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Country trademark guide · Updated

Trademark registration in El Salvador

In El Salvador, applications are usually filed through a local agent directly with the Salvadoran Intellectual Property Institute (ISPI), under the National Registry Centre (CNR): the country is not in the Madrid System. Since February 2025, applications are published once in ISPI's electronic bulletin, with 2 months for oppositions; official fees are charged per class in US dollars.

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Five questions first

Which route?El Salvador is not a Madrid member, so a local agent files directly with ISPI; if your first application abroad was filed less than 6 months ago, you can claim its priority.Details ↓What do I need?The applicant's name, address and country, the mark (with a Spanish translation of foreign words), goods and services by Nice class, and a power of attorney; if claiming priority, a certified copy of the earlier application within 3 months.Details ↓How are official fees charged?In US dollars per class: filing 20, publication in the electronic bulletin 50 (plus 5 per extra class), registration 80, renewal 100. Service fees are quoted by the agent after you submit the order.Details ↓How long does it take?Statutory: 10 business days to fix formal defects, 4 months to answer grounds for refusal, 2 months for oppositions after publication, and 3 months to pay the registration fee after grant. No official average times.Details ↓What are the main risks?You must request publication within 4 months and pay the registration fee within 3 months, or the application lapses; 5 years of non-use allows court cancellation; products must state the producer's relationship to the trademark owner.Details ↓
Key facts

Trademarks in El Salvador: key facts

OfficeSalvadoran Intellectual Property Institute (Instituto Salvadoreño de la Propiedad Intelectual, ISPI), under the National Registry Centre (Centro Nacional de Registros, CNR); since 2025 it has replaced the former Intellectual Property Registry. Website and search links: IP Toolbox.
LawIntellectual Property Law (Legislative Decree No. 66 of 2024, published in the Official Gazette No. 153, Volume 444, on 15 August 2024; in force 6 months after publication, that is from February 2025; it repealed the 2002 Law on Trademarks and Other Distinctive Signs). Official fees are set directly in Article 325 of the Law
How rights ariseRights arise from registration; between two or more applications, the date and time of filing decide; no proof of use is required to apply, and neither use nor registration of a mark is compulsory
Madrid SystemNot a member of the Madrid Protocol (WIPO list of members, checked on 15 October 2026): El Salvador cannot be designated in an international registration
RepresentationYou can act in person or through a legal representative or an attorney-in-fact; where the attorney-in-fact is a lawyer, it must be a Salvadoran lawyer; a power of attorney already recorded at ISPI only needs to be cited, not filed again
Classes and multi-class filingNice Classification; one application can cover several classes; filing, registration and renewal fees are charged per class, and the publication fee is USD 50 for the first class plus 5 for each additional class
Responses to objections (statutory)Filing-date requirements must be completed within 10 business days; formal defects must be fixed within 10 business days, or the application lapses; grounds for refusal must be answered within 4 months from the day after notification; at any stage, 6 months without action after the last notification makes the application lapse
Publication and opposition (statutory)Once the application passes examination and is admitted, you must request publication within 4 months of the notice and pay the publication fee; ISPI publishes the application once in its electronic Intellectual Property Bulletin within 10 business days; oppositions can be filed within 2 months from the date of electronic publication
Registration fee (statutory)With no opposition, or once an opposition is dismissed, ISPI decides to grant registration; if the registration fee is not paid within 3 months of the notice, the decision lapses and the application is deemed abandoned
Term and renewal10 years from the date of registration, renewable indefinitely for further 10-year periods; renewal can be requested at any time during the term, with a surcharge in the 6-month grace period after expiry; a registration not renewed by the end of the grace period lapses automatically
Non-useOnce the registration is 5 years old, if the mark has not been used in El Salvador for 5 consecutive years, anyone with a legitimate interest can ask a court to cancel it; use for export and advertising count as use, and use by a licensee counts as use by the owner
PriorityParis Convention priority of 6 months, counted from the day after the earlier filing; declare it at filing or within 3 months after filing, and file a copy of the earlier application certified by the receiving office within 3 months of filing; an electronically certified copy is accepted, no legalisation, with a simple translation if needed
Invalidity time limitAn invalidity action based on a third party's rights must be brought in court within 5 years of registration; bad-faith registrations are not subject to this limit, and the claimant can also ask for the registration to be transferred to it
Filing feesUSD 20 per class to file, USD 50 for publication (plus 5 for each additional class) and USD 80 per class for registration (Article 325 of the Intellectual Property Law, in force since February 2025)

Checked on 2026-10-15; general information only — the office's published rules and fees prevail.

