Chile has imposed stricter health requirements for the temporary export and return of equines, as well as for their definitive import, aligning with WOAH standards and eliminating entry pathways for seropositive equine arteritis virus cases.
Chile’s agriculture ministry has tightened health rules for horses and other equines entering the country, closing a route for animals infected with equine arteritis virus and bringing temporary exports back under the same controls as permanent imports.
The new requirements, published in the official gazette on 25 February 2026, cover every horse, donkey and mule that leaves Chile for competitions or events and returns within 90 days. Beyond that window, returning animals must meet the full import regime, including post-entry quarantine and testing for eleven diseases. The delivered cost of compliance falls on the owner or importer; the state pays only for the surveillance network that enforces the rules.
The 90-day window and the diseases it closes
The measure sets a 90-day limit on temporary exports1. Any equine that stays abroad longer must re-enter under the definitive-import rules, which include a 30-day quarantine and serological tests for equine infectious anaemia, equine arteritis virus, and nine other pathogens listed in the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Terrestrial Code1. The old regime allowed seropositive animals to return if they showed no clinical signs; the new one bars them outright, eliminating a pathway for subclinical carriers of equine arteritis virus.
The hard edges of the new regime
It comes after Chile confirmed its first case of equine infectious anaemia (EIA) in the Atacama region in early 2025 and declared a national zoosanitary emergency2. Since then, the agriculture ministry’s animal-health agency, SAG, has detected 17 positive cases in Ñuble alone and sampled 672 farms across the country3. The emergency declaration unlocked additional funding for 12 rapid-response teams in the Biobío region, where the disease has spread fastest4.
What a returning horse must carry
Every shipment must be accompanied by a veterinary health certificate issued by the host country’s competent authority, written in Spanish and in the local language1. The certificate must list the animal’s microchip number, the purpose of the trip, and any vaccinations or treatments administered during the event. On arrival, the horse is trucked directly to its home farm, where it enters a post-entry quarantine period during which SAG veterinarians run the WOAH-recommended tests1. The owner pays for the tests, the transport and the quarantine facilities; the state covers only the laboratory work and the farm inspections.
The paperwork on every returning horse
The microchip must comply with ISO 11784 and be readable with an ISO 11785 device1. If the animal was vaccinated against equine influenza or rhinopneumonitis before departure, the certificate must record the vaccine’s brand, batch number and date of administration1. Any treatment given during the event must be documented in the same way, and the drugs must be administered in conditions that prevent disease transmission.
Frozen semen: a parallel tightening
Chile has also updated the rules for frozen horse semen, revoking a 1994 resolution and replacing it with a new one that took effect on 15 March 20265. The new requirements demand that the collection centre be officially approved by both the exporting country and SAG, and that it operate under the direct supervision of a resident veterinarian5. Semen must be stored for at least 30 days after collection in a dedicated, sealed container that has never held non-compliant material5. On arrival, SAG may run additional tests at the importer’s expense.
From collection to border
The semen itself must be diluted with pathogen-free extenders and antibiotics, and every straw must carry the donor’s microchip number and the zoosanitary certificate number5. Donors that test seropositive for equine herpesvirus type 1 must undergo two seroneutralisation tests 14 days apart; the second titre may not exceed four times the first5. If the exporting country is recognised by WOAH as free of any of the listed diseases, the corresponding test is waived.
Traceability deadlines and who must comply
SAG has extended the deadline for domestic equine traceability to 25 February 2028, giving smallholders and non-commercial owners an extra 18 months to microchip their animals and register them in the national database6. The obligation already applies to sport and breeding horses; those owners had until 25 August 2026 to comply6. Every movement between farms must now be recorded on a Movement Animal Form, which the owner must present to SAG inspectors on request4.
Who must microchip, and by when
| Deadline | Who it catches | What falls due |
|---|---|---|
| 25 August 2026 | Sport and breeding horses | Microchipping and national database registration |
| 25 February 2028 | Smallholders and non-commercial owners | Microchipping and registration, 18-month extension |
The traceability rules sit alongside the emergency measures triggered by the EIA outbreak. Farms that report clinical signs—fever, swelling, or anaemia—are placed under total quarantine, and infected animals are culled4. Owners are forbidden to share needles, bits, or grooming tools between animals, and must disinfect all equipment before use on another horse2. SAG has also stepped up inspections at high-risk sites: farms that send animals to summer pastures in the Andes, and venues that host equestrian events4.
What the new rules leave unchanged
The measure does not alter the existing ban on live equine imports from countries that are not recognised by WOAH as free of African horse sickness or dourine. It also leaves intact the requirement that every imported horse be accompanied by a WOAH-compliant health certificate and enter through one of Chile’s six designated border inspection posts.
The new rules take effect on 25 August 2026, six months after publication1. Until then, the 2020 resolution remains in force, giving importers and event organisers a six-month transition period. After that date, any horse that leaves Chile for more than 90 days and returns without meeting the definitive-import requirements will be refused entry, and any frozen semen shipment that lacks the new documentation will be destroyed at the border.
Sources
- ↩ Sanitary Conditions for the Return of Equids to Chile https://www.sag.gob.cl/sites/default/files/BORRADOR-RES.-EQUINOS-RETORNO-VB-juridica.pdf
- ↩ SAG boosts horse surveillance after confirming first EIA case https://www.sag.gob.cl/noticias/sag-aumenta-vigilancia-en-caballos-tras-confirmar-primer-caso-de-anemia-infecciosa-equina-en-la-region-de-atacama
- ↩ Ñuble highlights advances in equine infectious anemia control and traceability https://www.sag.gob.cl/noticias/nuble-destaco-avances-en-control-de-anemia-infecciosa-equina-y-avanza-en-trazabilidad-del-rubro
- ↩ SAG Biobío strengthens veterinary surveillance in equines https://www.sag.gob.cl/noticias/sag-biobio-intensifica-vigilancia-sanitaria-en-equinos
- ↩ Sanitary Requirements for the Import of Frozen Horse Semen to Chile https://www.sag.gob.cl/sites/default/files/res_4212-2013_semen_equino.pdf
- ↩ SAG updates equine traceability regulations https://www.sag.gob.cl/noticias/sag-actualiza-normativa-sobre-trazabilidad-de-equinos-mulares-y-asnales