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Country trademark guide · Updated

Trademark registration in Qatar

To register a trademark in Qatar, file with the Intellectual Property Rights Protection Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry or, since 3 August 2024, designate Qatar through Madrid. Under the GCC Trademark Law, applicants based abroad use a registered local agent, applications normally cover one class and fees are paid in three stages.

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Trademark registration in Qatar

Five questions first

Which route?File directly with the MoCI if you only need Qatar or want to file quickly; designate Qatar through Madrid if you already have a home application or registration and want several countries.Details ↓What do I need?Applicant details and proof of business activity, the mark and its description, goods or services in the chosen class, a power of attorney notarised, authenticated and translated into Arabic, and an Arabic translation of foreign wording.Details ↓How are official fees charged?Per application, per class: QAR 1,000 filing, QAR 500 publication and QAR 3,000 registration and certificate, paid in three stages. Service fees are quoted by the agent after you submit the order.Details ↓How long does it take?Statutory: an examination decision within 90 days of filing and a 60-day opposition period after publication. With no refusal or opposition, the certificate takes about 7 months or more (estimate).Details ↓What are the main risks?Religious symbols, national emblems and similarity to earlier marks are the most common problems; applications normally cover one class; for Madrid designations, licences must be recorded in Qatar to take effect.Details ↓
Key facts

Trademarks in Qatar: key facts

OfficeIntellectual Property Rights Protection Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI). Website and search links: IP Toolbox.
LawTrademark Law of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States, enacted in Qatar by Law No. 7 of 2014; implementing regulations and fee schedule issued by Decision No. 56 of 2023 of the Minister of Commerce and Industry, published in the Official Gazette on 9 July 2023
Madrid SystemThe Madrid Protocol has applied to Qatar since 3 August 2024; provisional refusal period of 18 months; an individual fee is charged for designating Qatar; licences recorded in the International Register have no effect in Qatar, and Qatar does not process divisions of international registrations
Foreign applicantsApplicants without a domicile in Qatar must file through an agent domiciled in Qatar and entered in the register of trademark agents; the original power of attorney must be notarised, authenticated and translated into Arabic
One class per applicationThe implementing regulations limit each application to one class; several classes in one application are allowed only with the office's consent. Official fees are charged per application, per class
Foreign-language wordingForeign wording needs a certified Arabic translation stating its pronunciation; sound marks and scent marks can also be registered
Examination period (statutory)A decision within 90 days of filing; requests to complete or amend the application must be answered within 90 days, or the application is deemed abandoned
Payment deadlines (statutory)Publication fee within 30 days of the acceptance notice; registration fee within 30 days after acceptance becomes final; missing either deadline means the application is deemed abandoned
Opposition (statutory)60 days from publication in the Trademark Gazette; the applicant must file a written response within 60 days of receiving a copy of the opposition
Remedies against refusal (statutory)Appeal to the Grievance Committee within 60 days of receiving a refusal or conditional acceptance; the committee's decision can be challenged in court within 60 days
Term and renewalRegistration takes effect from the filing date and lasts 10 years; renew in the final year of the term, with a 6-month grace period after expiry
Non-useAfter 5 consecutive years without actual use, an interested party can ask the court to cancel the registration
Filing feesPer application, per class: QAR 1,000 filing, QAR 500 publication and QAR 3,000 registration and certificate (fee schedule of Decision No. 56 of 2023)

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 registration in Qatar. They differ in prerequisites, class rules, how official fees are paid, examination time and how licences are recorded after registration.

ItemDirect filing with the MoCIMadrid designation of Qatar
PrerequisiteNoneA basic application or registration at your office of origin; only international applications or subsequent designations filed on or after 3 August 2024 can designate Qatar
ClassesOne class per application as a rule; several classes are filed as separate applicationsOne international registration can cover several classes
Official feesPer class: QAR 1,000 filing, QAR 500 publication and QAR 3,000 registration and certificate, paid to the MoCI in three stages as the application progressesBasic fee and Qatar's individual fee (in Swiss francs, as published by WIPO) paid to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Local agentRequired from filing for applicants based abroad: an agent on the register of agents; the power of attorney must be notarised, authenticated and translated into ArabicNot needed when filing through WIPO; if a Qatari provisional refusal has to be answered, a local agent is appointed following the agent's instructions
Examination timeStatutory decision within 90 daysQatar can notify a provisional refusal within 18 months; a refusal based on an opposition can be notified after the 18 months
Licence recordalWith the MoCILicences recorded in the International Register have no effect in Qatar and must also be recorded with the MoCI
Dependency riskNoneIf the basic application or registration is refused or cancelled within 5 years, the Qatari designation falls with it
Best forYou only need Qatar; you want to file quickly; you have no home filing to rely onYou already have a home filing, want protection in several countries or need many classes

Not sure? Run a free search first, then submit an order online; the agent will recommend a route based on the search results. For other Gulf states, see Trademark registration in the United Arab Emirates and Trademark registration in Saudi Arabia.

