Demo build. Time-to-operate figures are illustrative samples modelled on published processing standards, not measured data.
Time-to-operate, modelled from legal standards and published processing times
Modelled median, from first complete filing to the last permit needed to operate · standard processing · sample n = 23 · data as of 11 Oct 2026 · How we model it
What this covers: Counts government permits and utility connections only. Building or fitting out your facility, buying equipment and hiring are not included; steps that need a finished building, such as the FDA licence, are counted from the day you file for them.
The legal-deadline comparison covers only steps that have an RA 11032 standard; utility connection and work permits have none. Ranges are hidden when fewer than 10 projects match. All figures are modelled samples.
What has to happen in order, what can run in parallel, and where projects like yours actually wait. Construction, fit-out, equipment and hiring run alongside these steps and are not counted. Numbers are the sample median in working days; brackets give the middle 80% of projects. What the agency names and terms mean
Usually the longest wait: Power & water connection, which sets your opening date. Furthest past its legal deadline: Expat work permits & visas (+27 w.d.). For local permits, fire safety is a common hold-up: only 115 of 1,642 LGUs run a fully compliant eBOSS (ARTA), and BFP integration is still rolling out.
Sample model built from RA 11032 standards, PEZA approval times (about 21 working days), DOLE AEP rules (15 working days), DENR ECC rules (20 working days, 40 for critical projects) and World Bank Doing Business 2020. Updated 11 Oct 2026.
Ecozones, freeports and provinces side by side for semiconductors. The spread tells you how much to buffer your schedule.
| Location | Type | Median | 80% within | Late steps | Projects (sample) | Select |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarlac | Province · BCDA estates | 102 | 31% | 23 | ||
| Clark Freeport Zone | Freeport · CDC | 89 | 18% | 31 | ||
| Subic Bay Freeport | Freeport · SBMA | 92 | 22% | 14 | ||
| Laguna Technopark | PEZA ecozone | 84 | 16% | 58 | ||
| FPIP, Batangas | PEZA ecozone | 91 | 21% | 37 | ||
| Mactan, Cebu | PEZA ecozone | 92 | 20% | 29 | ||
| PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate | Industrial estate · PHIVIDEC Industrial Authority | 99 | 24% | 12 | ||
| Zamboanga Freeport | Ecozone and freeport · ZCSEZA | 105 | — | 6 |
Plain answers, each paired with what our data shows in practice.
In most manufacturing and IT-BPM, yes. Banks and investment houses can be fully foreign-owned with BSP approval. Restricted activities are on the Foreign Investment Negative List; firms selling mainly to the domestic market need US$200,000 paid-in capital, or US$100,000 in some cases.
Incentives are granted through BOI or an ecozone authority such as PEZA under the CREATE MORE Act, for activities listed in the Strategic Investment Priority Plan. Regional headquarters and most financial firms register with the SEC only. We time each registration as its own step.
Land ownership is reserved for Filipinos and Filipino-majority companies. Foreign investors lease instead, up to 50 years and renewable once for 25 under the Investors’ Lease Act, often inside an ecozone.
Foreign staff need an Alien Employment Permit and a work visa. Both are tracked, because they often decide when a plant or office can start.
RA 11032 bars contact outside official channels. Companies report requests confidentially; validated cases go to ARTA.
Under RA 11032, many applications are deemed approved once the deadline passes. We track whether agencies honour that.
Red Carpet is EASE PH's case-officer service for investors. One case officer maps every permit your project needs, follows each application with the agency, and steps in the moment anything runs past its legal deadline, so you plan around dates, not guesses.
Your officer follows every permit on this path, from registration to power · No fee to the investor · Reply within 3 working days
We do not replace official filing. We point you to the right channel at each step and time what happens after you file.
ARTA's single portal for national registrations such as SEC, BIR, SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG.
business.gov.ph →Electronic one-stop shops for barangay clearance, business permit and fire safety. Only 115 of 1,642 LGUs are fully compliant so far; BFP integration is the usual gap.
ARTA compliance update →The national e-government app and portal, the entry point to many LGU and agency services.
e.gov.ph →ARTA's complaint management system, and Tala, its AI-assisted channel for complaints and service requests. Validated cases here are referred the same way.
File with ARTA eCMS →Run by EASE PH with PCCI. Records come from companies, not from the agencies being measured.
Each date is matched to a receipt or claim stub. Agencies can respond before a delay is flagged.
Definitions mapped to the World Bank B-Ready business-entry indicators, so you can set the Philippines beside ASEAN peers.
Quarterly investor brief, open CSV and an API for research teams, from the first release of measured data.
Request Red Carpet assistance and get a case officer and a permit roadmap for your exact project. Already filing and stuck? Report the stalled permit, we validate it and escalate.