- Offices in Riyadh, Dubai and London
International Trademark Registration: Protect Your Brand Where You Sell Next
Your trademark is registered in the UAE.
What about the countries where you sell next?
We map where your products are made, sold and headed, then recommend countries, routes, classes and costs in three stages.
Protection Period
Does a UAE trademark protect you in other countries?
No. A UAE trademark registered with MoET protects your brand in the UAE only, and there is no single worldwide trademark. Elsewhere you need a national filing, a regional filing such as an EU trademark or an OAPI registration, or an international application under the Madrid Protocol.
- A gap can mean a rebrand, a delayed launch, or a dispute with someone who registered your name there first.
- Registering your trademark in the UAE first gives you the base for a Madrid application.
- three stages
Plan your international filings in three stages
Your filing plan should follow your business plan. Protect the markets where your brand is exposed now, then add others as the business grows.
To place each country, we ask where your products are made, where customers buy them, which markets come next and which channels you use. For software, we ask whether customers download it or use it online.
Example: a UAE skincare brand
An illustration, not a client case. The brand manufactures in China, sells in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and launches in the EU next year.
Stage 1: the UAE base, China and Saudi Arabia.
Stage 2: the EU, before the launch.
Stage 3: the other GCC states, reviewed each year.
Stage 1: Initial need
- Your launch market, the countries where products are made or sourced, and where you already sell online or through distributors.
- Sourcing countries belong here because some, including China, register the first applicant to file.
Stage 2: Expansion markets
- Countries where you will appoint distributors, franchisees or retailers.
- File before you sign, so you are not negotiating over a brand you do not yet own there.
Stage 3: Longer-term growth
- Markets on the horizon.
- Madrid lets you add countries to an existing international registration later, for a WIPO basic fee of CHF 300 plus each country's fee.
How international trademark registration works from the UAE
There are three routes. A Madrid application, filed through MoET and based on your UAE trademark, designates several countries at once. A direct national filing goes to each country’s own office. A regional filing, such as an EU trademark or an OAPI registration, covers a group of countries in one application. Most plans combine them.
| Madrid, through MoET | Direct national filing | Regional (EU, OAPI, ARIPO) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE mark needed first? | Yes, an application or registration | No | No |
| Who decides | Each designated office | Each national office | The regional office; for ARIPO, each designated state |
| Local representative | Often needed for refusals or oppositions | Usually required for applicants based abroad | Required for applicants outside the region (EU: after filing) |
| Main risk | Depends on the UAE mark for 5 years | Separate deadlines and renewals | EU and OAPI registrations are all or nothing |
Regional detail: one filing for the 27 EU member states and African filing routes.
Madrid or direct filing: how to choose
- Direct filing often suits countries outside Madrid (Kuwait; Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia and Angola), a UAE mark that could still be opposed or narrowed, wording that must differ by country, or markets where the designation fee nears the national fee and a local agent is needed anyway.
- Madrid often suits several member countries with the same goods and services, one renewal date through WIPO, and countries added later.
Get your three-stage filing plan
Tell us where you make, sell and plan to sell. We set out countries, routes, classes and costs for each stage
Is the UAE part of the Madrid Protocol?
Yes. The UAE has been a member of the Madrid Protocol since 28 December 2021. A UAE business can use its UAE application or registration as the base for one international application, filed through MoET, designating other members of the Madrid System, which has 117 members covering 133 countries (WIPO, October 2026).
Your UAE trademark is the foundation for five years
For 5 years from the international registration date, protection depends on your UAE mark. If it is refused, cancelled or limited in that period, the international registration falls to the same extent in every designated country (central attack). You then have 3 months to convert into national or regional applications that keep the original date. So check availability in the UAE and start with a strong UAE registration.
- Directory
The EU, Africa and the GCC: regional options at a glance
One filing with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) covers all 27 EU member states as a single right, so a conflict in one part of the EU can block the whole application. The EU can also be designated through Madrid. It excludes the UK, Switzerland and Norway, and owners with no domicile or real establishment in the European Economic Area (EEA) need an EEA professional representative after filing. Read how EU trademark registration works for UAE businesses.
No single filing covers every African country. OAPI gives one registration in its 17 member states, and ARIPO's Banjul Protocol lets one application designate any of 13 states, each able to refuse it. Large markets such as South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Kenya need national filings, or Madrid where available. See protecting your trademark in Africa through OAPI, ARIPO and national filings.
There is no single GCC trademark; each state keeps its own register. From the UAE you can designate Bahrain, Oman, Qatar (in Madrid since 3 August 2024) and Saudi Arabia (since 8 October 2026). Kuwait is outside Madrid and always needs a direct filing. See registering in each GCC country and trademark protection in Saudi Arabia.
Trademark protection in China
If you make or source goods in China, file there early. China registers the first applicant to file, and use elsewhere gives you no priority there, so a third party can register your mark first.
- The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) registers marks for mainland China, which excludes Hong Kong and Macao.
- The law bars bad-faith filings, but brand squatting remains the main risk for brands that source in China.
