🇵🇭 Doing business in Philippines

Structural scores

Highlights: Largest English speaking BPO hub in Asia · Strong remittance inflows providing economic stability · Young demographic dividend with median age of 25

Key industries

BPO & IT Services ↑ Strong growth

Philippines is the worlds BPO capital generating $32B+ annually. Over 1.3M workers serve US, UK and Australian clients across voice and non-voice services.

Main investors: US, UK, Australia, Japan

Remittances & Financial Services ↑ Growing

Overseas Filipino Workers send $36B+ annually making Philippines top 5 globally for remittances. Digital banking and fintech growing rapidly.

Main investors: US, Singapore, UAE, Japan

Manufacturing & Electronics → Stable

Philippines is a major electronics exporter particularly semiconductors. Laguna and Cavite provinces host significant Japanese and US manufacturing.

Main investors: Japan, US, South Korea, China

Tourism & Hospitality ↑ Growing

Philippines has 7,000+ islands with world class beaches and diving. Government targeting 12M visitors by 2028 with major resort development underway.

Main investors: US, South Korea, China, Australia

Sector priorities

1. BPO & Knowledge Process Outsourcing — PEZA registered BPO operations get 4 to 8 year income tax holidays and 5% GIT thereafter making Philippines the most cost effective English BPO destination.
2. Renewable Energy — Philippines has exceptional wind and solar resources. Retail competition market and green energy auction programme creating significant investment pipeline.
3. Tourism & Infrastructure — Government Build Better More infrastructure programme and tourism master plan creating significant construction and hospitality investment opportunities.

Talent & work permits

Philippines has one of Asias strongest English speaking talent pools with 500,000+ university graduates annually. Strong affinity for US business culture.

• Foreign workers: Alien Employment Permit required from DOLE for foreign workers. Process takes 3 to 6 weeks. 9G working visa required.
• Localisation: Foreign equity restrictions apply in several sectors. Retail, media and education have Filipino ownership requirements under Foreign Investment Negative List.
• Key consideration: Philippines offers the best English speaking talent at the most competitive cost in Asia making it ideal for customer service, finance and technology outsourcing.

How to enter: first four steps

Philippines offers PEZA and BOI registered investment routes both offering significant tax incentives. PEZA is most popular for BPO and export oriented manufacturing.

1. Choose investment registration — PEZA for export oriented BPO and manufacturing, BOI for domestic market oriented businesses
2. Register with SEC — Securities and Exchange Commission for corporate registration. Check Foreign Investment Negative List for ownership restrictions in your sector
3. Register with BIR — Bureau of Internal Revenue for tax identification number, VAT and withholding tax registration
4. Obtain PEZA or BOI registration — apply for fiscal incentives including income tax holidays before commencing operations

Indicative cost: 10-person team

Professional-services mix (1 senior, 5 professional, 2 admin, 2 support), Grade-A office, registration, legal, audit and tax compliance. Model estimate, not a quote. Model your own team size and industry →

Regulatory watch

• Feb 2026 · CREATE MORE Act Signed — Philippines CREATE MORE Act signed into law providing enhanced fiscal incentives for foreign investors including reduced special corporate income tax rate of 5%.