Business Support in the UAE and Abroad
Filing day
Protection starts here
Registration takes effect from the filing date, not from the certificate. The 10 years are counted from the same date.
6 months to claim priority
Filed the same mark in a Paris Convention or GCC country? You can file in the UAE with that date — within 6 months and with a copy of the first application.
Business Support in the UAE and Abroad
Trademark Registration in the UAE
In the UAE, rights to a brand come from registration, not from who used the name first: winning a mark back later takes a dispute. We search the register for similar marks, choose the classes and handle the application with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism — from filing to a 10-year certificate.
- 10 years
- Protection from filing, not from issue
- 30 days
- For oppositions after publication
- 20 working days
- Average for examination — not the whole registration
- AED 6,500
- Government fees for one class up to the certificate
In short
In the UAE, trademarks are registered by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism: protection lasts 10 years from the filing date, examination takes 20 working days on average, then 30 days for oppositions after publication. Government fees for one class up to the certificate: AED 6,500, indicative as of October 2026.
Checked 4 November 2026 · Violetta Absalyamova
Cost of a mistake
Deemed withdrawn
What happens to the application if the ministry’s objection goes unanswered for 30 days from notice — and you’ll have to file again.
How to avoid itWhat registration protects
Registration secures the mark for you for the specific goods and services in the application, not “in general”. So before a brand launches, we check the mark, decide whose name it goes in and draw up the list.
Protection against infringement
The certificate is your basis for demanding that an infringer stops. Taking down marketplace listings or fighting counterfeits is separate work: each platform and authority has its own rules.
Goods and services
Protection covers exactly what is on the list. A downloadable app usually goes in class 9, SaaS and development in class 42. We build the set of classes around what you actually do, not a template.
Filing before launch
Rights come from registration, not first use, so it pays to file early. Someone has already registered the mark? If you used it earlier and did not consent to their use, you can seek cancellation within 5 years of the registration date.
International application
Through the Madrid System, protection in several countries is requested with a single application. But each office decides for itself, under its own rules.
Expert tip
Before ordering signage and packaging, check the name, the logo and the Arabic spelling: similarity is judged not only by eye but also by sound and meaning. A search lowers the risk but does not guarantee registration.
Violetta AbsalyamovaHead of Legal Practice · Business support and legal mattersWho it suits
Who it suits — and when to choose something else
A good fit if
- 01You’re launching a brand, shop, restaurant, app or product line in the UAE.
- 02A partner or marketplace is asking you to prove your rights to the brand.
- 03You’re bringing a foreign brand to the UAE market.
- 04You plan to invest in advertising, packaging and brand development.
- 05You want protection in other countries too — through the Madrid System.
Consider something else if
- 01You only need a company name — it is approved when the business is registered. It does not protect the brand: that takes a separate trademark application.Company Registration
- 02Someone is already using your brand without permission — we’ll first assess the infringement and the ways to defend it.Disputes and Litigation
- 03You need to protect an app’s code — that is copyright and contracts with developers, not a trademark.
- 04The name is for one short campaign — we’ll first weigh up the risks of using it: registration may not pay off.
Self-check
Can your name be registered? Check for yourself
The law lists what cannot be registered as a trademark. Tick what is true of your name or logo: if a point doesn’t apply, a refusal is likely — better to discuss it before filing.
Tick what is true for you
0/8Tick the items to see whether you qualifyNo obvious legal bars — the register search and examination decide the rest
Used the mark before?Art. 18(2)
If someone else registered the mark, but you used it earlier and did not consent — expressly or tacitly — to the registered owner’s use, you can seek cancellation from the ministry within 5 years of the registration date.
No UAE company neededArt. 6
Any individual or legal entity can register a trademark. An owner outside the UAE files through a registered agent.
UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 on Trademarks, Articles 3, 6 and 18, official Arabic text. Checked on 16 October 2026.
Benefits
What you get
Let’s discuss the details
How many classes does your brand need?
Tell us about your goods, services and plans. We’ll choose the classes and work out the fees before you file.
Process
8 steps from the first conversation to the result
The ministry’s timelines follow its service rules as of October 2026. Preparation before filing depends on the search and the documents, so we don’t quote a time for it in advance.
Steps on your side: 1 of 8
We handle it · 3Needed from you · 1Authority · 4
We decide what to register — a word, a logo or both — in whose name and for which goods and services. We discuss where else you’ll need protection.
Step 1 of 8
Brief
We decide what to register — a word, a logo or both — in whose name and for which goods and services. We discuss where else you’ll need protection.
We handle it
Disputes over an application
If something goes wrong: who does what, and by when
Three scenarios where deadlines decide everything — almost always 30 days. Deadlines are from the Trademark Law; average review times are from the ministry’s service rules.
From you — a decision on how to proceed; we prepare the reply and the grievance. Miss the 30 days to reply and the application is treated as withdrawn.
If the opposition is rejected, the other side’s appeal doesn’t stop the registration unless the court suspends it.
Miss the 30 days and what remains are post-registration disputes: cancellation at a prior user’s request within 5 years, or striking off a mark unused for 5 consecutive years.
Documents
What you’ll need
About the applicant
- Passport — if the applicant is an individual.
- A copy of the licence — if the applicant is a company.
- Power of attorney for the agent — notarised, with a legal translation into Arabic. Whether legalisation is needed depends on the country where it is signed; we check.
About the mark
- An image of the mark in JPEG.
- The exact spelling of the name — in every language you use it in.
- The list of goods and services by class.
