Board of Investment (BOI) Registration Requirements and Process in the Philippines

Are you planning a manufacturing plant, a renewable energy project, or an IT-BPM operation in the Philippines? Registering it with the Board of Investments gives you an income tax holiday of four to seven years, duty exemptions on imported capital equipment, and a reduced tax rate once the holiday ends.

However, not every project qualifies for BOI registration. Your business activity has to appear on the government's priority list, as well as additional conditions for foreign-owned companies.

Understanding BOI Registration in the Philippines

The Board of Investments is the Philippines' lead investment promotion agency under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Its mandate comes from the Omnibus Investments Code (Executive Order No. 226), which is to attract capital into industries the government considers strategic by granting tax incentives to the companies that invest in them.

One important point to note is that BOI registration in the Philippines is not a business licence, and you do not register a company as such. You register a specific project or activity, and the incentives attach to that project rather than to your business as a whole.

This also means, one company can hold several BOI registrations for several projects. At the same time, any revenue that comes from an unregistered activity is not eligible for those benefits and is treated separately.

What Incentives Does BOI Registration Give You?

BOI incentives are set by the CREATE Act, as amended by CREATE MORE (Republic Act No. 12066) in late 2024. The exact benefits you receive depend on your project's tier and location. 

These benefits can be divided into two categories as below.

Fiscal incentives

• Income tax holiday of four to seven years, exempting the registered project from corporate income tax.
• Special corporate income tax or enhanced deductions afterwards. You elect either a 5% rate on gross income in place of all national and local taxes, or corporate income tax at a reduced rate with extra deductions for labour, training, research and development, power, and domestic inputs. Under CREATE MORE you can make that election from the start of commercial operations rather than waiting for the holiday to end.
• Duty exemptions on imported capital equipment, spare parts, and accessories.
• Tax credits on imported raw materials used in production, and exemption on breeding stocks and genetic materials for agribusiness projects.

Across the full period, a registered project can hold incentives for between 14 and 27 years, depending on where it sits and which tier it falls under.

Non-fiscal incentives

• Employment of foreign nationals in supervisory, technical, and advisory roles.
• Simplified customs procedures for imports and exports.
• Importation of consigned equipment.
• The privilege of operating a bonded manufacturing or trading warehouse.

Who Qualifies for BOI Registration?

1. Your activity must appear on the Strategic Investment Priority Plan

The SIPP is the government's list of priority activities, and it is the gateway to every incentive above. If your activity is not on the list, no investment promotion agency can grant you incentives, whatever the size of the investment.

2. Additional condition for for foreign-owned companies

A wholly Filipino-owned company can register for any listed activity, including projects serving only the domestic market. Where foreign ownership exceeds 40%, you must also satisfy one of the following:

• Export at least 70% of your output: This is the most common route for foreign-owned manufacturers and service providers, which is why outsourcing and shared services businesses register readily.
• Undertake a pioneer activity: The BOI treats an activity as pioneering where it involves goods not produced locally at commercial scale, introduces a new.
• Locate in a less developed area: Projects in designated lower-income regions qualify without meeting the export threshold.

Meeting any one of the three is enough, provided your activity appears in the SIPP.

2026 Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP)

Every few years, the government refreshes the Strategic Investment Priority Plan to reflect its current economic priorities. President Marcos signed the update through Memorandum Order No. 47 on May 21, 2026, and it took effect after publication in the Official Gazette in early June. This is the first SIPP issued under the current administration, and it runs through 2028.

The 2026 SIPP carries over the three-tier structure from the previous plan under Memorandum Order No. 47 (Series of 2026). This version expands the scope of each tier and places more emphasis on innovation-driven sectors.

Generally, the higher the tier, the longer and richer the incentive package. Since Tier III activities require more technical sophistication and are considered harder to attract without a strong pull.

If you are unsure whether your planned business activity aligns with SIPP, it is advisable to consult our local experts.  

BOI Registration Requirements in the Philippines

The required documents remain relatively the same as before the update. However, it’s worth aligning your project report with the specific tier and activity you’re applying under. This can affect the length of your incentive. 

Here’s what you need to apply for BOI in the Philippines:

• SEC Certificate of Registration for corporations, partnerships, and branch or representative offices. Sole proprietorships submit a DTI Certificate of Registration instead.
• Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws for corporations and partnerships.
• Audited Financial Statements, along with a feasibility study projecting your financial performance over the next five years.
• Income Tax Returns for the past three years, where applicable.
• Board Resolution authorizing your company representative to file the application.
• BOI Application Form 501, completed according to your specific industry.
• Project Report detailing how your planned activities align with the SIPP.

Emerhub helps you prepare each of these documents, tailored to the industry and tier you are pursuing. We also handle the back and forth with BOI, so your filing does not stall on a missing signature or an outdated financial statement.

How to Register Your Company with BOI in the Philippines?

As part of compliance under the Omnibus Investment code, your company needs to be registered with the BOI to enjoy tax benefits and exemptions. Emerhub can act as your compliance partner and streamline this entire process on your behalf. Here is how we can help you register your business with the BOI in the Philippines:

1. Filing the BOI Application Form 501

To initiate the registration process, you must submit the completed BOI Application Form 501 along with all supporting documents required for your specific industry. Ensuring that all documents are accurate and complete is crucial to avoid delays, Emerhub will help you gather all the essential documents:

• Articles of Incorporation
• Project report 
• SEC Certificate of Registration (or DTI Certificate for sole proprietorships)

During this step, it’s important that your business has the correct SIPP classification. Applying under the wrong tier or activity later in the process can send you back to this step. 

2. Preparation of Evaluation Report

Once your application is submitted, the BOI will prepare an Evaluation Report. This report includes publishing a notice of your application filing in a local newspaper and conducting a plant visit to assess your business operations.  This step confirms whether your project genuinely matches what you claimed in your application and meets the criteria for the tier you applied under.

After the evaluation report is prepared, your application will be presented to the BOI Management Committee. This committee reviews all submitted applications and evaluation reports to decide whether to approve or deny the registration. You’ll have to provide any additional information or clarification requested during this review process.

3. Confirmation from BOI Governing Board

Following the committee's review, you will receive a letter of advice from the BOI Governing Board regarding their action on your application. This letter will inform you whether your application has been approved or if further information is needed. 

This is a critical step in your BOI registration. Emerhub can facilitate communication with the board and keep you updated on the progress of your registration. 

4. Issuance of Certificate of Registration

After completing all previous steps and payments, you will receive your official Certificate of Registration from the BOI. This certificate formally recognizes your company as a registered entity under BOI regulations, allowing you to access various incentives designed to support business growth and development in the Philippines.

Applications with complete documentation generally take 10 to 20 working days, though this depends on your entity type, the activity, and the committee's schedule.

Registering with the BOI with Emerhub

Emerhub handles BOI registration for foreign investors in the Philippines. We can help you with:

• Confirming which SIPP tier and activity your project falls under.
• Preparing the application, including the project report and five-year feasibility study.
• Managing the process through evaluation, the plant visit, and the committee review.
• Registering your Philippine entity first, if you have not incorporated yet.
• Your annual filings and income tax holiday applications once you are registered.

Tell our Philippines team what you are planning to build, and we will confirm whether it qualifies.