Trademark Registration in the UAE from India
Ministry of Economy and Tourism · Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 · Direct or Madrid designation
A UAE trademark is registered with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET) under Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021. An Indian business files either directly, through a UAE-registered trademark agent with an authenticated power of attorney, or by designating the UAE in a Madrid application filed through IP India. The law gives the Ministry 90 days from filing to decide, and a registration lasts 10 years from the filing date.
- Reviewed by
- Advocate, intellectual property
- Last updated
- UAE agent coordinated. Foreign owners must file through an agent on the Ministry’s register; we brief a UAE-registered agent we instruct and stay your point of contact.
- Arabic settled before filing. The certified Arabic translation and pronunciation of English words, checked with you first.
- Power of attorney in the right order. Notarisation and attestation in India planned before the filing date, not after it.
- Office
- Ministry of Economy and Tourism
- Routes
- Direct (UAE agent) or Madrid
- Decision
- Within 90 days of filing
- Opposition period
- 30 days from publication
- Term
- 10 years from filing
Should an Indian business file directly in the UAE or through Madrid?
Both routes end in a registration examined by the same Ministry under the same law; they differ in who files and what the filing can cover.
A direct national filing is made online with the Ministry’s Trademarks Department. An owner with no domicile in the UAE cannot file in its own name: the application must come from an agent on the Ministry’s register of trademark registration agents, with a notarised power of attorney (Executive Regulations, art. 2(1)). Registering as an agent needs an Emirates ID, a UAE trade licence and an office address (Ministerial Resolution No. 90 of 2024), so an Indian firm cannot be the agent of record. We prepare the application and work through a UAE-registered agent we instruct. A direct filing suits a main market, an Arabic form of the mark or an owner without an Indian base mark.
A Madrid designation of the UAE is made in an international application filed through the Trade Marks Registry in India. The Madrid Protocol has been in force for the UAE since 28 December 2021. The UAE declared an 18-month refusal period, with opposition-based refusals possible after it, and charges an individual fee per class. The designation depends on the Indian base mark for five years and must be the same mark, so it cannot carry an Arabic version of an English mark. A provisional refusal is answered, in practice, through a UAE-registered agent.
One federal registry, free zones included
The emirates keep no trademark registers of their own. A free-zone company is treated as domiciled in the UAE and files with the federal Ministry (Executive Regulations, art. 2(2)). A Dubai subsidiary of an Indian group can therefore apply in its own name, and the real question is which group company should own the mark.
How long does UAE trademark registration take?
The law fixes most of the periods. With no objection and no opposition the stages run in this order; an objection, grievance or opposition adds time.
| Stage | What happens | Period in the law |
|---|---|---|
| Filing | Online application by the UAE agent, or Madrid designation notified by WIPO | Day 0 |
| Examination decision | The Ministry accepts, refuses or accepts with conditions | Within 90 days of filing (Decree-Law, art. 12(3)) |
| Reply to conditions | Arguments or amendments through the UAE agent | 30 days from the notice, or the application is treated as abandoned (art. 12(2)) |
| Grievance against a refusal | