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Country trademark guide · Updated

Trademark registration in the United Arab Emirates

To register a trademark in the United Arab Emirates, file with the federal Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET, formerly the Ministry of Economy) or designate the UAE through the Madrid System. Applicants without a UAE domicile must file through a registered local agent; official fees are charged per class and paid in three stages.

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Trademark registration in the United Arab Emirates

Five questions first

Which route?File directly with the MoET if you only need the UAE or want registration sooner; designate the UAE through Madrid if you already have a home application or registration and want several countries.Details ↓What do I need?Applicant details, the mark as a JPEG, goods or services listed by class, a notarised and authenticated power of attorney translated into Arabic, and for foreign-language wording a certified Arabic translation with its pronunciation.Details ↓How are official fees charged?Per class: AED 750 filing, AED 750 publication and AED 5,000 registration, 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 30-day opposition period after publication. With no refusal or opposition, registration takes about 3–4 months (estimate).Details ↓What are the main risks?Similarity to an earlier mark, religious or national symbols and lack of distinctiveness are the most common problems; nothing can be amended after publication, and late payment incurs fines.Details ↓
Key facts

Trademarks in the UAE: key facts

OfficeUAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET; formerly the Ministry of Economy), which accepts trademark applications online. Website and search links: IP Toolbox.
LawFederal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 on Trademarks, in force since 2 January 2022; implementing regulations: Cabinet Decision No. 57 of 2022
Madrid SystemMember since 28 December 2021; provisional refusal period of 18 months; an individual fee is charged for designating the UAE
Foreign applicantsApplicants without a domicile in the UAE must file through a trademark agent registered with the MoET; the power of attorney must be notarised, authenticated and translated into Arabic
Multi-class applicationsAllowed; official fees are charged per class, one set for each class in the application
Foreign-language wordingWording in a foreign language needs a certified Arabic translation stating its pronunciation
Examination time (statutory)The MoET must decide within 90 days of filing; its published service standard is 20 working days
Office action and appeal (statutory)Respond to a request for restriction or amendment within 30 days, or the application is deemed abandoned; a refusal can be appealed to the grievance committee within 30 days
Opposition (statutory)30 days from publication in the Trademark Bulletin
Payment deadlines (statutory)Publication fee within 30 days of the acceptance notice; registration fee within 30 days after the opposition period ends; late payment incurs monthly fines
Term and renewal10 years from the filing date; renew in the final year of the term, with a 6-month grace period after expiry
Non-useAfter 5 consecutive years of non-use, any interested party can request cancellation
Official feesPer class: AED 750 filing, AED 750 publication and AED 5,000 registration (amounts unchanged since 5 April 2020 and retained by Cabinet Resolution No. 102 of 2025)

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 UAE registration. They differ in prerequisites, how official fees are paid, examination time and risk.

ItemDirect filing with the MoETMadrid designation of the UAE
PrerequisiteNoneA basic application or registration at your office of origin
Official feesPer class: AED 750 filing, AED 750 publication and AED 5,000 registration, paid to the MoET in three stages as the application progressesBasic fee and a UAE individual fee (in Swiss francs; see the WIPO fee calculator) paid to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Local agentRequired from filing for applicants based abroad; the power of attorney must be notarised, authenticated and accompanied by an Arabic translationNot needed to file through WIPO; if a UAE provisional refusal has to be answered, a local agent is appointed following the agent's instructions
Examination timeStatutory decision within 90 days; one-day examination is available for an extra feeThe UAE can notify a provisional refusal within 18 months; a refusal based on an opposition can be notified after the 18 months
AmendmentsNo amendments after publication, including to classesCannot go beyond the goods and services of the international registration
Dependency riskNoneIf the basic application or registration is refused or cancelled within 5 years, the UAE designation falls with it
Best forYou only need the UAE; you want registration sooner; 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 the MoET, prepare the following information and documents. Signed documents such as the power of attorney are provided after the order is accepted, following the instructions you receive.

Applicant

  • Name, address and nationality; for a company, the address of its head office
  • Company applicants: a copy of the commercial registration (business licence)

The mark

  • Representation of the mark (JPEG)
  • An accurate description of the mark; if no colours are specified, the registration is treated as covering all colours
  • Wording in a foreign language: a certified Arabic translation, stating its pronunciation
  • Sound marks: musical notation and an mp3 file; scent marks: a written description of the chemical composition

Goods and services

  • Listed class by class under the Nice Classification
  • One application can cover several classes; official fees are charged per class

Power of attorney and priority

  • Power of attorney: notarised, authenticated and translated into Arabic
  • Earlier application filed abroad: priority can be claimed within 6 months, with a copy of the earlier application stating its filing date, number and country

Follow your agent's instructions on how to have the power of attorney notarised and authenticated. Documents to be recorded, such as assignment or licence agreements, must also be 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 classes and description of goods; the MoET also offers a paid search

  2. Step 2

    Filing

    File online and pay the filing fee (AED 750 per class); one-day examination is available for an extra fee

  3. Step 3

    Examination decision

    Within 90 days (statutory); service standard of 20 working days (published by the MoET)

  4. Step 4

    Publication fee and publication

    Pay the publication fee within 30 days of the acceptance notice; the mark is published in the Trademark Bulletin (statutory)

  5. Step 5

    Opposition period

    30 days from publication (statutory)

  6. Step 6

    Registration fee and certificate

    Pay the registration fee within 30 days after the opposition period ends (statutory); the certificate is issued within 30 days after the opposition period (published by the MoET)

"About 3–4 months" is an estimate based on the statutory deadlines and the MoET's published service standard above; the MoET does not publish statistics on average registration times. Refusals, appeals or oppositions add time.

