Who can register a trademark in the UAE?
Any individual or company can register a trademark in the UAE, whether it is based in the UAE or abroad. Article 6 of Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 on Trademarks gives every natural or legal person that right. Applications go to the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET), called the Ministry of Economy in the 2021 law, which keeps the federal Trademarks Register.
How you file depends on where you are:
- Owner domiciled in the UAE: files directly on the Ministry's portal. A company attaches its trade licence. An individual in the UAE filing in a personal name needs no licence.
- Free zone company: treated like any other applicant domiciled in the UAE, under Article 2 of the executive regulations.
- Owner outside the UAE, such as an Indian company or founder: files through a trademark registration agent registered with the Ministry. The agent needs a notarised power of attorney, legally translated into Arabic.
You do not need a UAE company or trade licence to own a UAE trademark. An Indian company can hold the mark itself and license it to a UAE subsidiary or distributor.
What can be registered?
The law protects any distinctive sign used to tell your goods or services apart from others. That covers words, names, letters, numbers, logos, drawings, packaging, colours, three-dimensional shapes and hologram marks. A distinctive sound or smell can also qualify. Collective marks, quality (certification) marks and geographical indications follow extra document rules.
How much does trademark registration cost in the UAE in 2026?
Government fees for a standard UAE trademark are AED 6,500 per class, paid in three stages. The Ministry lists them on its service page, and Cabinet Resolution No. 102 of 2025 sets them. Each class is charged separately, even when several classes share one application.
| Ministry fee (per class) | Amount | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Examination, regular | AED 750 | On filing |
| Examination, expedited (decision within one business day) | AED 2,250 | On filing, instead of AED 750 |
| Publication in the Trademark Bulletin | AED 750 | After acceptance |
| Registration certificate | AED 5,000 | After the opposition period |
| Total, regular route | AED 6,500 | |
| Total, expedited route | AED 8,000 | |
| Registry search (Trademark Inquiry), optional | AED 350 | Before filing |
Fees checked on 22 October 2026 against the MoET Register Trademark service page.
Other official fees worth knowing:
- Late payment fines: AED 100 a month, up to AED 1,000 a year, if the publication fee is paid more than 30 days after acceptance. AED 1,000 a month, up to AED 10,000 a year, if the registration fee is paid more than 30 days after the opposition period ends.
- Opposing someone else's mark: AED 7,500. Replying to an opposition has no Ministry fee.
- Grievance against a refusal: AED 5,000.
- Renewal: AED 6,500 in the last year of protection, or AED 7,250 within six months after expiry, publication fee included.
- Fee relief: members of the National Programme for SMEs get 50% off trademark fees, and People of Determination are fully exempt, under Cabinet Resolution No. 102 of 2025. The service page does not list these, so confirm eligibility with the Ministry before filing.
These are Ministry fees only. Professional fees, legal translation into Arabic and attestation of a power of attorney are extra.
Which trademark classes apply, and can one application cover several?
The UAE uses the international Nice Classification of 45 classes: 34 for goods and 11 for services. You list the goods or services you sell and their classes. Protection covers only what you list, so the specification matters as much as the mark.
Key rules from the Decree-Law and its executive regulations (Cabinet Decision No. 57 of 2022):
- One or several classes per application. A multi-class application is allowed, but every class pays the full fee. Three classes cost AED 19,500 in government fees on the regular route.
- No changes after publication. Once the mark appears in the Bulletin, the application, including its classes, cannot be amended.
- Series of marks. One application can cover marks that share their essential elements and differ only in details such as colour. The goods or services must fall in the same class.
- Colour. A mark registered without a colour claim covers all colours.
- Class is not the test of similarity. Goods in the same class are not automatically similar, and goods in different classes are not automatically different.
How long does UAE trademark registration take?
