The Ministry of the Interior () is the cabinet-level office responsible for home affairs in Chile. It is tasked with "maintaining public order, security and social peace" within the country. The ministry is also responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, executing, controlling, and informing the domestic policies formulated by the president of Chile. As the authority in charge of local government, the minister supervises all non-elected regional authorities.
In the absence of the president of Chile (due to travel, death, or other impediment), the minister of the interior assumes the role of 'vice president'. However, this is not a true vice-presidential position but rather a designated acting president role, as the post of Vice President of Chile has not existed since 1833.
Since March 2026, Claudio Alvarado has served as Minister of the Interior, Máximo Pavez as Undersecretary of the Interior, and Sebastián Figueroa as Undersecretary of Regional and Administrative Development.
History During the first days of the independence movements, the senior "secretary" of the respective Junta functioned as the Secretary of Government. The office was officially established on 27 October 1812, when it was one of the two secretariats created by the Constitutional Norms approved on that date. It was initially named the Secretariat of the Interior. It was abolished in 1814 by the Spanish authorities when, after the Battle of Rancagua, they reasserted royal power.
In 1818, after independence, the secretariat was re-established, but this time as the Ministry of Government (1817–18), later renamed the Ministry of the Interior and Foreign Affairs (1829–71). During this period, its functions typically encompassed the future Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was separated as an independent government administration in 1871.
On 1 June 2026, President José Antonio Kast announced a bill to merge the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry Secretary-General of Government into a single entity.
This ministry has undergone several reorganizations throughout its long history, reflected in its various names:
Ministry of Government (1817–18) Ministry of Government and Foreign Affairs (1818–29) Ministry of the Interior and Foreign Affairs (1829–71) Ministry of the Interior (1871–2011; 2025–present) Ministry of the Interior and Public Security (2011–2025)
The role of chief of government was unofficially assumed by the Minister of the Interior and Public Security (1891–1925).
List of ministers
Patria Vieja period Picture Name Entered office Exited office Notes Appointed by José Gaspar Marín Esquivel 18 September 1810 4 July 1811 Served concurrently Government Juntaof the Kingdom of Chile José Gregorio Argomedo Montero Manuel Joaquín de Valdivieso Maciel 10 August 1811 4 September 1811 Second Junta Agustín Vial Santelices 4 September 1811 15 November 1811 Served concurrently Third Junta José Gregorio Argomedo Montero Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza 16 December 1811 2 April 1812 Fifth Junta Agustín Vial Santelices 2 April 1812 2 October 1812 Sixth Junta 27 October 1812 1 April 1813 Secretary of the Interior Manuel de Salas Corbalán 1 April 1813 13 April 1813 Served concurrently Government Juntaof Chile (April 1813) Mariano Egaña Fabres 13 April 1813 9 March 1814 Secretary of Government José María Villareal 14 March 1814 23 July 1814 Secretary of Government Francisco de la Lastra Bernardo de Vera y Pintado 23 July 1814 10 August 1814 Secretary of Government and Finance Government Juntaof Chile (July 1814) Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza 10 August 1814 2 October 1814 Secretary of Government and Finance
Government and foreign affairs Picture Name Entered office Exited office Notes Appointed by Miguel Zañartu y Santa María 18 February 1817 1 August 1818 Bernardo O'Higgins Antonio José de Irisarri Alonso 1 August 1818 30 October 1818 Joaquín Echeverría Larraín 30 October 1818 28 January 1823 Mariano Egaña Fabres 28 January 1823 12 July 1824 Government Junta Francisco Antonio Pinto Díaz 12 July 1824 22 February 1825 Ramón Freire Francisco Ramón Vicuña Larraín 22 February 1825 18 June 1825 Juan de Dios Vial del Río 18 June 1825 9 October 1825 Joaquín Campino Salamanca 9 October 1825 8 March 1826 Ventura Blanco Encalada 8 March 1826 20 October 1826 Manuel José Gandarillas Guzmán 20 October 1826 8 March 1827 Agustín Eyzaguirre José Miguel del Solar Marín 8 March 1827 13 December 1827 Ramón Freire Carlos Rodríguez Erdoyza 13 December 1827 16 July 1829 Francisco Antonio Pinto Melchor José Ramos Font 16 July 1829 9 November 1829 Francisco Ramón Vicuña José Nicolás de la Cerda Santiago Concha 9 November 1829 7 December 1829
Interior and foreign affairs Picture Name Entered office Exited office Notes Appointed by Juan Francisco Meneses Echanes 20 February 1830 5 April 1830 Francisco Ruiz-Tagle Diego Portales Palazuelos 5 April 1830 31 August 1831 Appointed by José Tomás Ovalle Reappointed by Fernando Errázuriz Aldunate Ramón Errázuriz Aldunate 31 August 1831 17 May 1832 José Joaquín Prieto Vial Joaquín Tocornal Jiménez 17 May 1832 9 November 1835 Diego Portales Palazuelos 9 November 1835 6 June 1837 Interim Joaquín Tocornal Jiménez 7 June 1837 25 July 1840 Manuel Montt Torres 25 July 1840 27 March 1841 José Miguel Yrarrázaval Alcalde 27 March 1841 19 May 1841 Ramón Luis Yrarrázaval Alcalde 19 May 1841 10 April 1845 Appointed by Reappointed by Manuel Bulnes Manuel Montt Torres 10 April 1845 18 September 1846 Manuel Camilo Vial Formas 18 September 1846 12 June 1849 José Joaquín Pérez Mascayano 12 June 1849 19 April 1850 Antonio Varas de la Barra 19 April 1850 18 September 1856 Appointed by Reappointed by Manuel Montt Francisco Javier Ovalle Bezanilla 29 September 1857 18 September 1856 Jerónimo Urmeneta García-Abello 29 September 1857 1 May 1860 Antonio Varas de la Barra 1 May 1860 18 September 1861 Manuel Alcalde Velasco 18 September 1861 9 July 1862 José Joaquín Pérez Mascayano Manuel Antonio Tocornal y Grez 9 July 1862 10 May 1864 Alvaro Covarrubias Ortúzar 10 May 1864 8 September 1866 Minister of the Interior 8 September 1866 26 September 1867 Francisco Vargas Fontecilla 26 September 1867 13 November 1868 Miguel Luis Amunátegui Aldunate 13 November 1868 2 August 1870 Belisario Prats Pérez 2 August 1870 18 September 1871 Eulogio Altamirano Aracena 18 September 1871 2 December 1871 Federico Errázuriz Zañartu
Interior