How long does trademark registration take?

The length of the trademark registration process varies considerably between individual countries and jurisdictions. Generally speaking, the process may take between 4 and 18 months until the trademark is registered and trademark certificate is issued. Despite the length of this process, it is important to acknowledge that the protection offered by trademark registration starts from the date of filing the application. In other words, it is the date of applying for a registered trademark that determines the legal rights of the brand in the consequent evaluation process. For example, should a competitor with a similar trademark file for a trademark application several days after you, it is your trademark (once registered) that provides the legal basis for challenging this application.

The table below summarises the outcomes of our most recent assessment of the length of trademark registration process in selected countries - the US, the UK, the EU, China, Canada, Russia, Australia, Benelux, Switzerland, Norway and Republic of Korea. The provided estimates are based on the evaluation of the last 1,000 trademarks registered in these countries. Furthermore, a standard deviation figure is provided highlighting the variance in the length of the registration process.