The question that matters for a service business is who must license you first: the city health office for salons and laundries, LTFRB for trucks and rental cars, DOT for travel agencies, SEC for lenders, DTI for repair shops. Car wash and event planning list the fewest extra items here, at four each. The spa lists nine, the most of the group.[1,9,11,8,13]
Service business types, from fewest to most extra permits
| Business type | Extra permits | Who licenses you | Kit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car wash | 4 | DENR-EMB; city | Open kit |
| Event planning | 4 | DOT | Open kit |
| Accounting and bookkeeping | 5 | PRC Board of Accountancy | Open kit |
| Car rental | 5 | LTFRB | Open kit |
| Gym or fitness center | 5 | City health office | Open kit |
| Laundry shop | 5 | City health office; DENR-EMB | Open kit |
| Salon, nail salon or barbershop | 5 | City health office | Open kit |
| Lending company | 6 | SEC | Open kit |
| Auto repair shop | 7 | DTI | Open kit |
| Trucking | 7 | LTFRB | Open kit |
| Travel and tours agency | 8 | DOT, before the mayor's permit | Open kit |
| Spa and massage | 9 | DOH (therapists); DOT (spa) | Open kit |
Services where your city health office is the gate
Salons, nail salons and barbershops may not open without a sanitary permit from the local health officer, and the operator and staff need health certificates renewed at least yearly. Gyms fall under the same rules: Bacolod groups fitness and aerobic centres with slenderizing salons for sanitary permits.[1,3]
A laundry shop and a car wash add water. Facilities discharging regulated effluents file for a DENR discharge permit through EMB, and Bacolod asks laundries for that permit before it issues the sanitary permit. Baguio blocks the business permit of a car wash that has not built a treatment facility.[2,3,4]
Services where the people must be licensed
In a spa, only people with a DOH Certificate of Registration may practise massage therapy. DOT spa accreditation costs ₱1,000 a year plus a ₱100 sticker. The spa kit lists 9 extra items, the most of any service type here.[5,6]
Accounting for the public, such as audits and tax representation, is reserved for registered CPAs, and the SEC will not register a corporation set up to practise public accountancy. Bookkeeping help that stops short of those services is a different matter; the kit explains the line.[7]
Services that need a national franchise or authority
Trucks for hire need an LTFRB Certificate of Public Convenience. Sedans, AUVs, vans and pick-ups rented out for a fee fall under LTFRB's vehicles-for-hire service, which is why car rental needs a franchise too.[9,10]
A lending company may only be a corporation, and it may not operate without an SEC authority. Lending without one carries a fine of ₱10,000 to ₱50,000, prison of six months to ten years, or both.[8]
A travel agency is a primary tourism enterprise, and the LGU should issue its permit only after DOT accreditation. Event planners who run meetings and exhibitions for a fee can be accredited by DOT as MICE organizers, ₱1,400 at the regular tier.[11,12]
Repair shops: DTI accreditation every January
An auto repair shop must be DTI-accredited as a service and repair enterprise. At One Star, the filing fee is ₱50 and the accreditation fee ₱350, plus ₱30 documentary stamp tax. The accreditation lasts one year and is renewed by 31 January.[13,14]
The auto repair kit lists seven extra items, and most come from DTI's accreditation file: a TESDA certificate for technicians, insurance for customers' property under repair, and a performance bond of at least ₱50,000 in favour of DTI.[16]
Questions people ask
- What permits does a salon need?
- A sanitary permit from the local health officer and health certificates for the operator and every employee, renewed at least yearly, on top of the standard four steps.
- Can I start a lending business as a sole proprietor?
- No. A lending company may be established only as a corporation, and it needs an SEC authority to operate.
- Does a car rental business need an LTFRB franchise?
- Yes. Private vehicles rented out for a fee need an LTFRB franchise, and sedans, AUVs, vans and pick-ups fall under the vehicles-for-hire service.
- How much is DTI accreditation for a repair shop?
- For One Star, ₱50 filing fee and ₱350 accreditation fee, plus ₱30 documentary stamp tax. It is renewed every year by 31 January.
Sources
Checked 14 November 2026. We link the agency's own page for every requirement. Rules change; confirm with the office before you pay.
- Implementing Rules and Regulations of Chapter XII, Tonsorial and Beauty Establishments, of P.D. No. 856 · Department of Health (Supreme Court E-Library copy) · 15 December 1997
- DENR Administrative Order No. 25, Series of 2004 · DENR (Supreme Court E-Library copy) · 25 August 2004
- Sanitary and Non-Sanitary Requirements (New) · City Government of Bacolod · June 2024
- Baguio Midland Courier article on wastewater ordinance · Baguio Midland Courier
- DOH Administrative Order No. 2010-0034: Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations Governing Massage Clinics and Sauna Establishments · DOH (Lawyerly copy) · 10 December 2010
- 2006 Revised Rules and Regulations to Govern the Accreditation of Spa Establishments · Department of Tourism · 27 June 2006
- Republic Act No. 9298 (Philippine Accountancy Act of 2004) · Congress of the Philippines (via Lawphil) · 13 May 2004
- Republic Act No. 9474 (Lending Company Regulation Act of 2007) · Congress of the Philippines (via Lawphil) · 22 May 2007
- LTFRB MC No. 2004-043 (summary) · jur.ph (summary of LTFRB issuance) · 12 December 2004
- LTFRB Memorandum Circular No. 98-002: Vehicles for Hire · LTFRB (via Supreme Court E-Library) · 20 January 1998
- DILG to LGUs: Issue permit to operate to tourism enterprises with DOT accreditation only · DILG Region IV-A · 15 January 2024
- DOT Guidelines on the Progressive Accreditation System (approved 19 March 2018) · Department of Tourism (Supreme Court E-Library copy) · 19 March 2018
- Accreditation (Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau) · DTI Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau · 24 September 2024
- Accreditation of Service and Repair Enterprises, Private Emission Testing Centers, Truck Rebuilding Centers (Consumer Info Hub) · DTI Cavite (e-Sigaw) · 27 May 2024
- LTFRB Memorandum Circular No. 98-027: Franchise for Dump Trucks and Other Private Vehicles Used as 'For Hire' · LTFRB (via Supreme Court E-Library) · 25 September 1998
- FM-SR-02v01 Requirements and Evaluation Sheet · DTI (e-Sigaw) · April 2023