What are the Philippine government agencies that you need to register with when starting a

business?

Remember that it is important to register your business to avoid any legal problems once
business operations start. Furthermore, it’s common practice for competitors to check on you if
you have all the necessary registrations completed because if not, this will be an opportunity for
them to disrupt and delay your operations by notifying the proper authorities.

Below are the government agencies that you have to contact in order to give your business a
legal personality.

Depending on the structure of your business, your first step is to get a certificate of registration
for your business name in one of these agencies:

 Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – for single proprietorship

 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – for partnerships or corporations
 Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) – for cooperatives

After getting your certificate of registration, you will need to visit the following offices:

 Homeowners Association – for businesses inside villages and subdivisions, you need to
get a homeowner’s clearance
 Barangay Hall – secure a barangay clearance to operate your business
 Local Government Unit (LGU) – visit the municipality or city hall office and process
your business permit
 Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) – apply for a business taxpayer identification
number (TIN), register your books of accounts, point-of-sales (POS) machines and
receipts

At this point, you may now legally start your business operations, but you’ll need to then register
your employees (which may include yourself) to the following agencies:

 Social Security System (SSS) – secure an SSS number for yourself and your employees
 Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) – for businesses with five workers or
more, register your business with DOLE
 Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) – as required by RA 7742, SSS members
earning at least P4,000 a month must be registered with HDMF. This agency administers
the Pag-Ibig Fund.
 Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) – all employers of are required to
register their employees to this agency as stated in the New National Health Insurance
Act (RA 7875 / RA 9241). PhilHealth manages and administers the government health
care system.
Furthermore, there are certain businesses that are required to secure a special clearance, permit or
license from selected government agencies. Check if your business falls under any of the
categories below and note the document that you need to secure and where to get it.

 Animals, animal products, animal facilities, veterinary drugs: registration certificate from
the Bureau of Animal Industry
 Aquatic animals, importation, fishpond lease agreement: permit from the Bureau of
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR)
 Fertilizer products, pesticide products: registration certificate from the Fertilizer and
Pesticide Authority (DA-FPA)
 Fiber, fiber products processing and trading: registration certificate and commodity
clearance from the Fiber Development Authority (DA-FIDA)
 Film and television production and distribution: registration certificate from the Movie &
Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB)
 Firearms, ammunition and explosives: permit from the Firearms and Explosives Division
of the Philippine National Police (FED-PNP)
 Food, chemicals, health related business: registration certificate from the Bureau of Food
and Drugs, Department of Health (DoH-BFAD)
 Flour, corn and grains related business: operations and license from the National Food
Authority (DA-NFA)
 Pawnshop, lending and finance related businesses: registration certificate from the
Central Bank of the Philippines, Department of Finance (DoF-BSP)
 Plants and plant products: nursery accreditation, registration, seed and phytosanitary
certificates from the Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI)
 Recruitment or placement agency for foreign employment: registration certificate from
the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Department of Labor (DOLE-
POEA)
 Recruitment or placement agency for local employment: registration certificate from the
Bureau of Local Employment (DOLE-BLE)
 Schools, technical-vocational and other educational institutions: registration,
accreditation and permits from the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on
Higher Education (CHEd) or from the Technical Education Skills Development
Authority (DOLE-TESDA)
  Security agency business: permit from the Philippine National Police, Department of
Interior & Local Government (DILG-PNP)
 Meat plant and slaughterhouse operations: accreditation and registration certificate from
the National Meat Inspection Commission (DA-NMIC)
 Mining, quarrying, logging, waste management and related businesses: permit from the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
 Motor vehicles, automotive & heavy equipment, engineering, electronics, electrical,
office & data equipments, medical & industrial equipment, appliances & devices:
accreditation license from the Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection
(DTI-BTRCP)
 Real estate projects: register with the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLRUB)
 Sugar, muscovado, sugar-based products and related businesses: registration certificate
from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (DA-SRA)
 Telecom business: license from the National Telecommunication Commission,
Department of Transportation & Communication (DOTC-NTC)
 Tourism-related projects: registration and accreditation certificate from the Department
of Tourism (DOT)
 Transportation: permits from the Land Transport Franchise & Regulatory Board (DOTC-
LTFRB) or Maritime Industry Authority (DOTC-MARINA)
 Video production, sales and rental: accreditation from the Optical Media Board, Office of
the President (OPOMB)

There may be other special registrations needed for other businesses that were not mentioned
above. It’s best to ask the Department of Trade and Industry for any specific inquiries regarding
this matter.

Registering your business legally in the Philippines is not a difficult task. It may seem confusing
at first but there are always help desks and assistance available in these agencies in case you get
lost in the process.