Electronic Submission of GIS, AFS, and Other Documents to the SEC

*With the introduction of the SEC Online Submission Tool (SEC OST), this article is no longer applicable. Please refer here for up-to-date articles on the SEC OST and SEC OST Enrolment.

Please be informed that General Information Sheets, Audited Financial Statements, and other required forms and documents may now be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) through electronic mail. Moreover, electronic signatures are now recognized. This is pursuant to SEC Memorandum Circular No. 10, series of 2020 issued last 20 March 2020. The guidelines are summarized below:

1.       What documents are covered by the guidelines?

The filing of the following documents through electronic mail:

  • General Information Sheet

  • Audited Financial Statements

  • All other General and Special Forms and Letters

2.      For what period are the guidelines effective?

The guidelines are effective as long as there is a state of public health emergency where the country has been placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine.

3.       How should the documents be filed with the SEC?

  • The documents should be in PDF format preferably with text layer.

  • The submitted documents should contain an electronic signature of the authorized or appropriate representative of the corporation.

  • The documents should be sent as MIME attachments to an email from a valid company email account of an authorized representative.

  • The documents may be submitted unnotarized.

  • The body of the email should contain:

    • a statement declaring the authenticity of the submitted documents

    • a commitment to submit physical versions of the exact same submitted documents to the SEC once the state of public health emergency is lifted

    • the name, corporate address, and mobile number of the authorized representative making the submission

  • The sender should request for a Return Receipt and a Delivery Status Notification to ensure that the email has been sent and has also been received by the SEC.

4.       What are recognized forms of electronic signature?

  • The SEC accepts electronic images of wet or physical signatures. This means you may print out the prepared document, sign it, then send a scanned copy of the signed document to the SEC.

  • Under the Republic Act No. 8792 or the Electronic Commerce Act of 2000, digital signatures which exist within the context of public key infrastructure (PKI) are also recognized.

Should you have any questions related to the electronic submission of required documents to SEC, kindly contact us here.