Starting a local business, investing from overseas or extending an existing group? The right route depends on what the business will do, who will own it and where it will operate. We help you settle those questions before documents, premises or capital are committed.
We do not start by selling a company type. We start with the commercial facts. A neighbourhood business, a solo consultant, a foreign-owned operating company and an overseas parent opening a Philippine office do not belong in the same filing route.
A simple owner-operated business may begin with DTI business name registration. The owner and the business are not separate legal persons, so personal liability is part of the decision. A foreign applicant must also meet the applicable authority requirements.
An OPC can suit an eligible single owner who wants a corporation and limited liability. It still needs the required officers, nominee arrangements, records and annual compliance.
This is the usual operating vehicle for co-founders, investors or a parent company creating a Philippine subsidiary. Ownership limits must be checked against the actual activity.
An overseas company may apply for a Philippine license instead of forming a new subsidiary. Whether it will earn local revenue is the first dividing line between these routes.
A practical starting point: tell us what you will sell, who your customers are, the nationalities of the owners, whether there is an existing overseas parent and which city you expect to operate from. Those five facts usually remove several unsuitable routes immediately.
The honest answer is: often, but not automatically. Philippine law permits full foreign ownership in many activities. Restrictions remain where the Constitution, a sector law or the Foreign Investment Negative List reserves all or part of an activity to Philippine nationals.
Capital is a separate test. Under the amended Foreign Investments Act, certain micro and small domestic-market enterprises below the stated paid-in equity threshold are reserved to Philippine nationals, subject to specific exceptions. The correct figure cannot be decided from the company name alone.
Check Your Proposed ActivityImportant: an OPC reduces the number of stockholders. It does not cancel foreign-ownership limits, minimum-capital rules or licensing requirements. PEZA or BOI incentives are also separate applications, not automatic features of incorporation.
The best structure is the one that matches ownership, liability, local revenue, tax treatment and future plans. “Easiest to register” is not always “easiest to operate.”
Owned by one individual. It is straightforward for a small owner-run venture, but it does not create a separate corporate shield between the business and the proprietor. A foreign proprietor must also qualify under the applicable foreign-investment rules.
A Philippine corporation with one stockholder, who is also the sole director and president. It can provide limited liability, but the owner must keep corporate property and records genuinely separate.
A locally incorporated company with two or more incorporators. It suits operating businesses, joint ventures and foreign groups that want a Philippine subsidiary with its own legal personality.
An extension of an existing foreign corporation rather than a separate subsidiary. It may carry on income-generating business within the scope of its Philippine license and remains linked to the parent.
| Route | May earn local revenue? | Point to settle first |
|---|---|---|
| Sole Proprietorship | Yes | Owner eligibility and personal liability |
| OPC | Yes | Single-owner eligibility and business activity |
| Domestic Corporation | Yes | Shareholding, capitalization and governance |
| Branch Office | Yes, within its license | Parent liability, remittance and resident agent |
| Representative Office | No local income | Permitted liaison and support activities |
A clean application starts before the portal. Names, business purposes, addresses, ownership figures and signed documents should tell the same story. Most avoidable delays come from inconsistencies between them.
The president must be a director, the treasurer must be a Philippine resident, and the corporate secretary must be both a Philippine citizen and resident. We confirm who will genuinely hold each role before the filing is drafted.
A branch or representative office normally needs authenticated parent-company records, a board authorization and a Philippine resident agent. The required remittance and permitted activities differ between the two.
The Certificate of Incorporation is an important milestone, not the finish line. We sequence the work so that the registered purpose, lease, local permit, tax record and banking file do not contradict one another.
Check the proposed purpose, ownership limits, capital position and sector approvals before reserving a name.
Reserve the name, prepare the correct instruments and submit through the applicable DTI or SEC system.
Apply for the relevant barangay clearance, city or municipal business permit, and premises-related clearances.
Complete BIR registration and invoicing requirements, then arrange SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG registrations when the business will employ staff.
Build the bank KYC file, accounting calendar, corporate records and internal approvals needed to begin trading responsibly.
How long should you allow? SEC states that regular eSPARC applicants are advised of review status within seven working days after submission. That is not the same as being ready to trade. Document corrections, overseas authentication, LGU requirements, tax registration and sector licenses can extend the full setup to several weeks. We give a staged timeline after the activity and city are known.
A single advertised price is rarely useful unless it states what is included. Government assessments, ownership, capital, city, premises, foreign documents and regulated activities all affect the budget.
DTI, SEC and other agency assessments
Notary, apostille, courier and certification
Address, lease and LGU requirements
Bookkeeping, tax, payroll and SEC filings
DTI currently publishes fees based on territorial scope: PHP 200 for barangay, PHP 500 for city or municipality, PHP 1,000 for regional and PHP 2,000 for national scope, plus PHP 30 documentary stamp tax. These are business-name fees only; permits and tax registration are separate.