Which route

Direct filing: whether to claim priority

El Salvador is not part of the Madrid System, so it cannot be designated in an international registration: applications go directly to ISPI, usually through a Salvadoran lawyer. For foreign applicants, the real choice is whether to claim priority from an earlier application filed abroad.

ItemDirect filing without priorityDirect filing claiming priority of an earlier application abroad
PrerequisiteNone; use this if you have no earlier application abroad, or if it was filed more than 6 months agoFiled in El Salvador within 6 months from the day after your first application, for the same mark and the same goods and services
Order of priorityThe date and time of filing with ISPIThe filing date of your first application becomes the priority date; applications filed or use started by others during the priority period cannot be asserted against you and give them no rights
Extra stepsNoneDeclare the priority claim at filing or within 3 months after filing; within 3 months of filing, file a copy of the earlier application certified by the office of first filing; an electronically certified copy is accepted, no legalisation is needed, and a simple translation is attached if required
Official feesUSD 20 per class to file, publication from USD 50, USD 80 per class for registrationSame as direct filing; Article 325 lists no separate priority fee
RiskAnyone who files first in the gap between your home application and your Salvadoran filing can block youBoth the declaration and the priority document have a 3-month statutory deadline; plan them together with the filing
Best forYou have not filed elsewhere yet, or your first application is more than 6 months oldYour first application abroad was filed less than 6 months ago, especially if you are worried about pre-emptive filings in El Salvador

If you are filing across Central America, compare Trademark registration in Guatemala, Trademark registration in Honduras and Trademark registration in Costa Rica: none of the four countries can be designated through Madrid, so you file directly in each; Mexico, by contrast, can be designated through Madrid, see Trademark registration in Mexico. On choosing between the two approaches, see Madrid designation or direct national filing: which one fits your case.

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

What to prepare

Documents checklist

For an application filed with ISPI through a Salvadoran agent, foreign companies and individuals usually prepare the following information and documents. Applications can be filed online through the CNR's eCNR system or on paper, and no evidence of use is needed at filing.

Applicant

  • Name, address and country; write the company name exactly as it appears in the power of attorney, since the certificate is issued with the name as stated in the application
  • An exact address or electronic means for receiving notices; foreign applicants usually use the Salvadoran agent's address or electronic notification
  • For joint applicants, state each applicant's share; if nothing is stated, equal shares are presumed

The mark

  • A graphic representation of the mark; for sound, scent and other marks that cannot be represented graphically, a copy on a digital medium with a written description
  • Non-Spanish words with a meaning must come with a simple Spanish translation
  • If you claim colour, name the colours claimed and state which main parts of the mark use them
  • A mark containing another person's name, signature, pseudonym or portrait needs that person's express consent, or the heirs' consent; state or international organisation emblems need the competent authority's authorisation

Goods and services

  • Listed by Nice class with the goods and services and their class; one application can cover several classes, and official fees are charged per class
  • After filing, you can limit the goods and services at any time (USD 25); extending them is only possible before publication (USD 25), not afterwards

Power of attorney and priority

  • Power of attorney (poder): the application must come with proof of the agent's authority; where the attorney-in-fact is a lawyer, it must be a Salvadoran lawyer. El Salvador applies the Hague Apostille Convention, so where authentication is needed, a power signed in another contracting state is notarised and apostilled, with no consular legalisation; follow your agent's instructions on the format
  • If proof of the agent's authority is not ready, it can be filed within 4 months of the filing date without affecting the filing date; a power already recorded at ISPI only needs to be cited
  • To claim priority: declare it at filing or within 3 months after filing, and within 3 months of filing, file a copy of the earlier application certified by the office of first filing (an electronically certified copy is accepted, no legalisation, with a simple translation if needed)

Provide the power of attorney and other signed documents as your agent instructs. The same applicant cannot file a new application for an identical mark covering the same goods and services while an identical mark is registered or pending in its name.