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 class and paid in three stages: the filing fee at filing, the publication fee after acceptance and the registration fee after the opposition period. The table below shows the MoET's current fees; each additional class in the same application adds one more of each of the three fees.

ItemChargedAmountApprox. USD
Paid on filing
Application (examination) fee (per class)Per class750 AED≈ USD 205
Paid on registration
Publication fee (payable within 30 days of acceptance, per class)Per class750 AED≈ USD 205
Registration fee (payable within 30 days after the opposition period, per class)Per class5,000 AED≈ USD 1,370
Other
Official trademark search (per search)Per application350 AED≈ USD 96
Recordal of assignment, licence or pledge (per recordal)Per application1,250 AED≈ USD 342

Source: UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Register Trademark; UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Cabinet Resolution No. 102 of 2025 (trademark service fees) · current fees in force since 2020-04-05 · checked on 2026-10-06 · 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: an application covering 2 classes pays 2 × AED 750 = AED 1,500 at filing, 2 × AED 750 = AED 1,500 in publication fees after acceptance and 2 × AED 5,000 = AED 10,000 in registration fees: AED 13,000 in total.

Late payment incurs fines: AED 100 per month for a late publication fee (up to AED 1,000 a year) and AED 1,000 per month for a late registration fee (up to AED 10,000 a year).

Service fees, including the UAE 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 the UAE and common refusals

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

Religious and national symbols, public morality (Article 3)

Signs identical or similar to symbols of a religious nature, or contrary to public morality or public order, are refused. State and international emblems, flags and currency, and the Red Crescent and Red Cross symbols or imitations of them, cannot be registered or form part of a mark.

Similarity to earlier marks (Article 3(11))

A mark identical or similar to someone else's earlier application or registration, for identical or related goods, is refused; translations and transliterations of well-known marks are also prohibited. A clearance search before filing greatly reduces this risk.

Arabic translation and pronunciation of foreign wording

Wording in a foreign language needs a certified Arabic translation stating its pronunciation. If the Arabic meaning directly describes the goods or carries an improper meaning, the mark may be refused for lack of distinctiveness or as contrary to public order.

No amendments after publication

Once the application is published in the Trademark Bulletin, no amendment is accepted, including to classes. Settle the goods and classes before filing; if the examiner asks for amendments, respond within 30 days or the application is deemed abandoned.

Staged fees and late-payment fines

The publication fee and the registration fee each have a 30-day payment deadline, and late payment incurs monthly fines. Once a mark is removed from the register, others must wait 3 years before registering it for identical or similar goods, unless a court rules otherwise.

Non-use after registration

After 5 consecutive years of non-use, any interested party can request cancellation, unless urgent circumstances prevented use.

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After registration

Keeping the registration

A UAE registration lasts 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed without re-examination. If the grace period is missed, the mark is removed from the register.

WhenWhat to doOfficial fee (per class)
Final year of the termFile the renewal; the renewal is published in the Trademark BulletinAED 5,750
Within 6 months after expiryRenewal in the grace periodAED 6,500
Any timeRecord an assignment, licence or pledge (documents must be authenticated and translated into Arabic)AED 1,250
Any timeChange the name, address or other registered detailsAED 350

Under Article 45 of the Trademark Law, customs can suspend the release of suspected infringing goods for up to 20 days, on its own initiative or at the owner's request; e-commerce brand registries usually also require a registered or pending trademark.

FAQ

Trademark registration in the UAE

How much does a UAE trademark cost?

Official fees are charged per class: AED 750 filing, AED 750 publication and AED 5,000 registration, AED 6,500 per class in total, paid in three stages. With one-day examination, the filing stage costs AED 2,250 instead. 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 UAE trademark registration take?

Statutory deadlines: the MoET must issue its examination decision within 90 days of filing, and its published service standard is 20 working days; publication is followed by a 30-day opposition period. With no refusal or opposition, the deadlines add up to about 3–4 months to registration (estimate). The MoET publishes no statistics on average times.

Can one UAE application cover several classes?

Yes. One application can designate several classes, but official fees are charged per class: each class pays its own filing, publication and registration fee.

What documents do I need to register a trademark in the UAE?

The applicant's name, address and nationality (companies add a copy of their commercial registration), the mark as a JPEG, the goods or services listed by Nice class, and a power of attorney that is notarised, authenticated and translated into Arabic. Foreign-language wording also needs a certified Arabic translation stating its pronunciation.

Is a Dubai trademark the same as a UAE trademark?

Yes. UAE trademarks are registered centrally by the MoET under the federal Trademark Law; businesses in Dubai and every other emirate apply to the ministry.

Can I register a mark that is not in Arabic?

Yes. Wording in English, Chinese or any other foreign language needs a certified Arabic translation stating its pronunciation. If you target the local market, consider also registering the Arabic version of your brand.

Other IP rights

Patents: under Federal Law No. 11 of 2021, invention patents last 20 years from the filing date and utility certificates 10 years, subject to annual fees. The UAE is a PCT member, so PCT applications can enter the UAE national phase.

Industrial designs: protected under the same law for 20 years from the filing date, kept in force by annual fees.

Patent applications are handled through an affiliated patent agency.

IP news: United Arab Emirates

Other countries and territories in the region

Saudi Arabia · Qatar · Jordan · Lebanon · Turkey · India

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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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