Setting up a company in the Philippines —
from site visit to landing, Yixing walks the whole path with you

It depends on the industry. Many industries allow 100% foreign ownership (especially export-oriented ones, and telecom/logistics liberalized in 2022); but industries on the Foreign Investment Negative List, or those serving the local market, may be subject to the 60/40 limit and require a local shareholder. We first check the Negative List against your industry, then give you the most solid ownership plan — a legal structure, not a nominee arrangement.

A Filipino-owned ordinary company can start as low as a few thousand pesos; foreign-owned firms serving the local market usually need US$200,000 in paid-up capital (which can drop to US$100,000 if you employ ≥50 Filipinos or use advanced technology); export-oriented enterprises (≥60% export) are exempt from this threshold; some special economic zones can go as low as about US$50,000. The exact amount depends on what you do and who you sell to — once we talk it through, you'll know.

Extremely dangerous. It runs afoul of the 「Anti-Dummy Law」— both the foreigner who put up the money and the Filipino nominee can face criminal charges, and company assets can be liquidated without compensation; in 2026 the SEC already requires nominee shareholders to prove financial capacity to buy the shares, and the Bureau of Immigration is reviewing five years of 9G visas retroactively, having blacklisted hundreds of foreigners suspected of involvement in shell companies. What we do is a legal, compliant ownership and capital structure, blocking the risk at the door for you.

The standard path is AEP (DOLE Alien Employment Permit) + 9G work visa: the company first sponsors the AEP (including newspaper recruitment publication and a skills-transfer plan), then the 9G. The 9G is tied to the employer and becomes void when you change companies — the process is tedious and error-prone, so hand it to us to process one by one, with renewal reminders before expiry, and save yourself the trouble.

A purely domestic ordinary company takes about 2–4 weeks; a foreign-owned / regulated / branch takes about 4–12 weeks (including SEC approval, capital-remittance certification, Negative List checks, and social-security and municipal permits). On cost, government fees are usually tens of thousands of pesos, plus a professional service fee — the exact quote depends on entity type and complexity, and we give a transparent list up front, with no hidden-fee games.

Two common paths: the SIRV Special Investor's Resident Visa (invest about US$75,000 in a permitted economic activity, bring spouse and minor children, and stay long-term as long as the investment is maintained); or the SRRV retirement resident visa (as of September 2025 relaxed to allow applicants as young as 40, with a deposit of US$25,000–50,000 depending on pension status). Which fits you better becomes clear with an assessment.

Yes, the key is whether you go through PEZA or BOI. Export-oriented / manufacturing / IT-BPO entering a PEZA economic zone can enjoy a 4–7 year income-tax holiday, followed by a 5% special tax on gross profit in place of the 25% regular rate, plus duty-free imports of equipment and raw materials and VAT zero-rating; BOI targets priority industries and doesn't require entering a zone. Incentives vary by project and are at the agency's discretion, so we first calculate which path is most worthwhile, then handle registration and year-by-year compliance — we don't overpromise a 「guaranteed grant.」

To distribute and sell physical goods in the Philippines, you usually first need an FDA business license (LTO), then a product registration (CPR) for each product, or a notification (CPN, e.g., cosmetics/toys) for low-risk categories. No local company yet? No problem — you can use CPR Housing via an agent to run product registration in parallel with company setup; if you just want to test the waters first, you can also use an Importer of Record (IOR) to sell goods in without setting up a company. We help you determine which to file and connect you to the landing process.

Philippine labor law is strict and detailed, with the easiest landmines in contracts, employee handbooks, and social security. We provide an end-to-end service of recruitment screening + compliant employment contracts/employee handbook + SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG registration and remittance; if you just want to hire 1–3 people to test the waters without opening a company yet, you can use an Employer of Record / staff leasing (EOR) to onboard people the same month. The goal is singular: compliant employment, zero labor disputes, and you never have to touch Philippine labor law yourself.