How long

Process and timeline

Example: a direct application with no grounds for refusal and no opposition. Periods marked "statutory" are set by law; periods the law counts in days are business days, counted from the day after notification.

  1. Step 1

    Clearance search (recommended)

    Search for similar earlier marks and settle the classes and the wording of the goods and services; ISPI offers an automated phonetic similarity search charged per class, USD 20 per class

  2. Step 2

    Filing

    The Salvadoran agent files online through eCNR or on paper and pays the filing fee; ISPI records the date and time of filing; missing filing-date requirements must be completed within 10 business days (statutory)

  3. Step 3

    Formal and distinctiveness examination

    Formal defects must be fixed within 10 business days, or the application lapses (statutory); grounds for refusal must be answered within 4 months from the day after notification (statutory); if an earlier mark is still pending, the application is suspended until it is decided

  4. Step 4

    Publication

    Once ISPI admits the application, you request publication and pay the publication fee within 4 months of the notice (statutory); ISPI publishes the application once in its electronic Intellectual Property Bulletin within 10 business days (statutory)

  5. Step 5

    Opposition period

    2 months from the date of electronic publication (statutory); if an opposition is filed, you answer it within 2 months from the day after notification (statutory)

  6. Step 6

    Registration fee and certificate

    With no opposition, ISPI decides to grant registration; pay the registration fee within 3 months of the notice (statutory); after entry in the register, a paper or electronic certificate is issued, and the registration runs for 10 years from the date of registration

ISPI publishes no verifiable average examination times, so this page lists only statutory periods. At any stage, an application lapses automatically if 6 months pass without action after the last notification, except in cases of force majeure; official fees already paid are not refunded if the application or an opposition is withdrawn.

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 in US dollars and are set directly in Article 325 of the Intellectual Property Law, applicable since the Law came into force in February 2025. Filing, registration and renewal fees are charged per class; the publication fee is charged per application with an addition for each extra class; fees can be paid online through the CNR's eCNR system. One application can cover several classes. The table below shows the current statutory amounts.

ItemChargedAmountApprox. USD
Paid on filing
Filing fee (per class; one application may cover several classes)Per class20 USDUSD 20
Paid on registration
Registration fee (per class; payable within 3 months of notice of the grant decision)Per class80 USDUSD 80
Payable when applicable
Limitation, amendment or division of a pending application (each)Per application25 USDUSD 25
Keeping the registration
Renewal fee (every 10 years, per class)Per class100 USDUSD 100
Surcharge for renewal in the 6-month grace periodPer application100 USDUSD 100
Other
Publication fee in the ISPI electronic Bulletin (per application, first class included; payable when publication is requested after acceptance)Per application50 USDUSD 50
Publication fee surcharge (for each class beyond the first)Each additional class5 USDUSD 5
Post-registration recordal: assignment, licence, change of name or address, limitation, division, voluntary cancellation etc. (each)Per application30 USDUSD 30

Source: Instituto Salvadoreño de la Propiedad Intelectual (ISPI), Centro Nacional de Registros: Ley de Propiedad Intelectual, Decreto Legislativo N.º 66, art. 325 ; CNR Detalle de Servicios del ISPI · current fees in force since 2025-02-15 · checked on 2026-10-15

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.

Example: one mark registered in 1 class: filing fee 20 + publication fee 50 + registration fee 80 = USD 150. One application in 3 classes: filing fee 3 × 20 = 60, publication fee 50 + 2 × 5 = 60, registration fee 3 × 80 = 240, USD 360 in total. The filing fee is paid at filing, the publication fee when you request publication after admission, and the registration fee within 3 months of the grant notice.

Renewal costs USD 100 per class; renewing in the 6-month grace period after expiry adds a surcharge of USD 100. Limiting or extending the goods and services or dividing the application during prosecution costs USD 25 each time; post-registration recordals such as assignments, licences, changes of name or address, division of the registration and voluntary cancellation cost USD 30 each. Before filing, the automated phonetic similarity search costs USD 20 per class and a search by owner USD 50.

