SEC allows paperless filing for select corporate amendments
MANILA, Philippines – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has introduced paperless filing for select corporate document amendments to digitize regulatory processes and ease doing business.
Under Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 21, Series of 2026, issued on July 17, corporations may now file select amendment applications electronically through the eAMEND portal’s optional paperless lane.
READ: SEC issues new rules to simplify process for corporate amendments
“By allowing paperless filing for specific applications through the eAMEND portal, we are not only expediting the processing of amendment applications, but also reducing the administrative burden for corporations and promoting sustainability in the corporate sector,” SEC Chair Francis Lim said.
The new guidelines cover amendments to both the articles of incorporation (AOI) and by-laws.
Eligible AOI amendments include the prefatory clause, principal office address, term, board size, and fiscal year of one-person corporations.
Covered by-laws amendments include changes to the annual stockholders’ or members’ meeting date and the fiscal year.
To use the paperless facility, the authorized representative and corporate secretary must create Electronic SEC Universal Registration Environment (eSECURE) accounts and complete the SEC’s credentialing process.
Applicants must submit signed and notarized documents, while paperless applications require a separately signed and notarized secretary’s certificate. The SEC will consider applications incomplete without this document.
READ: SEC rolls out sweeping reforms to cut costs, protect investors
The SEC added that scanned copies submitted through the portal are valid and legally equivalent to hard copies, subject to verification.
Falsified documents, misrepresentations, or unmet requirements may result in revoked amendments and paperless filing disqualification.
The SEC may also impose administrative sanctions and, when warranted, pursue civil or criminal proceedings.
Corporations that fail to submit originals within 15 days of an SEC post-audit directive may face either a P20,000 penalty or amendment revocation. /pai INQ
