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Country trademark guide · Updated

Trademark registration in Egypt

To register a trademark in Egypt, file with the Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority (EGIPA) or designate Egypt through the Madrid System. Foreign-language documents need an Arabic translation, and filings through an agent need a certified power of attorney. Accepted marks are published, and any interested party can oppose within 60 days.

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Trademark registration in Egypt

Five questions first

Which route?File directly with EGIPA if you only need Egypt or want to file class by class; designate Egypt through Madrid if you already have a home application or registration and want several countries.Details ↓What do I need?Applicant details, the mark, goods or services listed by class and a certified power of attorney; foreign-language documents need an Arabic translation, and everything can be completed within 6 months of filing.Details ↓How are official fees charged?In Egyptian pounds, in stages (filing, publication, registration), with extra classes charged; current amounts have not yet been verified from an official source and are itemised in the agent's quote.Details ↓How long does it take?The law sets no examination deadline and the office publishes no average times; accepted marks are published, and registration follows only after the 60-day opposition period (statutory) ends without opposition.Details ↓What are the main risks?Only visually perceptible signs are protected, so sound and smell marks cannot be registered; documents missing after 6 months make the application void; religious symbols are also barred.Details ↓
Key facts

Trademarks in Egypt: key facts

OfficeEgyptian Intellectual Property Authority (EGIPA), established by Law No. 163 of 2023, which took over the IP functions of the former Internal Trade Development Authority and other bodies. Website and search links: IP Toolbox.
LawLaw No. 82 of 2002 on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights, Book Two; implementing regulations: Prime Ministerial Decree No. 1366 of 2003
Madrid SystemParty to the Madrid Protocol (in force for Egypt since 3 September 2009); Egypt has made no 18-month declaration, so the provisional refusal period is 12 months; no individual fee is charged
Registrable signsOnly visually perceptible signs (Article 63); sound, smell and other non-visual marks cannot be registered
Multi-class applicationsThe regulations allow one application to designate one or more classes, with one registration certificate per application (Article 71 of the implementing regulations)
LanguageForeign-language documents need an Arabic translation
Power of attorneyFilings through an agent need a certified special power of attorney
Completing documents (statutory)All documents required for the application must be filed within 6 months of the filing date, or the application is deemed never to have existed
Amendments and appeals (statutory)Amendments required by the examiner must be made within 6 months; refusal or amendment decisions can be appealed to the Grievance Committee within 30 days
Opposition (statutory)60 days from publication of the acceptance decision in the gazette; the applicant must reply within 30 days of receiving the opposition, or the application is deemed withdrawn
Term and renewalRegistration takes effect from the filing date and lasts 10 years; renew in the last year of the term, with a further 6-month grace period after expiry
Non-useIf a mark has not been seriously used for 5 consecutive years, an interested party can ask the court to cancel the registration
Official feesIn Egyptian pounds; the current amounts could not be verified from an official source, so this page does not list them yet

Checked on 2026-10-06; general information only — the office's published rules and fees prevail.

Which route

Direct filing or a Madrid designation

Both routes lead to protection in Egypt. They differ in prerequisites, how classes are handled, refusal deadlines and risks.

ItemDirect filing with EGIPAMadrid designation of Egypt
PrerequisiteNoneA basic application or registration at your office of origin
ClassesOne application can cover several classes, or you can file class by class; with separate filings, an objection in one class does not hold up the othersOne international application can designate several classes, and Egypt examines it as a whole
Official feesPaid to EGIPA in Egyptian pounds, in stagesBasic fee and standard designation fee (Egypt charges no individual fee) paid to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); see the WIPO fee calculator
Power of attorney and translationsA certified power of attorney and Arabic translations are needed from filing, completed within 6 months of the filing date at the latestForwarded through WIPO at filing, with no Egyptian power of attorney needed; if a provisional refusal has to be answered, appoint a local agent as advised
Refusal deadlineThe law sets no examination deadlineEgypt must notify any provisional refusal within 12 months
Dependency riskNoneIf the basic application or registration is refused or cancelled within 5 years, the Egyptian designation falls with it
Best forYou only need Egypt; you want to file class by class; you have no home filing to rely onYou already have a home filing and want protection in several countries

Not sure? Run a free search first, then submit an order online; the agent will recommend a route based on the search results.

