Before you start

A valid Chilean cédula de identidad — the process cannot start on a passport
A certificado de residencia showing you live in the Valparaíso comuna
Proof of at least eight years of completed schooling, apostilled and translated
The municipal fee, typically in the CLP 20,000–40,000 range depending on comuna

Step-by-step

1
Check whether your country is one of the six
Spain, South Korea, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Paraguay have exchange agreements. Everyone else — the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany — starts from scratch with four exams regardless of driving history. This is a much shorter list than most countries maintain and it is worth checking before you plan anything.
OnlineWho: You
2
Apply at the Valparaíso comuna's Dirección de Tránsito, not Viña's
You must apply in the comuna where you actually live, evidenced by a certificado de residencia from your junta de vecinos or the municipality. Gran Valparaíso is several separate comunas and it is easy to end up at the wrong counter — Viña del Mar, Quilpué and Villa Alemana each run their own.
In personWho: You
3
Start the schooling certificate early — it is the usual delay
Chile requires proof of eight years of completed basic education. Getting foreign school records apostilled and officially translated regularly takes longer than everything else combined, and nobody warns arrivals about it because Chileans simply have the document.
In personWho: YouStart months ahead
4
Sit the medical and psychotechnical exams
Vision, hearing, reflexes and coordination, administered at the municipality. These precede the theory and practical tests and all four must be passed for the Clase B licence.
In personWho: You
5
Pass theory and practical, in Spanish
Both are conducted in Spanish and there is no English option. Budget for preparation, and consider a lesson or two with a local school if only to learn the specific manoeuvres and the local conventions the examiner is looking for.
In personWho: YouCLP 20,000–40,000 depending on comuna
6
Decide seriously whether you need a car at all
The Merval commuter rail runs Puerto to Limache through Viña del Mar, buses climb the cerros constantly, and the plan is walkable end to end. Between the gradients, the one-way maze on the hills and the parking, many residents here do not own a car and hire one for the interior instead.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Chilean cédula de identidad
Certificado de residencia for the Valparaíso comuna
Proof of eight years' schooling, apostilled and translated
Foreign licence, if you are from one of the six exchange countries
Municipal fee payment

Things most newcomers don’t know

Your comuna is your licensing authority, and Gran Valparaíso is several comunas.

Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Concón, Quilpué and Villa Alemana are separate municipalities that run in one continuous urban area, and each has its own Dirección de Tránsito, its own fee, its own appointment queue and its own discretion to ask for extra documents. You must use the one you actually live in, evidenced by a certificado de residencia. People routinely go to the wrong counter because the cities feel like one place.

Source: Municipal licensing practice; Chilean licensing is comunal

Only six countries can exchange, which is a much shorter list than almost anywhere else.

Spain, South Korea, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Paraguay. Nationals of everywhere else sit four exams — medical, psychotechnical, theory and practical — in Spanish, no matter how long they have been driving. This is a substantially heavier lift than in most countries and it is worth planning around from the moment you arrive rather than discovering it when you need to drive.

Source: Subsecretaría de Transportes — exchange and recognition agreements

The schooling certificate stops more applications than the driving test does.

Proving eight years of completed education sounds trivial until you have to get school records from another country apostilled and officially translated into Spanish. It regularly takes months, it has to be started from abroad or through a consulate, and it is the single most common reason a licence application stalls here. Request the documents before you leave, not after you arrive.

Source: Municipal Dirección de Tránsito requirements

This is a genuinely hard city to drive in, and the clutch is what pays for it.

The cerros are climbed by narrow one-way streets at gradients that would be a stairway elsewhere, with blind corners, parked cars on both sides and buses coming the other way. Manual transmissions are the norm in Chile and a car that has spent its life in Valparaíso has had a much harder time than the odometer suggests. If you buy used here, have the clutch and brakes inspected specifically; if you are hiring, take the automatic.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Applying at Viña del Mar's Dirección de Tránsito when you live in the Valparaíso comuna.
Assuming a straight exchange when only six countries have one.
Not starting the apostille and translation of school records months ahead.
Underestimating that the theory and practical exams are conducted entirely in Spanish.
Buying a used car here without inspecting the clutch and brakes for hill wear.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.