What to prepare

Documents checklist

For a direct application to the MoCI, prepare the following information and documents. Signed documents such as the power of attorney are provided after the order is accepted, following the agent's instructions.

Applicant

  • Name, address and nationality; for a company, its name and address
  • Proof of business activity (for a company, usually its commercial registration or trade licence)

The mark

  • Representation of the mark
  • An accurate description of the mark
  • Wording in Latin, Chinese or any other foreign script: a certified Arabic translation stating its pronunciation
  • Sound marks: musical notation or a written description; scent marks: a written description

Goods and services

  • Specific goods or services and their class under the Nice Classification
  • One class per application as a rule; several classes are filed as separate applications, each with its own fees

Power of attorney and priority

  • Power of attorney: the original notarised, authenticated and translated into Arabic, with a copy checked against the original filed with the application
  • Earlier application filed abroad: priority can be claimed within 6 months, stating its date, number and country, with a priority certificate, a copy and an Arabic translation; the priority document can be filed up to 3 months after the application

Follow your agent's instructions on how to have the power of attorney notarised and authenticated. For recording an assignment, the deed of assignment, proof of business activity and power of attorney must also be notarised, authenticated and translated into Arabic.

How long

Process and timeline

Example: a direct application with no refusal and no opposition.

  1. Step 1

    Clearance search (recommended)

    Search for similar marks and settle the class and goods, taking account of the Arabic meaning and pronunciation as well

  2. Step 2

    Filing

    File with the MoCI through a registered agent and pay the filing fee (QAR 1,000)

  3. Step 3

    Examination decision

    Within 90 days (statutory); requests to complete the application are answered within 90 days (statutory)

  4. Step 4

    Publication fee and publication

    Pay the publication fee (QAR 500) within 30 days of the acceptance notice; the mark is published in the Trademark Gazette

  5. Step 5

    Opposition period

    60 days from publication (statutory)

  6. Step 6

    Registration fee and certificate

    Pay the registration and certificate fee (QAR 3,000) within 30 days after acceptance becomes final and receive the certificate

"About 7 months or more" is an estimate obtained by adding up the statutory periods above (90 days for examination + up to 30 days to pay the publication fee + 60 days of opposition + up to 30 days to pay the registration fee), not counting the wait for publication; the MoCI publishes no statistics on average registration times. Requests to complete the application, appeals or oppositions take 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 per mark, per class, and each application normally covers only one class, so in practice they are charged per class. They are paid in three stages: the filing fee at filing, the publication fee after acceptance and the registration and certificate fee after acceptance becomes final; the last two each have a 30-day deadline. The table below shows the current rates in the fee schedule of Decision No. 56 of 2023.

ItemChargedAmountApprox. USD
Paid on filing
Application fee (per application, per class)Per class1,000 QAR≈ USD 304
Paid on registration
Publication fee (payable within 30 days of acceptance, per class)Per class500 QAR≈ USD 152
Registration and certificate fee (payable within 30 days after acceptance becomes final, per class)Per class3,000 QAR≈ USD 912
Keeping the registration
Renewal fee (within the last year of protection, per class)Per class3,000 QAR≈ USD 912
Renewal fee in the grace period (within 6 months after expiry, per class)Per class4,000 QAR≈ USD 1,220
Renewal publication fee (per class)Per class500 QAR≈ USD 152
Other
Request for preliminary examination of a trademark (per mark, per class)Per class1,000 QAR≈ USD 304
Appeal against refusal or conditional acceptance (per mark, per class)Per class1,000 QAR≈ USD 304

Source: Qatar Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Decision No. 56 of 2023, Trademark Services Fee Schedule (WIPO Lex QA038) · current fees in force since 2023-07-10 · checked on 2026-10-07 · USD figures are approximate, converted at the Bank of China spot selling rate (or, for currencies it does not quote, at the central bank's published USD rate); the official fee is the amount in the original currency

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.

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Example: to register a mark in 2 classes, you file 2 applications. At filing you pay 2 × QAR 1,000 = QAR 2,000; after acceptance, 2 × QAR 500 = QAR 1,000 in publication fees; then 2 × QAR 3,000 = QAR 6,000 for registration and certificates: QAR 9,000 in total.

Other common official fees: opposition, QAR 1,000 (plus QAR 500 for a hearing); appeal against a refusal or conditional acceptance, QAR 1,000; request for a preliminary trademark examination, QAR 1,000.

Service fees, including the Qatari 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 Qatar and common refusals

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

Religious symbols and public order (Article 3(2) and (5))

Signs identical or similar to symbols of a purely religious nature, and words or devices contrary to public morality or public order, cannot be registered. The Arabic translation and pronunciation of the mark are also examined: foreign wording that is harmless in itself but has an improper meaning in Arabic can also be refused.

National and international emblems (Article 3(3) and (4))

Coats of arms, flags, military and honorary emblems, decorations and currency of the Gulf states and other countries, emblems of Arab or international organisations and imitations of them, and the Red Crescent and Red Cross emblems cannot be registered or form part of a mark.

