Private security: interpretation of the regulation and deadline to certify human resources are established

The Undersecretariat for Crime Prevention established the interpretation of articles 49, 50, 51, 92, 97, and 101 of the Private Security Regulations and issued a general instruction regarding the deadline for attaching the lists and payrolls that certify human and training resources, as well as for signing insurance contracts. This was done through exempt resolution No. 3,493, dated September 9, 2026, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,553, on Thursday, September 17, 2026, Section I, pages 1 to 5 (CVE 2871861). The act bears the signature of the Undersecretary for Crime Prevention, Gonzalo Guerrero Valle.

The regulatory framework being interpreted

The resolution is based on Law No. 21,659, on Private Security, published on March 21, 2024, and on Decree No. 209 of 2024, from the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security, which approves the Private Security Regulations and was published on May 27, 2025. The Undersecretariat for Crime Prevention is the body that authorizes companies in the sector, pursuant to article 34 of the law, and exercises the interpretive function of numeral 1 of article 83 of the same legal body.

The detected problem is one of practical application: a strictly literal reading of articles 49, 51, and 101 would lead to requiring an applicant to hire security personnel prior to having the legal authorization to operate. Therefore, the act distinguishes between a minimum installed capacity required when requesting authorization and the deployment of human and training resources required once the status of a private security company has been obtained.

What is certified when requesting authorization and what comes after

• The human and training resources of article 50 are certified once the interested party already possesses the respective authorization.
• Financial, material, and technical resources must be provided when requesting authorization, as initial installed capacity.
• Article 51 No. 2 is understood to refer to personnel hired prior to the first authorization, whether administrative, private security, or other.
• The list of trainers from article 101 No. 2 is only attached if they are already hired; otherwise, it is not a requirement for authorization.
• Human resources companies fulfill the certification of article 50 by presenting their operating directive under articles 92 and 97.

Fifteen-day deadline and insurance contracts

The general instruction establishes that payrolls or lists of human and training resources must be submitted when the interested party maintains personnel hired under their dependency, either upon submitting the authorization request or, at the latest, fifteen days before the personnel begin their duties. The same rule and timeframe apply to the signing of insurance contracts for the personnel, pursuant to numeral 3 of article 34 of Law No. 21,659 and numeral 3 of article 49 of the regulations.

In the case of companies specializing in human resources for private security services, both obligations are fulfilled by presenting the operating directive of article 92, without prejudice to the fact that each time personnel are assigned to a specific entity, the company must attach the updated list of the locations where those individuals are performing their duties. This interpretation is limited to initial authorization requests: in renewals, the entities already hold the status of a private security company and must prove the necessary human and training resources.

The resolution entered into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette and orders the incorporation of the act into the Undersecretariat’s online section of administrative acts, in compliance with Law No. 20,285 on access to public information.

The impact is direct across the entire sector: companies processing their first authorization will no longer be required to hire personnel before being enabled, while those already authorized and those renewing maintain the requirement to prove human resources, training, and insurance. The fifteen-day period also establishes a unique and verifiable margin for submitting payrolls and policies to the Undersecretariat for Crime Prevention.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,553, Thursday, September 17, 2026, Section I, pp. 1-5 (official reference: CVE 2871861).