Short answer
SEC registration is the process of incorporating with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission. It creates a corporation or partnership as a legal entity separate from its owners, which is what limits shareholder liability. Corporations, partnerships and one person corporations register with the SEC; sole proprietorships register a business name with the DTI instead.
Also called: Incorporation Philippines, Securities and Exchange Commission registration
The Revised Corporation Code (Republic Act 11232) changed the calculus for small companies. It introduced the One Person Corporation, letting a single natural person incorporate rather than assembling nominal shareholders, and gave corporations perpetual existence by default instead of a fixed corporate term. For founders who previously defaulted to a sole proprietorship because incorporation looked unwieldy, the gap narrowed.
Registration with the SEC is one step rather than the whole sequence. A newly registered company still deals with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, with the local government unit where it operates, and with the social agencies once it has employees. Which of these apply, and in what order, depends on the structure and location chosen, so the sequence is worth confirming with an accountant or corporate lawyer rather than assembling it from checklists found online.
Related terms
DTI Business Name Registration
DTI business name registration is the Philippine process by which a sole proprietor registers a trade name with the Department of Trade and Industry.
Barangay Business Permit
A barangay business permit, usually called a barangay clearance, is the certification issued by the barangay where a business operates.
PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority)
PEZA is the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, the government agency that develops and administers the country’s economic zones and registers the enterprises operating inside them.
Reading definitions because you are scoping a project? Skip ahead and just ask.