What to prepare

Documents checklist

For a direct application to EGIPA, prepare the following information and documents. Signed documents such as the power of attorney are provided as your agent instructs once the order is accepted.

Applicant

  • Name, nationality, address and address for service
  • Where the business or activity using the mark is carried on

The mark

  • A representation of the mark, matching the one on the application form; the mark is registered in the colours specified, and if none are specified, the examiner can ask for them before publication
  • Only visually perceptible signs (words, figures, letters, numerals, combinations of colours and the like)

Goods and services

  • The specific goods or services and their classes, under the Nice Classification
  • One application can cover one or more classes; filing class by class keeps the other classes moving if one meets an objection

Power of attorney and priority

  • Filing through an agent: a certified special power of attorney
  • Earlier application filed abroad: priority can be claimed within 6 months, stating the earlier filing date and filing supporting documents
  • Documents in a foreign language need an Arabic translation; all must be filed within 6 months of the filing date

Notarisation and legalisation of the power of attorney follow your agent's instructions. Licence agreements must be certified, or have their signatures certified, before they can be recorded, and are effective against third parties only once recorded and published.

How long

Process and timeline

Example: a direct application with no refusal or opposition.

  1. Step 1

    Clearance search (recommended)

    Search for similar marks and settle the classes and wording

  2. Step 2

    Filing

    File the application and pay the filing fee; the power of attorney, translations and other documents must be completed within 6 months of the filing date at the latest (statutory)

  3. Step 3

    Examination

    Distinctiveness, prohibited signs and earlier marks are examined; required amendments within 6 months (statutory), and decisions can be appealed within 30 days (statutory)

  4. Step 4

    Publication of acceptance

    The acceptance decision is published in the Trademarks and Industrial Designs Gazette, issued in the first week of each month

  5. Step 5

    Opposition period

    60 days from publication (statutory); if opposed, the applicant replies within 30 days of receiving the opposition (statutory)

  6. Step 6

    Registration and certificate

    Registration is granted, published in the gazette and a certificate issued; it takes effect from the filing date

Egyptian law sets no examination deadline and the office publishes no statistics on average registration times, so this page gives no estimated duration; amendments, appeals or oppositions make the process longer.

How to read the periods: "statutory" = set by law; "official statistics" = averages published by the office; "estimate" = typical cases. Actual timing varies.

How much

Official fees

Official fees are charged in Egyptian pounds and paid in stages: the filing fee at filing, the publication fee after acceptance and the registration fee once the opposition period has ended; each extra class in an application increases the filing and registration fees. Renewal costs the same as the original application, and renewal in the grace period carries a surcharge.

Official fees for this jurisdiction are being compiled; after you submit an order, the agent quotes them together with the service fee.

Official fees are as published by the office; the service fee is quoted by an agent after you submit, and you pay only after accepting the quote.

Need to register a trademark in Egypt?

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EGIPA's current trademark fee schedule could not be verified from its official sources, so the fee table does not list amounts yet and no example is given; the agent's quote will itemise official fees at current rates.

Service fees, including the Egyptian local agent's fee, are quoted by the agent after you submit the order; you pay only after accepting the quote.

Watch out

Rules specific to Egypt and common refusals

These are common grounds for refusal in Egyptian examination, along with Egypt-specific rules that are easy to overlook.

Only visible signs are protected (Article 63)

Egyptian law requires a trademark to be a visually perceptible sign. Sound, smell and other non-visual marks cannot be registered; if you hold a sound mark elsewhere, protect it in Egypt as a word or figurative mark instead.

Documents missing after 6 months: the application is void

Article 73 of the implementing regulations: the documents required for the application (power of attorney, priority document, Arabic translations and so on) must be filed within 6 months of the filing date; otherwise the application is deemed never to have existed and the filing date is lost. Arrange certification of the power of attorney early.

Religious and state symbols, public order (Article 67)

Signs identical or similar to symbols of a religious nature, or contrary to public order or morality, are refused; so are the emblems and flags of states and international organisations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems and their imitations, and portraits of others without their consent.

Similarity to earlier marks

If a mark is similar to an earlier registered or filed mark, the examiner can require amendments and refuses the application if they are not made within 6 months. If the Grievance Committee upholds a refusal on similarity, registration can only be obtained through a final court judgment (Article 79). A clearance search before filing greatly reduces the risk.