The Ministry publishes a stated time for each stage but no single end-to-end time. The Decree-Law requires a decision within 90 days of filing. The Ministry's service page states 20 working days for examination, or one business day on the expedited route.
| Stage | Authority's stated time |
|---|---|
| Registry search (Trademark Inquiry) | Results at once |
| Examination and decision | 20 working days; expedited: one business day |
| Your reply to conditions or amendments | Within 30 days, or the application is treated as waived |
| Publication in the Trademark Bulletin | Within 30 days of the acceptance notice; the Bulletin is issued twice a month |
| Opposition period | 30 days from the Bulletin's issue date |
| Registration certificate | Within 30 days after the opposition period ends |
On the Ministry's stated time for each stage, an unopposed application takes about four months from filing to certificate. Late replies or payments add to that. An opposition adds the Ministry's stated 60 working days to decide it, plus any grievance. Protection is backdated: registration takes effect from the filing date. The Bulletin is published online, not in newspapers.
What happens if your trademark is refused or opposed?
You can challenge both a refusal and an opposition, but the deadlines are short and set by law.
- Conditions or refusal. The Ministry can accept a mark subject to restrictions or amendments, or refuse it with written reasons. Reply within 30 days or the application is treated as waived.
- Grievance. File a grievance with the Trademarks Grievances Committee within 30 days of a refusal. A judge chairs the committee. Its decision can be appealed to the Federal Court of Appeal within a further 30 days.
- Opposition. Any interested party can oppose within 30 days of publication. The Ministry serves the opposition on you within 30 days, and you must reply in writing within 30 days of notice. Otherwise the application is treated as abandoned. A hearing may follow.
- After the opposition decision. Either side can take it to the Grievances Committee within 30 days.
Risk continues after registration. Any interested party can ask the Ministry to cancel a mark not used for five consecutive years. The first user of a mark can ask to cancel another person's registration within five years of it, and so can the owner of a well-known mark. For a well-known mark, that limit does not apply if the registration was made in bad faith.
Common reasons UAE trademark applications are refused
Most refusals rest on Article 3 of the Decree-Law, which lists signs that cannot be registered. For business applicants the most common are:
- Marks with no distinctive character, such as the ordinary name or a plain picture of the product.
- Marks identical or similar to an earlier filed or registered mark for the same or related goods or services.
- Copies, imitations or translations of a well-known mark.
- Geographical names that could confuse buyers about origin, and marks with false information about origin or quality.
- A third party's name, picture or trade name used without consent.
- Words such as "Registered", "Copyright" or "Concession".
- Flags, emblems, coins, religious symbols, Red Crescent or Red Cross signs, and marks against public morals or public order.
- Three-dimensional shapes that come from the nature of the goods or are needed for a technical result.
Procedural gaps cause delays too. Typical ones are a missing Arabic translation and pronunciation for foreign words, and a power of attorney that is not notarised or attested. A vague goods list or a missed 30-day reply deadline also slows things down. A registry search before filing, at AED 350 on the Ministry portal, helps you spot conflicts with marks already on the register.
Filing from India: national route or Madrid Protocol?
Indian brand owners have two routes to UAE protection. You can file a national application with the Ministry, or designate the UAE in an international application filed through IP India under the Madrid Protocol. The UAE joined the Madrid Protocol on 28 December 2021, and India on 8 July 2013.
| National filing with MoET | Madrid designation through IP India | |
|---|---|---|
| Who files | A trademark agent registered with the Ministry, for you | You, on IP India's e-filing system (Form MM2(E)) |
| Indian mark needed first | No | Yes, an Indian application or registration as the basic mark |
| Official fees | AED 6,500 per class | IP India handling fee of ₹5,000, WIPO basic fee of CHF 653 (CHF 903 if the mark is in colour), UAE individual fee of CHF 1,420 per class |
| Examination | MoET; 20 working days stated, or one business day expedited | MoET examines under UAE law; the UAE has declared an 18-month limit to notify a refusal |
| Scope | Your own UAE specification | No broader than the Indian basic mark |
| Renewal | With MoET every 10 years | With WIPO every 10 years, with a six-month grace period |
Madrid suits brands that want several countries at once, because one application and one set of fees covers all of them. For the UAE alone, compare the Swiss franc total at the day's exchange rate with AED 6,500 per class. WIPO's individual fees change, so check its Madrid individual fees page before filing. IP India explains its process on its Madrid page.
