divorce
- Unilateral divorce
- Immediate return of a minor
- Paternity recognition
- Protective measures
- Visitation schedule modifications
- Child support (increase, reduction, suspension or termination)
- Paternity claims and challenges
- Minors traveling abroad
- International child abduction
- Judicial separation
- Custody
- Visitation rights
Frequently asked questions
How long does a divorce take in Chile?
It depends mostly on whether there is agreement. A joint petition requires the couple to have lived apart for more than one year; a unilateral one, more than three (Law 19.947). Where there are children, support, custody and visitation must be settled first, and that usually weighs on the timeline more than the filing itself.
How is child support calculated?
From two reference points: the child's needs and the payer's means. It cannot be lower than 40 % of one minimum monthly wage for a single child, or 30 % per child where there are two or more, and it cannot exceed 50 % of the payer's income unless there are well-founded reasons (Law 14.908).
The father of my children is not paying support — what can I do?
Ask the family court to liquidate the debt and to enter the debtor in the National Register of Child Support Debtors (Law 21.389). Appearing on that register withholds tax refunds, blocks driving licence and passport renewals, and prevents transferring vehicles or property before a notary or the registry.
This is general information about Chilean law, not advice on a specific case: deadlines and requirements change with the facts.
Other practice areas
Need counsel in Family Law?
Tell us what happened and we will tell you whether we can help and how. Santiago and Valparaíso, Monday to Friday.