Open Will Chile (Testamento Abierto)

Open Will Chile (Testamento Abierto) is a solemn testamentary instrument governed by the Código Civil de Chile (CC) Articles 999 through 1068 — within Book III "De la sucesión por causa de muerte, y de las donaciones entre vivos" — by which a natural person (testador) declares, before a Notario Público and three witnesses (or five witnesses without a Notario in exceptional circumstances under CC Article 1014), the disposition of all or part of their estate (patrimonio) to take effect upon death. Article 999 of the Código Civil defines the testamento as a solemn legal act (acto jurídico solemne) by which a person disposes of all or part of their assets for after death.

The testamento abierto — also called testamento público or testamento nuncupativo — is distinguished from the testamento cerrado (closed will) under CC Articles 1023–1024 by the fact that the testator's dispositions are known to the Notario and witnesses at the time of execution. Article 1015 of the Código Civil requires that the testamento abierto be executed before a Notario Público (competente para actuar en el territorio jurisdiccional del lugar del otorgamiento) and three witnesses (testigos hábiles). The Notario reads the testament aloud in the presence of the testator and witnesses, all parties sign the instrument, and the Notario incorporates it into the protocolo notarial (notarial protocol register) maintained under the Código Orgánico de Tribunales (COT) Articles 399 through 437.

Chilean succession law imposes mandatory forced heirship rules (asignaciones forzosas) under CC Articles 1167 through 1195 that restrict the testator's freedom of disposition. The estate is divided into three portions: the mitad legitimaria (legitimate half — 50% of the estate) reserved exclusively for the legitimarios (forced heirs — the testator's descendants, ascendants, and surviving spouse or civil partner under the Acuerdo de Unión Civil — AUC regulated by Ley N° 20.830); the cuarta de mejoras (improvement quarter — 25%) that the testator may allocate among descendants, ascendants, or the surviving spouse; and the cuarta de libre disposición (free disposal quarter — 25%) that the testator may allocate to any person or institution without restriction.

The Registro Civil e Identificación maintains the Registro Nacional de Testamentos where all testaments executed before Notarios Públicos throughout Chile are registered. CC Article 1007 provides that the testamento is an act of one person alone — joint or mutual wills are prohibited under Chilean law. The testator must have testamentary capacity (capacidad de testar) under CC Article 1005 — being of sound mind (estar en su sano juicio), at least eighteen years of age (pubertad), and not subject to any incapacity established by law.

The Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación issues the certificado de defunción (death certificate) that triggers the succession process. Upon the testator's death, the herederos (heirs) initiate the posesión efectiva — a judicial or administrative procedure before the Juzgado de Letras en lo Civil (for testamentary succession) or the Servicio de Registro Civil (for intestate succession under Ley N° 19.903) — to establish their rights over the estate. The Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII) administers the Impuesto a las Herencias, Asignaciones y Donaciones under Ley N° 16.271, with progressive rates ranging from 1% to 25% depending on the value of each heir's assignment and their relationship to the deceased.

The Colegio de Abogados de Chile recommends that testators review their testamentary dispositions periodically, particularly after significant life events — marriage, divorce (regulated by the Ley N° 19.947 de Matrimonio Civil), birth of children, acquisition of substantial assets, or execution of an Acuerdo de Unión Civil under Ley N° 20.830. A prior testament is revoked by a subsequent testament to the extent of any inconsistency under CC Article 1215, and the testator retains full power to revoke or modify the testament at any time during their lifetime under CC Article 1001.

An Open Will Chile is required whenever a person domiciled in Chile or owning assets subject to Chilean succession law wishes to establish legally binding testamentary dispositions governing the distribution of their estate upon death, within the framework of forced heirship rules under Código Civil Articles 1167–1195 and the testamentary formalities of CC Articles 1014–1017.

Property owners with real estate registered at the Conservador de Bienes Raíces (CBR) — houses in Santiago's comunas of Las Condes, Vitacura, La Reina, and Providencia; agricultural land (predios agrícolas) in the Región de O'Higgins, Región del Maule, or Región del Biobío; or commercial properties — need a testamento abierto to allocate the cuarta de mejoras and cuarta de libre disposición among specific heirs, particularly when the testator wishes to benefit one child over others or leave specific legacies (legados) of particular properties to designated legatarios.

