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Audit & Compliance

Internal Environmental Audits in Chile

A recurring, preventive review of your operation's environmental compliance in Chile — so gaps are found and fixed on your schedule, not a regulator's.

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Overview

What this involves

Companies operating in Chile sit under a growing body of environmental rules — the general framework of Law 19.300, sector-specific regulations, and the conditions attached to each operation's environmental permit (Resolución de Calificación Ambiental, or RCA). Falling short exposes a business to fines, shutdown orders and, in serious cases, environmental criminal liability.

This is a preventive, recurring service: certified auditors and environmental lawyers working together to map every obligation your operation actually has, test current compliance against it, and hand over a prioritized action plan before an external inspection — not after one has already found the problem for you.

What we handle

Compliance diagnostics

A complete map of the environmental obligations that apply to your company or project, and an honest assessment of where you currently stand against them.

Permit condition review

Checking actual operations against the specific conditions set out in your environmental permit, not just the permit's existence.

Sector-specific regulations

Reviewing the rules particular to your industry — mining, energy, food, fishing, construction and others — on top of the general framework.

Waste & emissions management

Auditing procedures for handling, treating and disposing of solid, liquid and hazardous waste.

Inspection readiness

Running mock audits that mirror a Superintendency of the Environment inspection, so your team is tested before the real one.

From anywhere

How we run this for a client abroad

Assessment first

You send the documents you have. We tell you what applies, what it costs and how long it takes — before you commit to anything.

Power of attorney

Granted at a Chilean consulate or apostilled where you live. It lets us act for you in Chile without you travelling.

We file, you get updates

Our attorneys handle the filings and appearances in Chile. You get plain-English updates at every stage.

FAQ

Internal Environmental Audits — common questions

What English-speaking clients ask us most about this specific service.

How is this different from the environmental audits you mention under forensic accounting?

That service responds to a specific, usually reactive situation — testing a suspicion or preparing for a dispute. This one is a recurring, preventive review of your operation's environmental compliance, run on your own schedule to find and fix gaps before a regulator does. Companies often need both at different points, which is why we keep them as separate services.

What environmental rules actually apply to my company in Chile?

It depends heavily on your sector and whether your operation holds an environmental permit (RCA). Mining, energy, food production, fishing and construction each carry their own sector-specific rules on top of the general framework under Law 19.300. We map exactly which obligations apply before auditing anything.

What happens if the audit finds a compliance gap?

You get a findings report ranking each gap by risk level, paired with a concrete remediation plan with owners and deadlines — not just a list of problems. Where it makes sense, we also run a mock inspection so your team is tested before a real one from the Superintendency of the Environment happens.

Do you help with environmental due diligence for a transaction?

Yes. Before an acquisition or asset purchase in Chile, we evaluate the target's environmental liabilities and permit compliance so they are priced into the deal or fixed beforehand, rather than inherited as a surprise after closing.

Talk to a Chilean lawyer about environmental compliance

Get an initial assessment in English — confidential, with no obligation.

Book your consultation now →

WhatsApp+56 9 5217 5304

Emailhola@oklegal.cl

HoursMon–Sat 09:00–20:00