On May 18, 2026, the Official Gazette published Exempt Resolution No. 3,960 of the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), which amends Resolutions No. 9,074 of 2018 and No. 1,557 of 2014. The objective: to rewrite the authorization procedure for microbial pesticides, standardize documentary requirements with the general pesticide rule, and open the international recognition scheme to natural products. If your company manufactures, imports, registers, or markets pesticides in Chile, this resolution changes the rules governing your authorization application as of now.
What changed
Until before May 18, 2026, microbial pesticides were governed mainly by Resolution No. 9,074 of 2018, with limited references to the general pesticide rule. According to the resolution's recitals, several types of special authorizations had not originally been included because the available files did not contain all the relevant information, and it was necessary to incorporate the recognition of active substances authorized in the U.S. and the European Union.
Exempt Resolution No. 3,960 closes that gap on four fronts.
Assessment procedure. Mandatory documentary review is incorporated under sections 5, 6.2.4, and 7 bis of Resolution No. 1,557 of 2014. This means that microbial pesticide applications must meet the same standard of technical analysis as conventional pesticides in those matters. In turn, microbiological fermentation extracts are separated from the base microorganism: the microorganism remains governed by Resolution No. 9,074, while the extract falls under Resolution No. 6,152 of 2023 if it is of low concern, or under section 8 of Resolution No. 1,557 of 2014 if it is a natural extract of concern.
Alignment with the general rule. Several sections of Resolution No. 9,074 are replaced so that documentary conditions, supporting studies, publication in the Official Gazette, and the technical-advice obligation are governed directly by Resolution No. 1,557 of 2014. The rule is direct: what was previously a regime specific to microbial products now follows the general standard.
Export requirements. If the product is domestically produced and intended for foreign markets, you must attach an apostilled certificate from the authority of the destination country attesting that the product is authorized there, or a document showing that authorization is in process. The same requirement extends to formulated export products, and the obligation is added to submit the draft transport label of the packaging unit under section 5.1 of Resolution No. 1,557 of 2014.
Applicant accreditation and electronic signature. Section 4.1 of Resolution No. 1,557 is restructured. Legal entities must submit the incorporation deed (or the registration of the extract in the Commercial Registry) and a copy of the legal representative's power of attorney, accompanied by a certificate of validity no older than 6 months. The resolution clarifies that, if the company's incorporation or the granting of the power of attorney is less than 6 months old, the certificate of validity is not necessary. Technical advice from a pesticide expert becomes a strict requirement, formalized through a sworn statement before a notary. As for the format of the documents, three routes are allowed: printed original, digital format, or digitized from a printed original. For digital documentation issued in Chile, the resolution requires an Advanced Electronic Signature through accredited providers; for foreign documentation, the digital signature will be recognized only if there are Mutual Recognition Agreements in force, and failing that, an apostille or legalization is required.
The net result: Resolution No. 3,960 unifies the procedural framework and raises the technical standard for microbial pesticides, bringing it in line with that of conventional pesticides in the aspects the general rule regulates better.
What it may mean for your company
The impact varies depending on which link of the chain you are in.
If you are a manufacturer or importer of microbial pesticides, the most immediate change is the mandatory documentary review under the standards of Resolution No. 1,557 of 2014. Files that previously met the exclusive requirements of Resolution No. 9,074 may no longer be sufficient. Before submitting a new application or renewing a valid authorization, it is advisable to review whether the file covers sections 5, 6.2.4, and 7 bis of the general rule.
If you produce or export microbial pesticides or products formulated from them, the requirement of an apostilled certificate from the destination country adds an additional step to the process. It is no minor requirement: apostilling a document abroad can take weeks, depending on the destination country. Incorporating it into the schedule of your authorization application avoids delays in the foreign-trade chain.
If you manage the technical-advice area, formalizing the designation of the pesticide advisor via a sworn statement before a notary changes the nature of the procedure. It is no longer enough to informally accredit the technical backing: the legal representative signs a notarial document. That commitment has legal consequences if the statement turns out to be inaccurate.
There is an angle that may open opportunities. The substantial amendment of section 22 bis on recognition is designed to facilitate the international recognition of natural pesticides registered in the U.S. or the European Union. For companies that want to enter Chile with biocontrol products or biologically-based pesticides already authorized in those markets, the regulatory path is simplified. The question worth asking is whether your current or pipeline products already have registration in those jurisdictions and whether they qualify for this new scheme.
Gray area: the resolution refers to several sections of prior rules (Resolution No. 1,557, Resolution No. 6,152 of 2023, Resolution No. 9,074) without consolidating them into a single text. That creates a fragmented regulatory map that requires cross-referencing to determine which rule applies to each product category. The criterion of what constitutes a "natural extract of concern" versus one of "low concern" for the purposes of Resolution No. 6,152 of 2023 is one of the points worth clarifying before defining the strategy for submitting your application.
Do you have products registered in the U.S. or the European Union that could enter Chile through the new recognition scheme? Schedule a session to assess that route and organize the regulatory map of your application.
What you can do
If your company operates in the pesticide market in Chile, three concrete actions reduce exposure to regulatory contingencies:
- Audit the file of each valid or pending authorization to verify that it complies with sections 5, 6.2.4, and 7 bis of Resolution No. 1,557 of 2014, in addition to the requirements of Resolution No. 9,074 of 2018. The mismatch with the new rule does not mean the valid authorization automatically lapses, but it can affect renewals or product modifications.
- Review the authorization process for your exports of microbial pesticides or formulated products to foreign markets, and incorporate obtaining the apostilled certificate from the destination country as a step prior to submitting the file to SAG. If your company operates in several markets simultaneously, it is advisable to map which countries have mutual recognition agreements with Chile for digital documentation, in order to anticipate which documents will require an apostille and which can be submitted with an Advanced Electronic Signature.
- Update the applicant's accreditation file: certificate of validity of the incorporation deed and of the legal representative's power of attorney no older than 6 months (unless the incorporation or the power of attorney is less than 6 months old) and a notarized sworn statement from the technical advisor. If any of those documents is about to expire or does not yet exist in the format required by the new version of section 4.1, now is the time to regularize it before the next interaction with SAG.
If any of these points raises questions —the status of your files, the export apostilles, or the applicant's accreditation— a 30-minute diagnostic session is enough to size up your gaps. Schedule here.
If you need to assess the impact of Exempt Resolution No. 3,960 on your pesticide portfolio, review the authorization strategy before SAG, or map the export requirements that apply to your products, schedule a meeting with our team.
This content is informational and does not constitute legal advice.