Business owners holding shares in SpA entities (Código de Comercio arts. 424–446), participaciones in SRL companies (Ley N° 3.918), or shares in Sociedades Anónimas (Ley N° 18.046) need testamentary planning to ensure orderly succession of business interests. Without a testamento, the estate passes entirely through intestate succession (sucesión intestada) under CC Articles 983–998, which distributes the estate equally among heirs of the same degree — potentially fragmenting business ownership among multiple heirs and creating governance deadlocks.

Parents with minor children need a testamento abierto to designate a tutor (guardian — tutor testamentario) for their children under CC Article 354, ensuring that a trusted person assumes guardianship rather than the court-appointed tutor under CC Article 370. The testamento can also establish a trust-like arrangement (asignación modal under CC Article 1089) requiring that assets allocated to minor children be administered by a designated administrator until the children reach majority.

Married persons under the sociedad conyugal (community property regime — CC Articles 1715–1792) or participación en los gananciales (CC Articles 1792-1 through 1792-27) regimes need a testamento that accounts for the liquidación de la sociedad conyugal — the division of community property that occurs upon the death of either spouse — before testamentary dispositions take effect on the testator's individual share.

Chilean nationals living abroad and foreign nationals with assets in Chile need a testamento abierto executed before a Chilean Notario Público (or before the Chilean Consul in their country of residence under CC Article 1028) to govern the succession of their Chilean assets. The Ley sobre Impuesto a las Herencias (Ley N° 16.271) applies to all assets located in Chile regardless of the testator's domicile, and the SII requires the posesión efectiva process before heirs can transfer, sell, or mortgage inherited assets.

A valid Open Will Chile under Código Civil Articles 1014 through 1022 must contain the following essential elements to constitute a legally enforceable testamento abierto executed with the solemnities required by Chilean succession law:

Testator Identification (Individualización del Testador): Full legal name, RUT number (Rol Único Tributario issued by the Servicio de Impuestos Internos — SII), nationality, marital status (estado civil — soltero, casado, divorciado, or viudo), matrimonial regime (régimen patrimonial — sociedad conyugal, separación de bienes, or participación en los gananciales under CC Articles 1715–1792), profession or occupation, and domicile of the testador. Article 1016 of the Código Civil requires that the testamento express the name, apellido, and domicilio of the testador, the place of execution, and the date (day, month, and year). If the testator is married, identify the spouse and specify the matrimonial regime, as this affects the composition of the estate subject to testamentary disposition.

Testamentary Capacity Declaration (Declaración de Capacidad): A statement that the testator is of legal age (mayor de dieciocho años), of sound mind (en su sano juicio), acting freely and voluntarily without coercion (sin coacción ni presión de terceros), and not subject to any incapacity under CC Article 1005 — which prohibits testaments by impúberes (children under legal age), persons declared mentally incompetent (dementes) by a Juzgado de Letras en lo Civil under the procedure of CC Articles 456–468, and persons who at the time of execution cannot express their will clearly (expresar su voluntad claramente).

Forced Heirs Declaration (Declaración de Legitimarios): Identification of all persons who qualify as legitimarios (forced heirs) under CC Article 1182: the testator's children (hijos) — whether born within or outside marriage, or adopted under Ley N° 19.620 on Adoption — the testator's ascendants (ascendientes — parents and grandparents), and the testator's surviving spouse or civil partner under the Acuerdo de Unión Civil (Ley N° 20.830). The testamento should list each legitimario by name and relationship to the testator, as CC Article 1016 N° 4 requires identification of the testator's hijos.

