What should a shareholder do in case of loss or damage to a share certificate?

If a shareholder has lost or damaged a share certificate, they must follow a series of procedures to officially report the situation.

In the case of publicly traded corporations, the shareholder must publish a notice in a nationally circulated newspaper, stating that the relevant certificate has been nullified due to loss. This notice must include: the certificate number, the number of shares, and the shareholder’s information.

The following wording is suggested: “Certificate N°( ) for shares of (company name), belonging to (name and ID -RUT- of shareholder), is nullified due to loss”.

The shareholder must then purchase three copies of the newspaper, cut out the page containing the notice, and send it to the Stock Exchanges along with a notification letter. This letter must be sent in duplicate so that the Stock Exchanges can stamp one copy to confirm receipt. Next, the shareholder must submit a letter—signed by them or their legal representative—to DCV Registros S.A., notifying the company of the loss or damage to the certificate. The newspaper notices and the stamped letters from the Stock Exchanges must accompany this letter.

For corporations that are not publicly traded, the process is similar; however, only one publication in a nationally circulated newspaper is required, along with the submission of a letter and the corresponding newspaper copy to DCV Registros S.A.