Taking a Brand Abroad: Three Routes to International Trademark Registration and What They Cost (2026)
Many companies think about trademarks only after their first overseas order, and then discover that a distributor or a squatter has already filed the name. Trademark rights are territorial: a Chinese registration has no effect in other countries. Before a brand goes abroad, the first decision is which route to use.
Route one: the Madrid System
Based on a home application or registration, the applicant files one international application through its home office to the World Intellectual Property Organization and designates the member countries it needs. The system now covers more than 130 countries and regions.
The advantages are one application, one language and one set of fees, with renewals and changes handled centrally. There are two drawbacks. For five years the international registration depends on the home mark: if the home mark is refused or cancelled, the designations fall with it and can only be converted into national applications at extra cost. The specification of goods is also carried over from the home application, and offices such as the USPTO frequently issue provisional refusals because the wording does not follow local practice, which then requires a local agent to respond.
Fees consist of the basic fee, the individual or complementary fee for each designated country, and the home agent's fee. The more countries designated, the lower the average cost per country.
Route two: direct national filings
The applicant files directly with the trademark office of each target country, almost always through a local agent.
The rights are independent of the home mark, the specification can be drafted to local standards, and the applicant receives that country's own registration certificate, which is the most convenient document for customs recordal and e-commerce brand registries. The disadvantages are separate fees, separate deadlines and separate correspondence for every country.
Costs are the official fees plus the local agent's fee. In major markets such as the United States, the European Union, Japan and Korea, a single-class filing typically runs from several hundred to around two thousand US dollars.
Route three: regional registrations
A European Union trade mark covers all member states with one application. The African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) and the Benelux office offer similar regional coverage. This route suits brands whose markets are concentrated in one region.
How to choose
With more than four target countries that are all Madrid members, Madrid is usually the first choice. For the United States, Canada and other markets with strict rules on specifications and evidence of use, or when the home mark is not yet secure, direct national filings are safer. Most companies combine the two: direct filings in core markets and Madrid designations for the rest. Country-by-country requirements are summarised in our Knowledge & Guides.
Checklist before exporting
- Run clearance searches in each target country, including local-language transliterations.
- File the word mark in Chinese and in the Latin alphabet, and in the local script where relevant.
- Make sure the applicant's name and address match the incorporation documents exactly.
- Record each country's opposition period and use requirements.
J&C Intellectual Property Agency (JCIPO), founded in Qingdao in 2008, is a CNIPA-recorded trademark agency and a member of the China Trademark Association. We handle domestic and international trademark filings, Madrid registrations, watch services and enforcement. Patent filings are handled through an affiliated patent agency.