Estate Composition and Asset Description (Composición del Patrimonio): An inventory of the testator's principal assets subject to testamentary disposition — real estate properties (bienes raíces) with CBR inscription data (Conservador de Bienes Raíces — foja, número, año), bank accounts (cuentas bancarias) at institutions regulated by the Comisión para el Mercado Financiero (CMF), investment portfolios (fondos mutuos, acciones, depósitos a plazo), business interests (participaciones societarias) in SpA, SRL, or S.A. entities, vehicles registered with the Registro de Vehículos Motorizados, and other significant assets. While not legally required for validity, a comprehensive asset description facilitates the posesión efectiva process and reduces disputes among heirs.

Disposition of the Mitad Legitimaria (Legitimate Half): The mitad legitimaria — 50% of the acervo líquido (net estate after debts, funeral expenses, and estate administration costs under CC Article 959) — is reserved by law for the legitimarios and must be distributed among them according to the rules of intestate succession under CC Articles 983–990. The testator cannot allocate the mitad legitimaria to non-legitimarios; any testamentary disposition that infringes the mitad legitimaria is subject to the acción de reforma del testamento (action to reform the will) under CC Article 1216 before the Juzgado de Letras en lo Civil.

Disposition of the Cuarta de Mejoras (Improvement Quarter): The cuarta de mejoras — 25% of the acervo líquido — may be allocated by the testator among descendants (descendientes), ascendants (ascendientes), or the surviving spouse or civil partner, in the proportions the testator freely determines. CC Article 1195 restricts the cuarta de mejoras exclusively to these categories of beneficiaries — allocation to other persons is void. The testator may use the cuarta de mejoras to benefit a specific child who cares for the testator, to provide additional support to a grandchild, or to increase the surviving spouse's inheritance beyond their legitimate share.

Disposition of the Cuarta de Libre Disposición (Free Disposal Quarter): The cuarta de libre disposición — 25% of the acervo líquido — may be allocated by the testator to any person or institution without restriction. Common dispositions of the cuarta de libre disposición include: legados (specific bequests) of particular assets to friends, relatives outside the forced heir categories, or charitable organizations; donations to universities (Universidad de Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), foundations, or non-profit entities; and establishment of asignaciones modales (conditional bequests) requiring the beneficiary to use the assets for specified purposes.

Appointment of Executor (Albacea): Designation of an albacea (executor) to administer the estate during the succession process under CC Articles 1270–1310. The albacea's duties include: safeguarding estate assets, paying debts and legacies, filing the Impuesto a las Herencias declaration (Formulario 4423) with the SII under Ley N° 16.271, obtaining the posesión efectiva from the Juzgado de Letras en lo Civil, and distributing the estate according to the testamentary dispositions. The testador may grant the albacea specific powers (facultades) including the authority to sell estate assets, compromise disputes, and represent the succession before courts and administrative bodies.

Guardianship of Minor Children (Tutela Testamentaria): If the testator has minor children (hijos menores de edad), designation of a tutor testamentario (testamentary guardian) under CC Article 354 to assume custody and administration of the children's patrimony upon the testator's death. The tutor testamentario takes precedence over the tutor legítimo (legal guardian) designated by CC Article 367 and the tutor dativo (court-appointed guardian) under CC Article 370.

Notarial and Witness Requirements (Requisitos Notariales y de Testigos): The testamento abierto must be executed before a Notario Público competente and three witnesses (testigos hábiles) who meet the requirements of CC Article 1012 — being of legal age, of sound mind, able to read and write, domiciled in the same comuna or adjacent comuna, and not subject to the incapacities listed in CC Article 1012 (including being an heir or legatee under the testament, or a creditor or debtor of the testator for significant amounts). The Notario reads the entire testament aloud, the testator confirms the dispositions, all parties sign, and the instrument is incorporated into the protocolo notarial.

Forms-legal.com provides this Open Will Chile template as a reference document for persons planning their testamentary succession under Chilean law. Given the complexity of forced heirship rules, matrimonial regime implications, and the Impuesto a las Herencias under Ley N° 16.271, testators should consult with an abogado specializing in derecho sucesorio registered with the Colegio de Abogados de Chile before executing the final testament before the Notario Público. Los usuarios de forms-legal.com pueden descargar este documento de forma gratuita en formato PDF o DOCX, completar los campos del formulario guiado y obtener un documento listo para firma.