- CNIPA judges similarity by subclass, so we plan the specification subclass by subclass.
- Direct filings go through a Chinese trademark agency. A Madrid designation (China has been a member since 1 December 1995) costs CHF 220 for the first class and CHF 110 for each further class.
- Marks unused for 3 consecutive years can be cancelled. A revised Trademark Law takes effect on 1 January 2027.
If copies could reach the UAE, record your UAE trademark with customs so officers can flag suspected counterfeit imports; customs decides each case.
US trademark registration from the UAE
A UAE company can file directly with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) or designate the US through Madrid. Applicants based outside the US must be represented by a US-licensed attorney, and registration depends on using the mark in commerce.
- Government fees (USPTO and WIPO, October 2026): USD 350 per class direct; CHF 460 per class through Madrid.
- Intent-to-use applications prove use before registration; filings based on a foreign registration or Madrid show use later.
- Declarations of use fall between the 5th and 6th year after registration, then with each 10-year renewal.
- Oppositions are due within 30 days of publication, extendable on request.
How much does international trademark registration cost?
It depends on the route, the countries and the classes. A Madrid application costs a WIPO basic fee of CHF 653 (CHF 903 for a mark in color), a fee for each designated country, often per class, and AED 400 to MoET. Our professional fees are quoted separately.
Official Madrid fees (WIPO and MoET, October 2026):
| Item | Official fee |
|---|---|
| MoET fee to send a Madrid application | AED 400 |
| WIPO basic fee, 10 years | CHF 653 black and white CHF 903 color |
| EU designation | CHF 789 first class, CHF 48 second, CHF 144 each further |
| US designation | CHF 460 per class |
| China designation | CHF 220 first class, CHF 110 each further |
| Saudi Arabia designation | CHF 1,397 per class |
| Oman, Qatar, Bahrain designation | CHF 417, CHF 984 and CHF 1,321 per class |
| OAPI designation | CHF 503 first class, CHF 105 each further |
Illustration, official fees only: a color logo in one class designating the EU, Saudi Arabia and China costs CHF 903 + 789 + 1,397 + 220 = CHF 3,309 in WIPO fees, plus AED 400 to MoET.
Direct and regional filings: government fee and professional fee
| Route | Government fee | Professional fee (estimated) |
|---|---|---|
| EU trademark, direct with the EUIPO | EUR 850 for one class | From AED 1,000 for one class |
| OAPI, direct | Confirmed in your quote | From AED 2,000 for one class |
| ARIPO, Banjul Protocol | USD 160 to apply, plus fees per designated state | From AED 4,000 to file, one class |
| US, direct with the USPTO | USD 350 per class | Confirmed in your quote |
Professional fees: estimated until your quote confirms the exact fee and what it covers. Totals also depend on local agent fees for refusals or oppositions, translations and legalization, and renewals every 10 years.
How long does international trademark registration take?
Estimated timeline: MoET aims to send a Madrid application to WIPO within 20 days. Each designated country then has 12 or 18 months to refuse, and the EU, the US and China use 18 months. A direct EU filing usually registers in around five to six months if unopposed. A pending UAE application can be the base, so you need not wait for the UAE certificate.
After filing: refusals, oppositions, renewals and use
What we track for you:
- refusals, answered through a local agent where the office requires one
- opposition deadlines: 30 days in the US, 60 days in the five GCC states that apply the GCC Trademark Law, and 3 months in the EU and OAPI
- use rules: US declarations of use, genuine use in the EU within 5 years of registration, and non-use cancellation in China after 3 years
- WIPO renewal every 10 years (basic fee CHF 653, plus country fees)
- changes of owner, name or address
- in the UAE, customs recordal for your registered mark
Each office decides under its own law, so no provider can promise the outcome.
Why work with Gatestone on international trademark registration
- Consultation first: countries, routes, classes and costs recommended after we learn how you source, sell and expand.
- One team from your UAE base mark to each market in your plan, including refusals, oppositions, infringement and renewals.
- Company formation, PRO and power of attorney services under the same roof as our intellectual property services, with offices in Dubai, Riyadh and London.
- Gatestone’s own trademark is registered in the UAE, in Class 35.
- Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is there such a thing as a worldwide trademark?
Is the UAE part of the Madrid Protocol?
How does the Madrid Protocol work for a UAE business?
Can I file internationally before my UAE trademark is registered?
What happens to my international registration if my UAE trademark is cancelled?
Which countries can I cover through the Madrid System?
Does my UAE trademark protect me in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC?
How much does international trademark registration cost?
How long does international trademark registration take?
How do I check the status of an international trademark?
Plan where your brand goes next
We recommend countries, routes and classes, with official fees and our fees on separate lines.
- Testimonials
What Clients Say About Us
Entrepreneurs, brand owners, and companies choose Gatestone Group because they want clear advice, careful document support, and a smoother trademark registration experience in the UAE.
Mahmood and his team at Gatestone Group where helping a few of my clients with their business in Dubai and their service and communication...
I have had an outstanding experience working with Gatestone for the registration of two business entities in the UAE. From the initial consultation ....