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57 legal articles
A foreign corporation licensed to do business in the Philippines must appoint a resident agent. Section 145 of the Revised Corporation Code (Republic Act No. 11232) imposes the duty, and...
Start with one question: will the Philippine office invoice anyone outside your corporate group? If it will, a Regional Operating Headquarters (ROHQ) is the wrong vehicle. You need a branch...
Short answer: To open a branch, a foreign corporation needs a license to do business from the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). After the license is issued, the branch...
Get medical care first, then get the crash documented. If it is safe, record the scene and ask the police to prepare a report. Prompt medical and police records help...
Incorporation is not a license. SEC registration creates your company. Whether you may lawfully run a payment, e-money or virtual-asset business depends on the activity, and that usually means a...
Short answer: An online order with an FOB or FCA value of PHP 10,000 or less generally enters the Philippines free of customs duty and import VAT, although a customs...
Choose your structure first. A Philippine subsidiary is a domestic corporation and needs a corporate secretary who is a Filipino citizen and resident. A licensed branch appoints a resident agent...
A Philippine company can be 100% foreign-owned in many sectors. The activity must not be reserved on the Foreign Investment Negative List, and domestic-market enterprises must generally meet a US$200,000...
Philippine family law is mainly governed by the Family Code and generally does not allow divorce for non-Muslim couples, so spouses usually file for declaration of nullity, annulment, or legal...
A foreign divorce has no automatic effect on Philippine civil records. To be treated as free to remarry under Philippine law, the Filipino spouse generally needs a Philippine court to...
Section 4 of Executive Order No. 1008 gives the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC) original and exclusive jurisdiction over disputes connected with construction contracts in the Philippines, provided the parties...
The main law on employment in the Philippines is the Labor Code, as amended by later statutes such as the Batas Kasambahay, the OSH Law, and the Anti-Age Discrimination Law,...
Always verify the title with the Registry of Deeds and check for liens, disputes, and unpaid taxes before paying any substantial amount. Foreigners generally cannot own land in the Philippines...
Strict Timelines: In the Philippines, you generally have 30 calendar days to file a formal "Answer" after receiving a summons; failing to do so can result in a default judgment...
Choosing between PEZA and BOI depends on your location strategy; PEZA requires operating within designated ecozones, while BOI allows for more geographical flexibility. Export-oriented IT-BPM firms (exporting 60% or more...
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in the Philippines are governed by the Civil Code and specific statutes like the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Service credits are the primary remedy for...
The CREATE Act reduced the standard Corporate Income Tax (CIT) for foreign-owned corporations from 30% to 25%, making the Philippines more competitive within the ASEAN region. Incentives are performance-based and...
GIS: Due within 30 calendar days of the anniversary of your SEC license. The Resident Agent signs the certification page, and the form must be notarized. Amended GIS: Due within...
Explicit IP Transfer is Mandatory: Under Philippine law, intellectual property rights do not automatically transfer to the client in all "work-for-hire" scenarios; the contract must contain express assignment language. DPA...
Managing Labor Inspections for BPO Companies in the Philippines The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) conducts unannounced inspections to verify compliance with General Labor Standards and Occupational Safety and...