To register a company in the Philippines, entrepreneurs submit a set of documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Our team can assist with company registration in the Philippines, including the preparation of the mandatory documents and the post-registration phases. Read below to find out more about the incorporation requirements and how we can help you.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Trade Register’s full/official name | The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) |
| Services offered by our team for registrations with this authority | Our local agents offer complete assistance for new company registration with the SEC, and for the subsequent mandatory registrations. |
| Main role of the SEC | To register new companies, partnerships, sole traders, and to provide the licensing for various types of business activities in the Philippines, among others. |
| Organizational chart | The SEC includes regional offices, internal departments, the office of the commissioners, and the office of the chairperson. |
| Laws observed by and implemented by the SEC | The Corporation Codes, the Anti-Money Laundering Act, other memorandums and laws. |
| Legal entities registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission | The main business forms include companies, partnerships, sole traders. |
| Public services offered by the SEC | Facilitate access to information, company registration, public company registry searches through its dedicated (separate) platform. |
| Compliance insurance | Via its officers and departments |
| Modifications | Any changes to a SEC-registered company are communicated. |
| Modification notification | Documents highlighting the change (in capital, ownership, structure, office, etc.) must be submitted to the authorities. |
| Renewals | As required by law |
| Company names | Via the business name registration system. |
| Company name changes | If a new name is available for use, following the name search and reservation procedure. |
| Company deregistration | By starting the dissolution process and submitting the documents to the SEC (and other concerned authorities)/ |
| Philippines SEC fees – examples | Can include a PHP 100 fee for name verifications and reservations (for 30 days), PHP 2,500 listing fees, PHP 100 for a copy of the company’s articles of incorporation, etc. |
Table of Contents
Business registration requirements in the Philippines
All legal entities in the Philippines are registered with the authorities. The following types of companies are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission by following the regular procedure.
- Partnerships;
- Corporations;
- Branches of foreign companies.
For the purpose of covered company types, the SEC distinguishes between:
- Stock corporations: lending and financing companies;
- Non-stock corporations;
- Partnerships: general, professional, and limited;
- Foreign stock or non-stock corporations.
Complete assistance for registration according to business form is offered by our local team of business registration specialists.
Searches related to existing companies in the Philippines are performed using the Business Databank, which is a separate service.
Our agents can help you with more information on subsequent company registrations, such as the one performed with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for the purpose of company taxation.
Information required for company registration in the Philippines
To register a business in the Philippines, the founders submit certain documents, as required by law. For corporations and other business forms, the applicants fill in a special form and submit supporting documents.
As part of the business registration process, the founder(s) will also select a company name. The chosen and approved name will be stated in the registration documents, and a prior verification must be performed beforehand. A company name verification also takes place as part of the submission process, however, in order to ensure that the application is approved, we recommend reserving the company name.
The company details offered during business registration in the Philippines include:
- The name of the company (pre-approved, as recommended above);
- The purpose of the company (one mandatory primary purpose and one secondary purpose);
- The main office address (must be in the Philippines);
- The official company contact details.
The SEC, through its services for companies, handles the following:
- The registration process for corporations and partnerships;
- Subsequent changes brought to existing companies. Our team can give you more details about how these are recorded.
The Securities and Exchange Commission imposes certain fees for the actions performed within its offices (including those for company registration). Our team can give you more information about the registration fees and the requirements to authenticate certain documents for company registration in the Philippines.
Assistance for pre- and post-incorporation steps
Our team offers complete guidance throughout all the relevant pre- and post-company formation steps. This means that one of our agents can help with the initial business name search (performed through a separate portal), and we can also assist with the post-registration special permit and license applications.
Our team can also answer questions about:
- The PHP 30 documentary stamp tax payment is required when submitting the documents for tax registration, which takes place after business registration in the Philippines;
- Subsequent tax obligations, namely the corporate income tax rate of 20% or 25%;
- The taxation of branches, which are subject to another 15% tax on the after-tax profits that are remitted to the foreign tax office.
Contact us for more information on the obligations for company registration in the Philippines, regardless of the chosen business form.