Simple Sworn Declaration Chile (Declaración Jurada Simple)

Simple Sworn Declaration Chile (Declaración Jurada Simple) is a written statement in which a person solemnly declares under oath (bajo juramento o bajo su honor) that the facts and circumstances described in the document are true, without requiring authentication by a Notario Público. The legal basis for the declaración jurada simple in Chile derives primarily from Artículo 1710 of the Código Civil de Chile, which establishes that whenever the law requires a certain form of proof, the parties may not substitute other means of proof — but in cases where no specific form is required, a sworn declaration is an admissible means of establishing facts. Artículo 346 of the Código de Procedimiento Civil (CPC) governs private documents (instrumentos privados) and their recognition in Chilean judicial proceedings.

The declaración jurada simple is a private instrument (instrumento privado) under Chilean law — it lacks the public faith (fe pública) and full probative value of a public instrument (instrumento público) such as an escritura pública notarial. However, it is widely accepted by Chilean public institutions as sufficient proof for administrative purposes where the law does not require a more formal instrument. The SII (Servicio de Impuestos Internos) accepts declaraciones juradas simples for numerous tax-related declarations — property ownership, family relationships, income sources, and business status. FONASA (Fondo Nacional de Salud) and ISAPREs regulated by the Superintendencia de Salud accept them for beneficiary registration and health subsidy applications. AFP administrators regulated by the Superintendencia de Pensiones accept them for pension-related matters. Municipalidades throughout Chile use them for social benefits (subsidios sociales), housing programmes of the MINVU (Ministerio de Vivienda y Urbanismo), and community services. The Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (Migraciones Chile) accepts them as supporting documentation for visa and residency applications.

The declaración jurada simple differs fundamentally from the declaración jurada notarial (see cl-declaracion-jurada-notarial) — the notarially authenticated version provides authentication by a Notario Público who verifies the declarant's identity, witnesses the signing, and incorporates the declaration into the notarial protocol (protocolo notarial), giving it the probative weight of a public instrument under Artículo 1700 of the Código Civil. The simple version, lacking notarial authentication, has lower probative value but is sufficient for the many administrative contexts in Chile where institutions have expressly indicated they accept it.

False declarations (declaraciones falsas) in a declaración jurada simple constitute the criminal offence of falsedad en instrumento privado under Artículo 197 of the Código Penal de Chile, punishable by reclusión menor en cualquiera de sus grados and fine (multa). When the false declaration is made to public authorities or institutions, it may additionally constitute the offence of presentación de antecedentes falsos under specific administrative statutes. The declarant assumes full personal responsibility for the truthfulness of the declared facts.

A Simple Sworn Declaration Chile is needed in a broad range of administrative, legal, and commercial situations where Chilean institutions require written proof of personal facts, circumstances, or status that cannot be easily evidenced by certificates or public documents.

The SII requires declaraciones juradas simples in numerous tax contexts: Formulario 2118 (annual property declaration for contribuciones de bienes raíces under Ley 17.235); declarations of family group (grupo familiar) composition for the DFL2 housing benefit; declarations of principal residence (residencia habitual) for capital gains tax exemptions on residential property under Artículo 17 N° 8 of the Ley de la Renta (Decreto Ley 824/1974); and declarations by self-employed workers (trabajadores independientes) regarding annual income for provisional tax (PPM) calculations.

FONASA and ISAPREs regulated by the Superintendencia de Salud require declarations of family dependency (carga familiar) — identifying spouse, children, and other dependants — for beneficiary registration. The AFP administrators regulated by the Superintendencia de Pensiones require declarations for survivor pension applications (pensión de sobrevivencia) and disability pension claims. The Caja de Compensación de Asignación Familiar (CCAF) entities — Los Andes, Los Héroes, La Araucana, and 18 de Septiembre — require declarations for family allowance (asignación familiar) applications under Decreto con Fuerza de Ley N° 150/1981.