Claim your Indian filing date
India and the UAE are both members of the Paris Convention. Under Article 11 of the Decree-Law, a UAE applicant can claim priority from an earlier Indian application filed within the previous six months. You attach a copy of the Indian application with its date, number and country. The priority date then appears on the UAE certificate.
Attesting the power of attorney
For a national filing, the Ministry asks for a notarised power of attorney, legally translated into Arabic. The UAE Embassy in New Delhi says a power of attorney must be signed before a notary in India and attested by the Ministry of External Affairs. It is then attested digitally through UAE MoFA: one application covers both the Embassy and MoFA. A power of attorney with commercial content counts as a commercial document. Our attestation guide explains each step.
Why should Indian brand owners register in the UAE?
An Indian trademark does not protect you in the UAE. An Indian registration covers India only, and under UAE law whoever registers a mark is deemed its sole owner. If someone registers your brand first, you face a cancellation case instead of a simple filing.
What a UAE registration gives you:
- The right to stop others using an identical or similar mark for related goods or services where it may confuse the public.
- Criminal penalties against counterfeiters: prison, a fine of AED 100,000 to AED 1,000,000, or both, for forging a mark or knowingly using a counterfeit. Knowingly selling such goods carries up to one year in prison, a fine of AED 50,000 to AED 200,000, or both.
- Customs action: you can apply to customs to stop counterfeit imports. Customs decides within 7 working days, and an accepted request runs for up to one year.
- An infringement complaint route with the Ministry, with a stated time of 40 working days.
- An asset you can license, assign or pledge. A transfer or mortgage binds third parties only once it is entered in the Register and published.
Practical points for Indian companies:
- File before you appoint a UAE distributor or franchisee or start selling there.
- Decide which entity owns the mark: the Indian company, a founder or the UAE company. Ownership can move later by a recorded transfer.
- A trade name is registered with the emirate's economic department, such as DET in Dubai. The trademark is a separate registration with the Ministry.
Setting up a UAE company as well? See business setup in Dubai from India.
How do you renew a UAE trademark?
A UAE trademark is protected for 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed for further 10-year periods. You renew in the last year of protection or within six months after expiry. Renewal needs no new examination, cannot be opposed and is published in the Bulletin. The Ministry states one working day.
If the window passes, the mark is removed from the Register as of the expiry date. Others then cannot register the same mark for the same or similar goods for three years, unless a court sets a shorter period. Keep using the mark, because five years of non-use exposes it to cancellation. Record changes to the owner's name, address or agent with the Ministry so the Register stays accurate.
How Ofin helps with UAE trademark registration
Ofin has an Indian trademark team and a UAE desk, so you can work with one provider on the Indian and the UAE side. Ofin Legal has a 4.9★ Google rating and has served 5,000+ clients since 2019.
- Search and class advice: a Ministry registry search and a check of your goods and services against the Nice classes.
- Indian base mark: our Indian team files and defends your Indian application, which the Madrid route needs. See trademark registration in India.
- Route choice: national filing or Madrid, compared on fees, timing and scope for the countries you want.
- Documents: preparing the power of attorney, notarisation, and MEA and UAE attestation, plus a list of what needs a legal Arabic translation.
- Filing and follow-up: preparing the application, replies to examination conditions, and tracking publication and registration fees. The regulations let only a UAE-domiciled owner or a trademark agent registered with the Ministry submit it.
- Oppositions, renewals and infringement: opposition responses, renewal reminders, and support with renewals and infringement complaints.
Call or WhatsApp Ofin's UAE desk on +971 50 523 5779. If you also need visas or government paperwork in the UAE, see our PRO services.
