Trademark Registration Fees — Transparent & Affordable

The government trademark registration fee in India starts at ₹4,500 per class for individuals, DPIIT-recognised startups, and MSMEs filing online, and ₹9,000 per class for companies, LLPs, and partnership firms. Physical filing costs ₹500 to ₹1,000 more per class than e-filing.

This is only the statutory fee prescribed under the Trade Marks Rules, 2017. On top of it, most applicants also pay professional fees ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹15,000 per class if they hire a trademark attorney or consultant to handle the step-by-step trademark filing process.

Trademark fees in India are charged per class of goods or services, not as a flat one-time amount. Individuals, startups, and small enterprises pay ₹4,500 per class online, while companies and LLPs pay ₹9,000 per class online.

If your brand covers more than one class — for example, clothing under Class 25 and retail services under Class 35 — you must pay the applicable fee separately for each class. Filing all relevant classes together in one application is more cost-effective than filing separately later.

The Trade Marks Rules, 2017 give a concessional rate to individual applicants, DPIIT-recognised startups, and Udyam-registered MSMEs as an incentive to encourage brand protection among smaller businesses. They pay ₹4,500 per class online instead of the ₹9,000 per class charged to companies, LLPs, and partnership firms.

To claim this concession, the applicant category must be correctly declared on Form TM-A, and the relevant Udyam MSME registration certificate or DPIIT registration proof must be attached at the time of filing.

Yes. DPIIT-recognised startups and Udyam-registered MSMEs qualify for a 50% concession on the government filing fee, paying ₹4,500 per class instead of the standard ₹9,000 per class charged to other entities.

To avail this benefit, a valid Udyam Registration Certificate or DPIIT Startup Recognition Certificate must be uploaded at the time of filing, and the name on the certificate must exactly match the applicant name on the application. If you haven't registered yet, you can complete your Startup India registration before filing your trademark to unlock this discount.

Yes, e-filing through the IP India portal is cheaper by ₹500 to ₹1,000 per class compared to physical filing at a Trade Marks Registry office. For individuals and small entities, online filing costs ₹4,500 per class versus ₹5,000 per class offline. For companies and LLPs, it is ₹9,000 online versus ₹10,000 offline.

Online filing also generates an instant acknowledgement and application number, allowing you to start using the ™ symbol immediately, while physical filing takes longer to process.

Yes. India follows the NICE Classification system with 45 classes — Classes 1 to 34 cover goods and Classes 35 to 45 cover services — and each class requires a separate government fee. There is no bundled discount for filing multiple classes together.

For example, a company filing in two classes online would pay ₹9,000 × 2 = ₹18,000 in total. Understanding the correct types of trademarks in India and the classes relevant to your business helps you avoid paying for unnecessary classes or missing coverage you actually need.

A registered trademark is valid for 10 years from the date of application and must be renewed to keep it active. The government renewal fee is broadly similar to the original filing fee — around ₹9,000 per class for e-filing by companies, and ₹4,500 per class for individuals, startups, and MSMEs.

It is advisable to file your trademark renewal online at least six months before the expiry date to avoid the late surcharge that applies during the grace period.

If you miss the renewal deadline, you get a grace period of six months during which the trademark can still be renewed by paying an additional surcharge on top of the standard renewal fee.

If the trademark is not renewed even within this grace period, it is removed from the register and you lose your exclusive rights. Bringing it back requires going through the restoration process, which involves an additional government fee on top of the standard renewal charge — so it works out significantly costlier than renewing on time.

If a third party wants to oppose a published trademark application, the government fee for filing a notice of opposition is ₹2,700 for online filing and ₹3,000 for physical filing. The applicant defending the mark must then file a counter-statement to keep the application alive.

Opposition proceedings can add significant professional cost, typically ₹10,000 to ₹50,000, depending on the complexity of the case and the number of hearings involved.

No, there is no separate government fee to file a written response to an examination report or objection. The only cost involved is professional or attorney charges if you engage an expert, which typically range from ₹2,000 to ₹10,000 depending on the complexity of the objection.

If the written response does not resolve the objection, a show-cause hearing may be scheduled — this also carries no government fee, though professional representation charges may apply. You can learn more about how to reply to a trademark objection correctly to avoid delays.

Applicants who want faster processing can opt for expedited examination under Rule 34 of the Trade Marks Rules, 2017. The government fee for this optional fast-track route is ₹20,000 per class for individuals, startups, and small enterprises, and ₹40,000 per class for companies and other entities.

This route is not mandatory and does not guarantee registration — it only reduces the waiting time in the examination queue compared to standard processing.

No, trademark filing fees paid to the Trade Marks Registry are strictly non-refundable, regardless of whether the application is accepted, objected to, opposed, or ultimately refused. This applies even if the rejection happens due to a classification error or a conflict with an existing mark.

If an application fails due to an incorrect class or specification, a fresh application must be filed with a completely new fee. This makes it important to get professional guidance on class selection before filing to avoid paying twice.

Including professional charges, the realistic total cost of registering one trademark in one class ranges from around ₹6,500 to ₹20,000 for individuals and startups, and ₹11,000 to ₹30,000 for companies, depending on the service provider and whether objections arise.

This typically includes the government filing fee, a professional search fee of ₹500 to ₹1,500, and attorney or consultant charges of ₹2,000 to ₹15,000 for preparing and filing Form TM-A and handling basic queries from the examiner.

A basic self-search on the public IP India database is completely free and carries no government fee. However, a professional trademark search report, which gives a more detailed legal opinion on conflicting marks, typically costs ₹500 to ₹1,500.

Conducting a proper search before filing is highly recommended, as it can save you from paying multiple filing fees on applications that later get objected to or opposed due to similarity with an existing registered mark.

No, the government fee is the same whether you file a word mark, a logo (device mark), or a combined mark — ₹4,500 per class for individuals and startups, and ₹9,000 per class for companies, filed online. The fee structure does not distinguish based on the visual complexity of the mark.

Where costs can differ is in professional design and drafting charges if a logo needs refinement before filing. You can read more about the process specific to logo trademark registration if you're protecting a visual brand identity.

Yes. There is no government fee for attending a show-cause hearing scheduled by the Trademark Office when an objection is not resolved through a written response. The only cost involved is professional representation, which typically ranges from ₹3,000 to ₹15,000 per hearing depending on the attorney's experience and case complexity.

If you have received a hearing notice, it helps to understand the trademark hearing process in advance so you know what documentation and arguments to prepare.

Trademark registration, at ₹4,500 to ₹9,000 per class, is generally more affordable than patent registration, which involves higher government fees and examination costs due to technical scrutiny of an invention. It is comparatively costlier than copyright registration, which has a lower flat government fee for most works.

Each intellectual property right protects something different, so businesses often need more than one. If your brand also involves an original product shape or industrial appearance, you may want to explore design registration; for creative or literary works, copyright registration applies instead; and for inventions, patent registration is the relevant route.