Philippines Business Permits

Immediately after you have received your Certificate of Incorporation or License to
Operate as a Philippines Branch Office or Representative Office from the Philippines SEC the business needs to register with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, obtain Barangay Clearance and Mayor’s permit.

1 – Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)

The BIR will issue your business a Tax payer Identification Number (TIN), an authority to print official receipts and register your accounting books and software.

Documents needed to obtain your BIR registration:

a)   SEC Certificate of Incorporation & Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws/Articles of Partnerships
b)   DTI Registration of business trade name, if applicable
c)   Mayor’s Permit
d)   Franchise agreement, if applicable
e)   Location Map of Business
f)    Lease Contract / Agreement / Certificate
g)   BIR Form1903 (Application Form)
h)   BIR Form 0605 (Payment for Registration Fee)
i)    BIR Form 2000 (payment of Documentary Stamps)

2 – Barangay Clearance

This clearance is obtained from the Barangay where the business/company is situated.

Documents to be presented:

a)    Photocopy of SEC Registration & Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws/Articles of Partnerships
b)   Location Map of Business
c)    Lease Contract / Agreement / Certificate
d)   Clearance Application Form

3 – Mayor’s or Municipal Business Permit

Locational Clearance

The following documents are required in order to secure a locational clearance:

a)    Location Map of Business
b)    Barangay Clearance
c)    Lease Contract / Agreement / Certificate
d)    SEC Certificate of Incorporation & Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws/Articles of Partnerships
e)    Certificate of Occupancy Building/Unit)
f)     Business Permit application form

Mayor’s Permit

The following are the documents required in order to secure a business permit:

a)    SEC Certificate of Incorporation & Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws/Articles of Partnerships
b)    Locational Clearance
c)    Lease Contract / Agreement / Certificate
d)    Barangay Clearance
e)    Liability Insurance

The procedure and order may vary from city to city.

It will be necessary to visit the BIR, Barangay and City Hall more than once to obtain the necessary permits and licenses.

A Barangay, also known by its former Spanish adopted name, the barrio, is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward. Barangays are further subdivided into smaller areas called Puroks (English: Zone). A sitio is a territorial enclave inside a barangay, especially in rural areas. Municipalities and cities are composed of barangays. In place names barangay is sometimes abbreviated as “Brgy.” or “Bgy.”. As of December 31, 2006 there are a total of 41,995 barangays throughout the Philippines.