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Certified Philippine Articles of Incorporation Translation
Certified translation of the documents that constitute and evidence a Philippine company, with the corporate form, the registry references and the powers of the representatives reproduced exactly rather than mapped onto US equivalents that carry different law.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
The SEC, and what it issues
A Philippine corporation is constituted by Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which issues a Certificate of Incorporation. The SEC — not a companies registrar — is the registering body, which surprises readers who associate it with securities regulation alone.
What a counterparty normally wants is a certified true copy from the SEC together with a General Information Sheet (GIS), the annual filing that lists current directors, officers and shareholdings.
One Person Corporations and the 2019 reform
The Revised Corporation Code of 2019 removed the five-incorporator minimum, gave corporations perpetual existence by default where they previously had a fifty-year term, and created the One Person Corporation. Documents from before and after the reform therefore differ in what they state about term and incorporators.
A corporate term stated as fifty years on an older document is not a defect; it is the law as it stood.
Foreign ownership limits are on the face of it
Philippine law restricts foreign equity in certain activities, and the articles frequently carry a clause stating the nationality composition of the capital. That clause is substantive — it determines what the company may lawfully do — and it is translated exactly rather than summarised.
The primary purpose clause matters for the same reason and is read closely by anyone assessing the company.
English, and whether you need anything
Philippine corporate documents are in English, so a translation is frequently unnecessary. Some offices require a certification for any foreign document regardless of language; many do not, and asking is free. We would rather you kept the money.
Where a document carries Filipino or a regional language — a barangay clearance, a local permit — that does need translating. See our Tagalog page.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Every seal, stamp, notarial recital and registry annotation is translated — a corporate document with its endorsements missing is not a complete document. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the SEC register companies?
In the Philippines the SEC is the corporate registrar as well as the securities regulator. It issues the Certificate of Incorporation.
What is a GIS?
The General Information Sheet, an annual filing listing current directors, officers and shareholdings. Counterparties usually want it with the articles.
My articles say a fifty-year term.
That was the law before the 2019 Revised Corporation Code, which made existence perpetual by default. Not a defect.
My documents are in English. Do I need a translation?
Often not. Ask the office first.
Ready to get started?
Upload the deed or the registry extract and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.