No. Surrogacy in Chile remains legally unregulated, creating a legal vacuum where commercial surrogacy is effectively prohibited under existing civil and family law provisions. Courts sporadically recognize altruistic arrangements, but no statutory framework governs contracts or parental rights, leaving intended parents vulnerable to custody disputes.
Key Regulations for Surrogacy in Chile
- Civil Code Ambiguity: Article 180 of the Civil Code does not explicitly address surrogacy, while Article 181 (parental presumption) conflicts with surrogacy agreements, often favoring gestational mothers as legal parents.
- Judicial Discretion: Chilean courts handle surrogacy cases on an ad hoc basis, typically requiring post-birth adoption proceedings to transfer parental rights, as seen in Corte Suprema, Rol 56.234-2021.
- 2026 Compliance Shifts: The Ministry of Health’s draft Reglamento de Técnicas de Reproducción Asistida (expected 2026) may introduce restrictive guidelines, potentially banning commercial surrogacy while permitting altruistic models under strict judicial oversight.
Local legal experts warn that without formal legislation, intended parents face risks of parental rights denial, as demonstrated in Corte de Apelaciones de Santiago, 2023-12-15. The lack of a unified regulatory body exacerbates uncertainty, with the Servicio de Registro Civil refusing to register children born via surrogacy without court orders.