Similarity to earlier marks (Articles 3(11) and 4)

A mark identical or similar to someone else's earlier application or registration, for identical or related goods, is refused; well-known marks may be protected even for dissimilar goods. A clearance search before filing greatly reduces this risk.

One class per application as a rule

Qatar's implementing regulations limit each application to one class, with several classes only with the office's consent, and every item in the fee schedule is charged per application, per class. Several classes usually mean separate applications and separate fees, so settle the classes and goods before filing.

Madrid designations of Qatar: licences recorded locally, no division

When acceding to the Madrid Protocol, Qatar declared that licences recorded in the International Register have no effect in Qatar: for a licence to be effective in Qatar, it must be recorded directly with the MoCI. Qatari law does not provide for division of registrations, and Qatar does not submit requests for division of international registrations to WIPO.

Response and payment deadlines

Requests to complete the application must be answered within 90 days, and the publication and registration fees must each be paid within 30 days. Missing any of these deadlines means the application is deemed abandoned; you can only file again, with a later filing date.

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After registration

Keeping the registration

A Qatari registration lasts 10 years and can be renewed without re-examination. After the grace period, the mark is removed from the register; once it has been removed, others generally have to wait 3 years before registering it for identical or similar goods (unless a court sets a shorter period).

WhenWhat to doOfficial fee (per class)
Final year of the termFile the renewal; the renewal is published in the Trademark GazetteQAR 3,000, plus a QAR 500 publication fee
Within 6 months after expiryRenewal in the grace periodQAR 4,000, plus a QAR 500 publication fee
Any timeRecord an assignment (documents must be notarised, authenticated and translated into Arabic)QAR 1,000, plus a QAR 500 publication fee
Any timeRecord a licence (also required for Madrid designations of Qatar)QAR 2,000, plus a QAR 500 publication fee
Any timeChange of the owner's name or addressQAR 500, plus a QAR 200 publication fee

Under Article 38 of the GCC Trademark Law, the owner can ask customs in writing to suspend the release of imports suspected of infringement; customs replies within 7 days and an approval is valid for 1 year. Once goods are detained, the owner must sue within 10 working days. E-commerce brand registries usually also require a registered or pending trademark.

FAQ

Trademark registration in Qatar

How much does a Qatari trademark cost?

Official fees are charged per application, per class: QAR 1,000 filing, QAR 500 publication and QAR 3,000 registration and certificate, QAR 4,500 per class in total, paid in three stages. Service fees, including the local agent's fee, are quoted by the agent after you submit the order; you pay only after accepting the quote.

How long does trademark registration in Qatar take?

Statutory deadlines: the MoCI must issue its examination decision within 90 days of filing, and publication is followed by a 60-day opposition period; after acceptance, and again after acceptance becomes final, there is a payment period of up to 30 days. With no refusal or opposition, adding up these steps gives about 7 months or more to the certificate (estimate). The MoCI publishes no statistics on average times.

Can I designate Qatar through the Madrid System?

Yes. Qatar deposited its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol on 3 May 2024, and the Protocol has applied to Qatar since 3 August 2024. Qatar's provisional refusal period is 18 months and an individual fee is charged; for protection obtained through Madrid, licences must also be recorded with the MoCI to take effect.

Can one Qatari application cover several classes?

In a direct application to the MoCI, the implementing regulations limit each application to one class, with several classes only with the office's consent, and fees are charged per application, per class, so several classes are usually filed separately. If you designate Qatar through the Madrid System, one international registration can cover several classes.

Does one registration cover all six Gulf states?

No. The member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council apply the same trademark law, but registration remains national: Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia each need their own registration, obtained either by filing with the national office (the MoCI in Qatar) or by designating each country through Madrid (the UAE since 28 December 2021, Qatar since 3 August 2024, Saudi Arabia since 8 October 2026). See Trademark registration in the United Arab Emirates and Trademark registration in Saudi Arabia. Kuwait is the only Gulf state outside the Madrid System, so it can only be filed directly through a local agent; see Trademark registration in Kuwait.

Can I register a mark that is not in Arabic?

Yes. Marks with English, Chinese or other foreign wording need a certified Arabic translation stating its pronunciation; if the translation directly describes the goods or has an improper meaning, the mark may be refused. If you target the local market, consider also registering an Arabic version of your brand.

Other IP rights

Patents: under the Patent Law promulgated by Decree-Law No. 30 of 2006, invention patents last 20 years from the filing date; Qatar has been a PCT member since 3 August 2011, so PCT applications can enter the Qatari national phase. For the Gulf regional patent system, see Patent applications in the GCC states (GCCPO).

Industrial designs: protected under Law No. 10 of 2020 for 5 years from the filing date in Qatar, renewable twice for 5 years each; Qatar is not a party to the Hague Agreement, so design applications must be filed directly in Qatar.

Patent applications are handled through an affiliated patent agency.

Other countries and territories in the region

United Arab Emirates · Saudi Arabia · Jordan · Lebanon · Israel · Iran

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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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