BIR Suspends Online Registration Seal Badge Display Requirement Until Further Notice
Online sellers and creators can leave the BIR badge off their pages without a display penalty while the suspension remains in effect.
The BIR has paused the required display of its Registration Seal Badge, removing the October 31 compliance deadline for online sellers, freelancers, and content creators. Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 113-2026 says the requirement is suspended until further notice. For businesses that had not obtained or posted a badge, the immediate change is practical: non-display during the suspension will not by itself trigger a penalty.
The circular, dated October 26, 2026, was signed by Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza. It suspends the display rule established by RMC No. 38-2026 and supplemented by RMC Nos. 64-2026 and 99-2026. The pause applies to the requirement to show the badge; it does not cancel the badge system or require people who already display one to remove it.
What changes for covered businesses
People who have already secured a BIR Registration Seal Badge may keep it visible on their websites, online shops, or business social media pages if they choose. The circular does not direct them to take it down. Those who have not obtained a badge can leave one off their pages while the suspension is in force, with no penalty imposed solely because it is not displayed.
That distinction matters for small online businesses that were working toward the October 31 deadline. The badge requirement had turned a registration-verification measure into a near-term task: obtain the badge, decide where it should appear, and make sure customers could find it. The suspension removes that immediate display obligation, though it does not state that the badge itself has been discontinued.
For shoppers and clients, a badge that remains on a seller’s page can still be scanned to verify registration. Its presence is now optional under the circular’s terms. A page without one, during the suspension, should not be treated as a failure to meet the paused display rule.
Why the badge was introduced
The badge was designed to replace the earlier practice of posting a full Certificate of Registration on online platforms. Requiring the complete document to appear publicly raised a privacy concern: a business could end up exposing more information than customers needed to confirm that it was registered.
The proposed alternative was a badge containing a QR code. A customer or prospective client could scan it to check registration without the seller publishing the full certificate. But sellers and creators raised concerns that scanning the code could reveal personal information, including full legal names. That concern put the design and safeguards of the verification process under scrutiny.
The rollout had already reached tens of thousands of taxpayers before the pause. As of October 14, more than 52,700 certificates of registration carrying the badge had been secured by online sellers, service providers, and content creators, according to the BIR. RMC 99-2026 had set October 31 as the compliance deadline, giving covered businesses a limited period to prepare.
The suspension has no stated end date
RMC 113-2026 does not give a date for the display requirement to resume. It says the suspension lasts until further notice and frames the decision around the orderly implementation of related initiatives. The BIR has previously said it is working with the National Privacy Commission on safeguards for the verification system, but the circular does not spell out what those safeguards will be or when they might be ready.
That leaves the longer-term status of required display open. The pause could give the organizations involved time to address privacy concerns and refine how verification works, but the circular does not promise a revised badge or a new compliance schedule. Online sellers and creators should use the circular’s current terms as the guide: existing badges may stay up, new display is optional during the suspension, and no penalty applies solely for not displaying one during that period.
The change follows earlier calls for the BIR to pause the requirement, which we covered earlier today. RMC 113-2026 now provides the operative direction, while leaving the next step and timing unspecified.