For priority and other countries
- To claim priority from a foreign application — a copy of it and a statement of its date, number and country. You must file in the UAE within 6 months of the first application.
- The list of countries for a Madrid application — we’ll check whether you can file through the UAE.
Timing and budget
What makes up the budget
The budget is Ministry of Economy fees for each class plus our fee for the search, preparation and handling of the application. Fees for one class up to the certificate come to AED 6,500, indicative as of October 2026. Responding to objections and oppositions is separate work: its scope can’t be known in advance.
ItemAmount and termsWhen
- ExaminationAmount and termsAED 750. Expedited, with a decision in 1 working day — AED 2,250.WhenOn filing
- PublicationAmount and termsAED 750. Not paid within 30 days of approval — AED 100 per month, up to AED 1,000 a year; a part month counts as a full one.WhenAfter approval
- RegistrationAmount and termsAED 5,000; a quality mark — AED 7,500. Not paid within 30 days after the opposition period — AED 1,000 per month, up to AED 10,000 a year.WhenAfter the opposition period
- Opposing someone else’s applicationAmount and termsAED 7,500 — if a mark similar to yours appears in the bulletin.When30 days from the bulletin
- RenewalAmount and termsAED 750 for publication and a fee of AED 5,750 — AED 6,500 in total, with no new examination.When10th year of protection
- Late renewalAmount and termsAED 750 and AED 6,500 — AED 7,250 in total.When6 months after expiry
- Power of attorneyAmount and termsNotarisation and legal translation into Arabic — at the notary’s and translator’s rates.WhenBefore filing
- Responses and disputesAmount and termsResponses to objections, oppositions, grievances — by scope of work; we quote once it’s clear what is needed.WhenIf needed
- Our feeAmount and termsFor the search, opinion, preparation and handling of the application — by the number of marks and classes; we quote before work starts.WhenUnder the contract
Government fees for one mark in one class come to AED 6,500, or AED 8,000 with expedited examination. Each further class, documents, our work and disputes are extra. Fees checked on 16 October 2026.
Deadlines
Life of a mark: deadlines over 10 years of protection, and the cost of missing them
The scale shows years from the filing date — protection runs from it. Below are the deadlines while the application is pending, while the mark is in force, and those triggered by an event.
012345678910years from filing
5 years from registration
The right becomes incontestable
Used the mark for 5 years running without a court dispute — the right is incontestable unless there was bad faith. Until then, a prior user can seek cancellation from the ministry.
10th year
Renewal at the standard fee
AED 750 for publication and a fee of AED 5,750, with no new examination or oppositions. 1 working day on average.
+6 months
Last chance to renew
After protection ends there are 6 more months — for AED 750 and AED 6,500.
If missed: the mark is removed from the register as of the expiry date
While the application is pending
30 days from notice
Reply to the ministry’s objections
Or a grievance against a refusal — also within 30 days.
If missed: the application is treated as withdrawn
30 days after approval
Publication fee
AED 750.
If missed: AED 100 per month, up to AED 1,000 a year
30 days after the opposition period
Registration fee
AED 5,000; a quality mark — AED 7,500.
If missed: AED 1,000 per month, up to AED 10,000 a year
While the mark is in force
Any 5 consecutive years
Use the mark
The exception is when circumstances prevented use.
If missed: struck off at the request of any interested party
When updating the logo or the list
Changes by application
Minor changes to the mark or the list are made by application to the ministry; a noticeably new logo usually means a new application.
Triggered by an event
6 months from a foreign application
Priority
Filed the same mark in a Paris Convention or GCC country? You can file in the UAE with that date — with a copy of the first application.
If missed: the right of priority is lost
When selling the mark
Recording the transfer
A transfer of rights takes effect against third parties only once it is recorded in the register and published.
When licensing
A written, certified contract
A licence cannot run longer than the term of protection. Recording it in the register is not required for it to be valid.
Getting it right
Common mistakes — and how to avoid them
Click a card to see how to do it right · 0 of 7 open
01 What people often do
Company name
Assuming a registered company name protects the brand.
02 What people often do
Search
Filing without checking for similar marks.
03 What people often do
Classes
Choosing classes by number without reading the list.
04 What people often do
Rights holder
Registering the mark to a partner or distributor because it’s quicker.
05 What people often do
Reply deadline
Putting the ministry’s objection off until later.
06 What people often do
New logo
Updating the logo and assuming the registration covers it too.
07 What people often do
Mark kept in reserve
Registering a mark and not using it for years.
FAQ
Expert answers
Violetta Absalyamova — Business support and legal matters
Under the ministry’s service rules, examination takes 20 working days on average. Then come publication, the mandatory 30 days for oppositions and the certificate, issued within 30 days after them. The examination time is not the registration time. Objections and oppositions add to it.
Violetta Absalyamova · Business support and legal mattersSources
- UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism — Register Trademark: fees and timing
- UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism — Trademark Registration requirements
- UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism — Renew Registration of Trademark
- UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism — Objection to a Trademark Registration
- UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism — Responding to an Objection
- UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism — Grievance Against the Admin Decision
- UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism — Intellectual Works Rights Registration
- WIPO Lex — UAE trademark law
Deadlines, amounts and rules are based on these sources as of the check date. Rules change: check with us before deciding.
Next step
We’ll check your mark before filing
Send us the name, the logo and a few words about your business. We’ll search the UAE register for identical and similar marks, assess the risk of refusal and suggest classes for the application.
Violetta AbsalyamovaHead of Legal Practice · Business support and legal matters