Obtaining Business Permits is not something many new businesses can do easily. New companies operate within tight schedules. Between getting an EIN, adding a business to your corporation, establishing payroll, and even starting the business itself, there is just not enough time to deal with individual business licensing compliance. This is especially true when dealing with the local government.
Business permits can be difficult to obtain. For example, there are many regulations governing how much square footage must be taken on a yearly basis by certain types of businesses, as well as those who sell food. Renovating or building a restaurant from the ground up, too, along with new features like a Beer Wall, weekly music nights, etc., will require a permit. Every restaurant, coffee shop, or liquor store must first get a license to sell or consume alcohol. Likewise, businesses that offer certain types of services require licenses before they can do business.
It should not be too difficult to understand the process for obtaining new business permits. The first step is to determine whether you will need a business permit from the local government. Each city and town has its own regulations, but mostly they tend to allow for the consumption and sale of alcohol in blank beer cans or bottles as well as the operation of a pizza oven. These licenses often take a few months to process, depending on how complicated the issue is. If this is the case, the city or town will send you a letter of authorization to begin processing, usually in the form of an application.
Once you receive the business permits, it’s necessary to apply for locational clearance. Locational clearance is a document that the government issues to show that your proposed business has permission to operate from the ground floor or first floor of a building. For instance, a coffee shop needs to have its door visible from the first floor. This is what makes obtaining new business permits in Makati so difficult. The first floor of a shopping mall is usually considered as being open to all businesses, but the second and third floors are closed off to restaurants and bars.
It’s possible to get started on your way to getting a business permit without any problems; however, most entrepreneurs have more than a few hurdles to cross before they get started. Entrepreneurs who are planning to open businesses in Makati should remember that they need to obtain their licenses from the local government first. Some local governments even have a licensing authority that grants provisional licenses which allow the entrepreneur to operate for one day only. This means that entrepreneurs need to apply for these two different types of licenses. The licensing authority also carries out routine background checks before issuing their provisional licenses. These background checks are necessary to ensure that the applicants have no criminal records or other issues that would pose a risk to the general public.