The MINVU (Ministerio de Vivienda y Urbanismo) requires declarations for housing subsidy applications — Subsidio Habitacional DS 49, Subsidio DS 1, Programa Fondo Solidario de Elección de Vivienda — confirming that the applicant does not own other property (declaración de no poseer vivienda) and meets income requirements. Municipal social services (Municipios) use declarations to assess eligibility for social benefits under the Ficha de Protección Social (now Registro Social de Hogares) maintained by the Ministerio de Desarrollo Social.

In commercial and contractual contexts, Chilean businesses use declaraciones juradas simples when a contracting party needs to confirm legal capacity, that they are not subject to any judicial prohibition (no está sujeto a interdicción), that they are not bankrupt (no está en quiebra) under Ley 20.720 (Ley de Reorganización y Liquidación), or that no outstanding judgments (no registra deudas ejecutoriadas) affect their ability to contract. Banks regulated by the CMF may accept them for certain account-opening procedures, particularly for SMEs (PyMEs) that cannot easily obtain formal certificates.

A valid Simple Sworn Declaration Chile under Código Civil Article 1710 and Código de Procedimiento Civil Article 346 must contain the following essential elements to be accepted by Chilean public institutions and courts:

Declarant Identification (Individualización del Declarante): Full legal name as registered in the Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación, RUT/RUN number, nationality (nacionalidad), marital status (estado civil), profession or occupation (profesión u oficio), and current domicile. For foreign nationals resident in Chile, include the type and number of their residence permit issued by Migraciones Chile under Decreto Ley 1.094/1975 (Ley de Extranjería). The declaration should state that the declarant is of legal age (mayor de edad) and of sound mind (en pleno uso de sus facultades mentales).

Declaration Heading (Encabezado): The document should be clearly titled 'DECLARACIÓN JURADA SIMPLE' and state the place (ciudad) and date of execution. Reference the applicable legal basis when relevant — for SII declarations, cite the specific SII resolution or formulario; for FONASA declarations, cite the applicable Resolución FONASA; for MINVU declarations, cite the relevant Decreto Supremo.

Body of Declaration (Cuerpo de la Declaración): A clear, precise, and numbered or paragraphed statement of all facts being declared. The declaration should use affirmative language: 'Que declaro bajo juramento que los hechos que a continuación expongo son verdaderos y fidedignos.' Each factual statement should be specific and verifiable — avoid vague or general assertions. For property declarations, include addresses, Rol de Avalúo (SII property identification number), CBR inscription data, and acquisition date. For family relationship declarations, include full names, RUTs, and relationships of all persons mentioned.

Specific Purpose (Propósito Específico): State clearly the purpose for which the declaration is being made and the institution to which it will be presented — 'Para ser presentada ante el SII' / 'Para ser presentada ante FONASA' / 'Para los fines que se indican'. Many Chilean institutions have standard forms (formularios) that incorporate the declaración jurada simple format — check whether the institution requires use of their specific form before using this general template.

Declarant Signature (Firma del Declarante): The declaration must be signed by the declarant. For use before most Chilean institutions, the signature does not need to be notarially authorized (firma autorizada ante Notario), but many institutions prefer or require authorized signatures. The declarant's full name and RUT should be printed below the signature. When presenting to the SII, include the date of signature and city.

Witnesses (Testigos — if applicable): Some administrative contexts in Chile require one or two witnesses (testigos) to the declaración jurada simple. When witnesses are required, include their full names, RUTs, domiciles, and signatures. The Ley de Rentas Municipales and certain MINVU programmes specify witness requirements.

Forms-legal.com provides this Simple Sworn Declaration Chile template as a reference document for the most common administrative uses. Before using this declaration, verify with the specific Chilean institution (SII, FONASA, AFP, MINVU, or municipality) whether they have a standardized form (formulario oficial) that must be used, and whether notarial authentication (firma autorizada ante Notario Público) is required for the specific purpose. 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.