LEGAZPI CITY (PIA) — The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has implemented a paperless registration policy across all its offices nationwide.
In a circular dated April 4, the SEC announced that all applications for company registration will now be processed through its online portals.
Memorandum Circular (MC) 3, Series of 2025, mandates the use of the SEC Zuper Easy Registration Online (ZERO) application. This new system eliminates the need for physical signatures and notarization, as well as the submission of hard copies of registration documents.
“SEC ZERO exemplifies our commitment to digitalization and sustainability, making setting up a business easier and faster than ever. By allowing companies to authenticate their registration documents online, company registration can now be done anytime and anywhere,” SEC Chairperson Emilio Aquino said in a statement.
Arlyn Joy Alarcon, the information officer at the SEC Extension Office in Legazpi City, announced that starting on April 7, 2025, all domestic stock corporations must be processed through SEC ZERO. This requirement applies to both corporations entirely owned by Filipinos and those with foreign equity, excluding lending and financing companies.
Alarcon clarified that lending companies, financing companies, and foreign corporations will need to follow the regular processing guidelines under the Electronic Simplified Processing of Application for Registration of Company (eSPARC) for three months following the implementation of MC 3.
After these three months, the mandatory use of SEC ZERO will extend to all types of corporations.
Registration process
To register a company, applicants first need to create an eSECURE account at https://esecure.sec.gov.ph/ and complete the credentialing process to confirm their identity. The system also validates Tax Identification Numbers with the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
After setting up the account, applicants will go to the eSPARC portal at https://esparc.sec.gov.ph to enter company registration details, such as company type, name, address, capital structure, and officers in six steps.
Once the details are complete, the application is submitted online, and the applicant receives an email confirmation. All incorporators and corporate officers must then authenticate the documents via eSAP using their eSECURE accounts by entering a one-time password (OTP) sent to their registered mobile numbers and email addresses.
After successful OTP verification, documents are considered signed. Once all necessary signatures are obtained, the applicant can pay the registration fees through the Electronic System for Payments to SEC.
After payment, authenticated system-generated documents and a digital certificate of incorporation can be downloaded, which have the same validity as a traditional physical certificate. (PIA-Bicol)
