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How long does it take to register a trademark?

Written by Jan Buza

Co-founder of Trama

The registration process takes between 3 and 18 months on average, depending on the country, though some jurisdictions can take up to 27 months.

The process has two main stages. Examination, where the IP office assesses the application for formal requirements and registrability, typically takes between 1 and 10 months but can be longer in some jurisdictions. The opposition period follows, during which third parties can challenge the application; this is typically 2 to 3 months. If no opposition is filed, registration follows shortly after.

If an office action is issued during examination, or an opposition is filed, the overall timeline extends accordingly. The fastest registrations in unchallenged applications occur in jurisdictions like BENELUX and France (around 3 to 4 months); the slowest include South Africa, Brazil, and Canada (often exceeding 18 months).

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