DAVAO CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the Davao Region is urging entrepreneurs to register their businesses, including their business names, to legalize their operations.
The local government units (LGUs) have set January of every year as the period for business permit renewal. Hence, all business owners are expected to secure all the requirements in order to operate continuously.
Before getting a business permit from the concerned LGU, those categorized under sole ownership or proprietorship must register their business names first with the DTI. Meanwhile, businesses categorized as partnerships or corporations can register their trade name with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The business name registration (BNR) certificate is one of the business permit requirements.
DTI 11 Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi explained that the business name registration is valid for five years, while the business permit must be renewed annually.
Meanwhile, the business name registration from DTI is valid for five years. The local trade chief explained, though, that the certificate from the agency is not yet a license to do business.
“Getting a business name registration certificate from us does not give the holder the right to start operating already. It has to be understood that this is not yet proof of legitimacy since it is only the business permit issued by the LGU that will give you the authority to operate,” Ambi said, adding that the BNR certificate is just one of the requirements submitted to the LGU when applying for a business permit.
Business owners have the option to file their BNR application in any of the DTI offices or Negosyo Centers. For more convenience, they can also apply online through the portal bnrs.dti.gov.ph.
In 2022, DTI 11 registered a total of 21,863 business names. This is higher by 0.35 percent compared to 2021’s 21,787.
Based on the report of DTI 11’s planning unit, Davao City posted the highest number of business names registered at 7,001 followed by Davao del Norte at 4,245. In the meantime, Davao del Sur had 4,084 while Davao Oriental and Davao Occidental generated 2,641 and 904, respectively.