Micro and small enterprises and certain other entities enjoy fee reductions under Article 324 of the Law; these do not apply to foreign applicants. Service fees, including the Salvadoran 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 El Salvador and common refusals

These are the most common issues in Salvadoran examination, along with Salvadoran rules that are easy to overlook.

You must request publication yourself; after 4 months the application lapses

Once ISPI passes the examination and admits the application, it does not publish automatically: you must request publication and pay the publication fee within 4 months of receiving the admission notice, and ISPI then publishes the application in its electronic Intellectual Property Bulletin within 10 business days. If no publication is requested within 4 months, the application is deemed lapsed and is archived. This applicant's duty survived the new Law's switch (in force since 2025) from three publications in the Official Gazette and a newspaper to a single publication in the electronic bulletin, so arrange it as soon as the admission notice arrives.

The registration fee is due within 3 months, or the application is deemed abandoned

Once the opposition period ends with no opposition, or the opposition is dismissed, ISPI decides to grant registration and notifies you to pay the registration fee (USD 80 per class); if no proof of payment is filed within 3 months of the notice, the decision lapses and the application is deemed abandoned, and you can only file again. When instructing your agent, check that notification channels work and set aside the funds for the fee.

Short statutory deadlines, and the refusal notice cannot be appealed on its own

Filing-date requirements and formal defects each have only 10 business days for correction; where ISPI objects for lack of distinctiveness or conflict with earlier rights, you have 4 months from the day after notification to answer, and that notice itself is not open to administrative review. Only if you do not answer within 4 months, or the objection stands, does ISPI issue a decision rejecting the application, which can be challenged under the Administrative Procedure Law. In addition, at any stage, 6 months without action after the last notification makes the application lapse automatically.

Non-use cancellation goes to court, advertising counts as use, and the winner gets a preferential right to register

Once the registration is 5 years old, if the mark has not been used in El Salvador for 5 consecutive years, anyone with a legitimate interest can ask the civil and commercial courts to cancel it, and the burden of proving use lies with the owner. Use for export and advertising in any medium count as use, even if the goods are not yet sold locally. Whoever obtains a cancellation judgment has a preferential right to register the mark from the date of the cancellation request until 3 months after the judgment becomes final, so file before entering the Salvadoran market and keep invoices, accounts and advertising evidence.

Products must state the place of production, the producer and its relationship to the trademark owner

Article 130 of the Intellectual Property Law requires all products sold in El Salvador to state clearly the place of production or manufacture, the name of the producer or manufacturer and, where the producer and the trademark owner are not the same, the relationship between them. If you enter El Salvador through contract manufacturers or distributors, prepare the product labels accordingly, or you may be found in breach of the labelling duty.

Similarity, distinctiveness and coexistence agreements

Marks that are visually, phonetically or conceptually similar to an earlier applied-for or registered mark or trade name and likely to cause confusion are refused, as are descriptive terms and generic names, single colours, single letters or numbers not presented in a special distinctive form, and signs identical to a domain name used without authorisation. If an earlier mark is still pending, your application is suspended until it is decided; with a written coexistence agreement or the earlier owner's authorisation, similar marks can coexist, but identical marks cannot. A clearance search before filing greatly reduces these risks.

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After registration

Keeping the registration

A Salvadoran registration lasts 10 years from the date of registration. No declaration of use is required in that time, but once the registration is 5 years old, 5 consecutive years of non-use can lead to court cancellation, and it must be renewed at expiry.