Non-distinctive elements must be disclaimed

If a mark contains non-distinctive elements, or only the generic name or image of the goods, the examiner can require a disclaimer of exclusive rights in those elements before acceptance (Article 86 of the implementing regulations).

Stability after 5 years of registration

A registrant who has registered and used the mark for 5 years is presumed to be its owner; a prior user can challenge the registration only within those 5 years, while bad-faith registrations can be challenged at any time (Article 65). Act early against copycat filings.

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After registration

Keeping the registration

An Egyptian registration lasts 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed indefinitely. If the 6-month grace period is missed, the office removes the mark from the register; for 3 years after removal, only the former owner can register it again.

WhenWhat to doOfficial fee
Last year of the termFile the renewal request; the renewal is published in the gazetteThe same as the original application fee (Article 90), at current rates
Within 6 months after expiryRenew in the grace periodThe renewal fee plus a surcharge
Within 3 years of removalThe former owner re-registers (no one else can register it, unless a court has declared the mark invalid)At current rates
Any timeRecord an assignment, licence or pledge, which is effective against third parties only once recorded and publishedAt current rates

If a mark has not been seriously used for 5 consecutive years, an interested party can ask the court to cancel the registration, so keep evidence of use. E-commerce brand registries usually also require a registered or pending trademark.

FAQ

Trademark registration in Egypt

How much does an Egyptian trademark cost?

Official fees are charged in Egyptian pounds in three stages (filing, publication and registration), with extra classes charged. EGIPA's current fee schedule has not yet been verified from an official source, so this page does not list amounts; the agent's quote will itemise official fees and service fees, including the local agent's fee.

How long does Egyptian trademark registration take?

Egyptian law sets no examination deadline and the office publishes no average times. The statutory periods that are certain are: documents completed within 6 months of filing; after acceptance, publication in the gazette and a 60-day opposition period; if opposed, a reply from the applicant within 30 days.

Can one Egyptian application cover several classes?

Yes. Article 71 of the implementing regulations allows one application to designate one or more classes, with one registration certificate on acceptance. The whole application is examined together, though, so an objection in one class can hold up the others; for key classes, consider separate applications.

What documents are needed to register a trademark in Egypt?

The applicant's name, nationality and address, a representation of the mark, the goods or services listed under the Nice Classification and, when filing through an agent, a certified power of attorney; for a priority claim, proof of the earlier application. Foreign-language documents need an Arabic translation, and all documents must be filed within 6 months of the filing date.

What is the Egyptian trademark office called now?

Law No. 163 of 2023 established the Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority (EGIPA), which took over the IP functions of the former Internal Trade Development Authority and other bodies; trademarks, industrial designs, patents and copyright are now all handled by EGIPA. Older references to the "Trademarks and Industrial Designs Office" or "ITDA" mean the former authorities.

Can a sound mark be registered in Egypt?

No. Article 63 of Egypt's Law on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights requires a trademark to be a visually perceptible sign, so sound, smell and other non-visual marks cannot be registered.

Other IP rights

Patents: under Book One of the same law, invention patents last 20 years from the filing date in Egypt and utility models 7 years, non-renewable, both subject to annual fees; Egypt is a PCT contracting state, so PCT applications can enter the Egyptian national phase.

Industrial designs: protected for 10 years from the filing date in Egypt, extendable by 5 years if requested in the final year.

Patent applications are handled through an affiliated patent agency.

Other countries and territories in the region

Saudi Arabia · Jordan · Lebanon · Morocco · Algeria · Nigeria

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Order online · Egypt trademark registration

Enter the mark, classes and applicant; an agent quotes after you submit. Once you accept the quote you pay online and can follow progress in your account.

Start your order (Egypt selected) Get a trademark search report first

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Notice: the services described on this page are carried out by locally licensed partner firms; J&C is your point of contact and coordinates and delivers the work. Fees shown are estimates; official fees are those actually charged by the office and the final quote is confirmed by an agent. Examination times are set by each office and the outcome depends on official examination; we make no promise as to results. By submitting an order you agree that the information needed for the work is shared with the relevant partner firm (which may be outside your country). This page is general information, not legal advice.

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