A new vehicle may have been logged into by several groups during showroom test drives, port preparation, and transit. After signing the ownership transfer papers, the customer goes home, installs the app, and discovers that the vehicle's location and trip history are still attached to the previous account. The old phone can still remotely unlock it. The paperwork cannot solve this; the problem is that no one treated the digital key as a delivery item.
Chile's current framework for processing personal data is Ley 19.628, the Law on the Protection of Private Life, enacted in August 1999. Article 4 of its consolidated text states that personal data processing requires legal authorization or the individual's express consent, which must be recorded in writing. Ley 21.719, enacted in 2025, will rename this law the Personal Data Protection Law and establish a Personal Data Protection Agency. However, it provides a twenty-four-month transition period. The new provisions were not yet effective on the review date, so current processing should still be documented under the existing text.
The following steps follow the order encountered when collecting a vehicle in Chile: check the registry, then feature permissions, then data, and consolidate everything into one handover form. These are Starvia's operational recommendations for Chilean orders and do not constitute local legal conclusions. Current official pages govern legal provisions and procedures.
Does the receipt fix the timeline?
Vehicle registration and ownership transfers in Chile are handled by the Civil Registry. Changes to the owner's name and RUT are subject to the current instructions on the official Civil Registry website. Work on the digital side should begin the day the transfer receipt is received. The infotainment system recognizes whoever is bound as the primary account in the account center, so move from the vehicle registry to the account record: the customer named on the receipt should become the account holder.
The vehicle registry and account record are often out of sync. The previous account holder may be a dealer, a test driver, or a former owner. As long as that person still controls the primary app account, remote unlock, start, and vehicle location commands can still come from the old account after ownership transfers. If something goes wrong, the customer will turn to the seller first.
Chile adds another layer. The Civil Registry currently maintains two registers: the Motor Vehicle Register and the personal database register required by Article 22 of the current law. The transitional provisions of Ley 21.719 require the latter to be transferred to the new Data Protection Agency sixty days before the new law takes effect. Checking the responsible data entity during the same week as the handover will reduce later rework.
What each permission actually covers
Article 4 of the current consolidated text requires the individual's express consent to be kept in writing. The same article also requires the storage purpose to be explained to that person. If the test drive form states that consent covers scheduling the drive and follow-up contact, using it to enable remote controls after delivery goes beyond the originally disclosed scope.
Enable features separately. List remote unlock, start, climate control, location, and trip queries as individual items, and have the customer confirm each one against the checklist. Record the consenting person, feature scope, and date on separate lines. Some administrator changes require the manufacturer's backend. Schedule them according to the effective time stated on the page instead of waiting until pickup day to submit them.
Also document the phone number linked to the primary account and any authorized devices that have been added. Capture the device list before and after handover so the record shows when old devices were removed and new ones took over.
Current rules for clearing data
Location, trips, and frequently used addresses in connected vehicle accounts can be linked to specific people and qualify as personal data under the current framework. Article 6 of the consolidated Ley 19.628 text is direct: stored data must be deleted or canceled when its legal basis no longer exists or its retention period expires, and inaccurate data must be corrected. Keep separate results for all three steps: closing the old account, clearing cloud location history, and restoring the infotainment system to factory settings.
An official route also exists for customers exercising their rights. Under Article 12 onward of the current text, individuals may ask the person responsible for a public or private database about data relating to them. The new law organizes these rights as ARCO: access, rectification, deletion, and opposition. The CPLT data protection page provides official explanations and application forms. Refer to that page for the scope of requests accepted during the transition.
Handover form and official dispute channels
| Check Row | Chilean Reference Point | Handover Action | Completion Indicator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered owner | Civil Registry transfer receipt, using the RUT as the reference | Complete on the ownership transfer date | Receipt number entered on the handover form |
| Primary app account | Manufacturer's account center; use the menus specified in the vehicle manual | Unlink the previous holder; the new owner registers and links the vehicle using their own details | Account display name matches the registered owner |
| Remote features | Compare the app permission page with each delivery checklist item | Enable unlock, start, location, and other features individually | Test each feature once and record the time |
| Authorized devices and data | Deletion obligation under Article 6 of the current text | Remove old devices, clear location and trip data, and document the data's disposition | Before-and-after screenshots attached to the form |
| Disputes and complaints | SERNAC consumer channel; Data Protection Agency after the new law takes effect | Disable the disputed feature first, then supplement the evidence | Official acknowledgment archived |
Features, configurations, or delivery promises that do not match the agreement are consumer matters and can be raised through the official SERNAC website. Ley 21.719 also amended the consumer protection law as part of the same legislative package. During the transition, data disputes follow judicial channels; after the law takes effect, the Data Protection Agency will handle them.
The handover form needs only four closing lines: which vehicle, using both registry and app identifiers; the ownership transfer date; who changed the account holder; and which remote features passed actual testing. For discrepancies between materials and the actual vehicle, apply the approach on the Starvia purchasing FAQ page to this vehicle's form.
FAQ
How should you answer a Chilean customer who asks whether the previous owner's phone can still unlock the vehicle?
It must not be able to. Ownership transfer changes only the registry; the infotainment account does not automatically change owners. Unlink and close the old account in the manufacturer's account center. The new owner must register again with their own phone number, link the vehicle, and authorize each feature. Completion requires a screenshot showing the old device's removal and a successful unlock test from the new account. The transfer receipt cannot replace this step.
Can consent to remote location tracking given during a test drive be carried over after delivery?
No. The test drive form covers scheduling and follow-up contact, not long-term remote services after delivery. At delivery, review remote unlock, start, climate control, location, and trips individually. Record the consenting person, feature scope, and date on separate lines, and obtain additional written consent for uses beyond the original scope.
Has Chile's new data protection law taken effect, and which version should dealers follow?
Ley 21.719 has been enacted but is not yet effective. It states that its amendments take effect on the first day of the twenty-fourth month after publication in the Official Gazette. The review date still falls within the transition. Follow the current consolidated Ley 19.628 text and do not change procedures early based on rumors about the new law. The current Official Gazette content governs the effective date and procedures.
What should a dealer do when a customer requests deletion of trip and location history from the vehicle?
Follow the processor's deletion obligation under Article 6 of the current text. Perform the factory reset, account closure, and cloud deletion individually, keeping a screenshot for each and recording the data's disposition and processing date. Handle personal access and processing requests under Article 12 onward. Use the ARCO channel after the new law takes effect.
For remote permission handover on a Chilean order, submit vehicle and order identifiers, the transfer receipt, and account screenshots through the Starvia contact page or WhatsApp, then confirm available vehicle sourcing and export documents item by item.
References: current consolidated Ley 19.628 text (BCN LeyChile), official Ley 21.719 text page (BCN LeyChile), CPLT data protection page, official SERNAC website, and Civil Registry website. This article provides handover recordkeeping methods for Chilean orders. It does not constitute local legal, tax, customs clearance, or technical conclusions, nor does it guarantee market access, delivery times, warranty coverage, selling prices, or business results. The new law's effective date and procedures are subject to current publications from the Official Gazette and competent authorities. Sources checked on 2026-09-07.