WhenWhat to doOfficial fee
Once the registration is 5 years oldKeep using the mark in El Salvador and keep invoices, accounts, advertising and other evidence; after 5 consecutive years of non-use, a third party can ask a court to cancel the registration, or only the unused goodsNone
During the term, every 10 yearsRenew: you can request renewal at any time during the term; no examination or publication; the mark cannot be changed or goods added, but goods can be limited; the renewal runs from the day after the original expiry dateUSD 100 per class
Within 6 months after expiryYou can still renew in the grace period, during which the registration remains in force; if it is not renewed by the end of the grace period, the registration lapses automaticallyUSD 100 per class + surcharge of USD 100
At any timeAssignments must be in writing and recorded at ISPI to have effect against third parties; changes of name or address must be recorded; licences have effect against third parties without recording, and can be recorded voluntarily for publicityUSD 30 per item

Use by a licensee counts as use by the owner, and differences between the mark as used and as registered only in non-essential details do not affect the registration. Label your products as Salvadoran law requires, stating the place of production, the producer and its relationship to the trademark owner. Once registered, you can ask a court for border measures to suspend customs clearance of infringing goods; e-commerce brand registries usually also require a registered or pending trademark.

FAQ

Trademark registration in El Salvador

How much does a trademark cost in El Salvador?

Official fees are in US dollars per class: USD 20 per class to file, USD 50 for publication in ISPI's electronic bulletin after examination (plus 5 for each additional class) and USD 80 per class for registration after grant. One mark in one class costs USD 150 in official fees in total, and one application in 3 classes USD 360. After registration, renewal every 10 years costs USD 100 per class. Service fees, including the Salvadoran agent's fee, are quoted by the agent after you submit the order.

How long does trademark registration take in El Salvador?

ISPI publishes no verifiable average examination times. The statutory milestones are: formal defects must be fixed within 10 business days, grounds for refusal answered within 4 months, publication requested within 4 months of admission and published by ISPI within 10 business days, 2 months for oppositions after publication, and the registration fee paid within 3 months of the grant notice. If an opposition is filed, you have 2 months to answer, and the overall time grows considerably.

Can I register a trademark in El Salvador through the Madrid System?

No. El Salvador is not a member of the Madrid Protocol (WIPO list of members as of 15 October 2026), so an international registration cannot designate El Salvador; a Salvadoran agent must file directly with ISPI. If your first application abroad was filed less than 6 months ago, you can claim Paris Convention priority when filing in El Salvador, and its filing date decides the order of priority.

Can one application in El Salvador cover several classes?

Yes. The Intellectual Property Law in force since 2025 charges filing, registration and renewal fees per class, with a publication fee of USD 50 for the first class plus 5 for each additional class, and ISPI's electronic bulletin shows applications covering more than ten classes. During prosecution, you can divide the application into several (USD 25), each keeping the original filing date and priority; after publication, the goods and services can no longer be extended.

Does the power of attorney for El Salvador need notarisation or legalisation?

The Intellectual Property Law requires the application to come with proof of the agent's authority, and where the attorney-in-fact is a lawyer, it must be a Salvadoran lawyer, but it does not specify how the document is authenticated. El Salvador has applied the Hague Apostille Convention since 31 May 1996, so where authentication is needed, a power signed in another contracting state is notarised and then apostilled, with no consular legalisation. If the proof of authority is not ready in time, it can be filed within 4 months of the filing date without affecting the filing date; follow your agent's instructions on the format.

Which office registers trademarks in El Salvador, and how do I search a mark?

The trademark office is the Salvadoran Intellectual Property Institute (ISPI), under the National Registry Centre (CNR); since the new Law came into force in February 2025, it has replaced the former Intellectual Property Registry. Published applications can be consulted free of charge in ISPI's electronic Intellectual Property Bulletin; ISPI's online system offers an automated phonetic similarity search charged per class (USD 20 per class) and a search by owner (USD 50). To check the risk of similar marks before filing, use the free search on this page.

Other IP rights

Patents: in El Salvador, a patent for an invention lasts 20 years from the filing date and cannot be extended, except where grant takes more than 5 years for reasons attributable to ISPI itself; El Salvador has been a PCT member since 17 August 2006.

Designs: industrial designs are protected as "design patents" for 15 years from the filing date, with maintenance fees payable every 5 years from the sixth year; El Salvador has joined the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement, and since 7 October 2026 it can be designated in an international design application under the Hague System.

Patent applications are handled through an affiliated patent agency.

Other countries and territories in the region

Guatemala　·　Honduras　·　Costa Rica　·　Panama　·　Mexico

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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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