How to Open a Store in the Philippines: The Process

The order: entity first, then parallel

The entity track goes first — company or sole proprietorship registration, BIR registration. Once that's done, premises/permit and industry clearance can run in parallel; hiring registration starts once you know you're staffing up. Full checklist in what permits a store needs.

Documents and conditions: ownership cap decides the entity

Whether and how you can open depends first on the foreign-ownership cap for retail, which varies by scale and whether import is involved. See how far foreign ownership can go and can a foreigner open a store. Document sets overlap with the business permit checklist, see permit documents and conditions.

The most common stall point

It's usually not missing documents — it's signing a lease before the entity structure is settled. Confirm entity type and ownership share first.

Not sure what entity type or ownership share applies to you? → Send YIXING your industry and scale

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