SEC registration fees are assessed using the entity and filing particulars. Branch and representative-office fees and remittance requirements follow separate rules. We quote government charges separately from professional work so you can see what is fixed, assessed and optional.
These are starting prices for HSJGlobal’s professional work, not an all-inclusive estimate of the cost of opening and operating a Philippine business. We confirm the entity, ownership, activity and filing scope before issuing a written quotation.
Professional fee from
For a founder who wants a documented recommendation before committing to a structure, lease or capital plan.
The initial scope conversation remains free.
Professional fee from
For a straightforward OPC or domestic corporation after the activity, ownership and capital position have been confirmed.
Professional fee from
For a foreign-owned operating business or overseas parent comparing a subsidiary, branch or representative office.
Pricing basis: Prices shown are HSJGlobal professional service fees starting from the stated amount. Government filing fees, taxes, notarisation or apostille, courier, registered address, LGU and BIR registration, sector licences, banking and ongoing compliance are excluded unless expressly included in the written quotation. Fees are quoted in Singapore dollars; any Philippine peso billing basis will be stated in the quotation.
A company that misses its first compliance duties can accumulate penalties before it has meaningful revenue. We set up the operating calendar while the registration work is still fresh.
Confirm tax types, books, invoicing requirements and filing channels before issuing the first customer invoice.
Keep records from day one and map monthly, quarterly and annual obligations to the company’s actual transactions.
Set up employer registrations, payroll controls and employment documentation before the first local hire starts work.
Maintain minutes, share records, beneficial ownership information and the calendar for GIS, financial statements and other filings.
These are not package names. They are the conversations we commonly have before a sensible route becomes clear.
A founder may arrive asking for an OPC, while the facts point to a sole proprietorship or a multi-owner corporation. An overseas group may ask for a branch when a subsidiary better separates risk—or a representative office when no Philippine revenue will be earned.
We would rather change the proposed structure during a conversation than discover the mismatch at the bank, city hall or first tax filing.
If a structure is recommended before anyone asks about your customers, owners and actual activities, the recommendation is premature.
We compare personal liability, ownership plans, customer requirements, tax administration and hiring—not just the difference between a DTI and SEC filing fee.
We first test the activity and capital position, then work through stockholding, officers, address, authenticated documents, permits and bank readiness.
We compare a subsidiary, branch and representative office against local revenue, parent exposure, tax, funding, employment and long-term expansion plans.
Registration systems, fees and agency procedures change. We reviewed this page on 2 September 2026 and link below to the government pages we use as the first reference point.
Company registration routes for OPCs, domestic corporations, partnerships and foreign corporations.
Business name rules, scope, published fees and guidance for sole proprietorship registration.
Taxpayer registration requirements, online services, invoicing rules and current revenue issuances.
The government one-stop portal connecting business registration information and participating agencies.
Foreign investment policy and the starting point for investment incentives and priority activities.
The statutory basis for incorporators, officers, OPCs, corporate records and foreign-corporation licensing.
This page is general business information, not a substitute for legal, tax or investment advice on a specific transaction. Final requirements should be confirmed against the proposed activity and the current agency assessment.
Short answers first. If your activity is regulated or the ownership is cross-border, the details should be checked before you rely on a general rule.
In many activities, yes, but not in every activity. The proposed business must be checked against the Constitution, sector-specific laws and the current Foreign Investment Negative List. Foreign-capital rules may also apply to a domestic-market enterprise even when 100% ownership is permitted.
DTI business name registration is generally the route for a sole proprietorship. The SEC registers corporations and partnerships and issues licenses to qualifying foreign corporations. The right agency therefore follows the legal structure, not simply the business name.
It can be a practical route when one eligible natural person, trust or estate will own the shares and limited liability is important. An OPC still has officer, nominee, record-keeping and reporting duties, and it does not override foreign ownership or capital rules that apply to the business activity.
There is no useful single figure for every company. The Revised Corporation Code removed a general minimum for many corporations, but special laws, regulated activities, foreign ownership, domestic-market rules and the chosen entity can create specific capital or remittance requirements.
Timing depends on the entity, name and purpose approval, document authentication, ownership review, city, premises and sector licenses. SEC states that applicants using regular eSPARC processing are advised of review status within seven working days, but becoming ready to operate also requires the relevant local permits and tax registration.
Many preparation and filing steps can be handled online or through an authorized representative. The exact signing, notarization, apostille or authentication requirements depend on who signs and where the documents originate. Banking and some regulated approvals may still require direct identity checks or attendance.
Not usually. DTI or SEC registration establishes the name or entity, but the business generally still needs the applicable barangay and city or municipal permits, BIR registration and any sector-specific licenses before carrying on the relevant activity.
No. Each bank makes its own risk and KYC decision. A complete corporate file, clear beneficial ownership, credible source of funds, an understandable business model and suitable signatory arrangements improve readiness, but no incorporation provider can guarantee approval.
Tell us what support you need, from company setup and banking to accounting, tax and ongoing compliance.