- Offices in Riyadh, Dubai and London
EU Trademark Registration for UAE Businesses
One trademark filing for all 27 EU member states.
We check your mark, choose classes for how you sell in Europe and compare direct EUIPO filing with Madrid, before anything is filed. EU trademark registration gives your brand one right across the 27 EU member states, through a single application to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
Protection Period
What does an EU trademark cover?
An EU trademark is a single registration from the EUIPO, based in Alicante, Spain, that protects your brand in all 27 EU member states. It lasts 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed indefinitely. It does not cover the UK, Switzerland, Norway or any GCC country.
The 27 member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Your UAE and GCC markets need their own filings, so plan protection across all your markets.
Can a UAE company register an EU trademark?
Yes. Any business can file an EU trademark application, including a company based in the UAE. If you have no domicile, principal place of business or real and effective establishment in the European Economic Area (EEA), an EEA professional representative must act for you in all EUIPO proceedings after filing.
Estimated: the EUIPO does not usually ask for supporting documents at filing. We confirm what your application needs, and how the representation rule applies to you, at the consultation.
To file, you need:
- the mark: a word, a logo, or both
- the goods and services you will sell in the EU
- applicant details that match your trade license
- a filing language, plus a second language from English, French, German, Italian or Spanish
- payment of the EUIPO fee within one month of filing
Direct EUIPO filing or Madrid designation?
A UAE business has two routes. A direct EUIPO application needs no UAE trademark. A Madrid application filed through the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET) can designate the EU, but it must be based on your UAE application or registration and depends on it for five years. The better choice depends on your other markets.
| Direct EUIPO filing | Madrid designation of the EU | |
|---|---|---|
| UAE trademark needed first? | No | Yes, a UAE application or registration |
| Official fees | EUR 850 for one class EUR 50 for the second EUR 150 for each further class | WIPO basic fee (CHF 653, or CHF 903 in color), the EU fee (CHF 789 for one class, CHF 48 second, CHF 144 each further) and AED 400 to MoET |
| Dependency | None | Falls with the UAE mark if it is cancelled or narrowed within 5 years; 3 months to convert it into a direct filing that keeps its date |
| Examination | By the EUIPO, with publication usually 8 to 11 weeks after payment | The EU has up to 18 months to refuse |
| Often suits | The EU is your only or main new market, or your UAE mark could still be challenged | You are designating other Madrid countries in the same application |
The EU has been a Madrid member since 1 October 2004. Estimated: an EU application filed within 6 months of your UAE application can usually claim the UAE filing date. Compare Madrid and direct filing across all your markets, and check that your UAE trademark application is sound before relying on it.
Check your mark and route before you file
We review the EU risk, agree your classes and compare direct and Madrid filing for your plan.
How to register a trademark in the EU, step by step
EUIPO trademark registration follows the stages below, starting with our consultation and search.
How long does EU trademark registration take?
Estimated timeline: a standard application is usually published 8 to 11 weeks after the fee is paid. If nobody opposes it during the 3-month opposition period, registration follows, so around five to six months in total. An opposition adds a 2-month cooling-off period and an estimated 7 to 10 months or more.
Checking EU trademarks before you file
Search EU trademarks and the national registers of the member states you plan to sell in. The EUIPO’s TMview database and WIPO’s Global Brand Database are free starting points. Similar marks for related goods need judgment as well as a search, and a clear result does not guarantee acceptance.
Choosing classes and wording for how you sell in Europe
Each class should earn its place, since every class from the third adds EUR 150 and the mark must be used. We ask:
- What will you sell in the EU in the next five years? The mark must be put to genuine use within 5 years after registration.
- How will you sell: your own website, online marketplaces, distributors or retailers, franchisees or licensees? Each channel can change the goods and services to cover.
- For software or apps: is it downloaded or used online, and what services sit behind it?
- Does the brand name mean something in an EU language? A descriptive meaning in one language can block the whole application.
If the EU is one of several new markets, we set it within a staged plan for all your markets.
How much does an EU trademark cost?
The EUIPO’s online fee is EUR 850 for one class, EUR 50 for a second class and EUR 150 for each class from the third (EUIPO, October 2026). It is paid within one month of filing. Our professional fees are quoted separately, and oppositions or objections add cost.
EUIPO online filing fees by number of classes
Unexpected invoice: The EUIPO never sends invoices asking for direct payment. If you receive an unexpected “renewal” or “publication” invoice, check it with us before paying.
After registration: use, renewal, ownership changes and enforcement
An EU trademark suits brands that sell, or plan to sell, in several member states. If you sell in only one or two EU countries, or a conflicting mark already exists in part of the EU, national filings there may fit better, since the EU application is all or nothing. We set out both options with their costs.
After registration, we help you keep the mark in force:
- Use: genuine use within 5 years after registration, or the mark becomes vulnerable.
- Renewal: every 10 years from the filing date, in the 6 months before expiry or within a further 6 months with a 25% surcharge. You can renew fewer classes. Estimated: renewal fees match the filing fees, from EUR 850 for one class.
- Oppositions: conflicting EU applications can be opposed within 3 months of publication, and Gatestone handles the opposition.
- Ownership: changes of owner, name or address, recorded so the register matches your business.
- Enforcement: border action and market action are separate steps, and the authorities decide each case.
Expanding into Africa as well? Read about protecting your brand in African markets.
EU trademark or national filings?
An EU trademark suits brands that sell, or plan to sell, in several member states. If you sell in only one or two EU countries, or a conflicting mark already exists in part of the EU, national filings there may fit better, since the EU application is all or nothing. We set out both options with their costs.
Why UAE businesses work with Gatestone on EU trademarks
- Consultation first: route, classes and cost agreed with you before filing.
- One team for your UAE base mark, the EU and your other markets, and for oppositions after filing, through our international trademark registration service.
- Offices in Dubai, Riyadh and London.
- EUIPO fees and our fees on separate lines in every quote.
- Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can a UAE company register an EU trademark?
Do I need an EU representative to file an EU trademark?
How much does an EU trademark cost?
How long does EU trademark registration take?
Do I need a UAE trademark before I apply in the EU?
Does an EU trademark cover the UK?
How long is the EU trademark opposition period?
How do I check whether a trademark already exists in the EU?
Do I have to use my EU trademark to keep it?
How do I renew an EU trademark?
Plan your EU trademark with one team
We recommend your route and classes, and quote EUIPO 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 ....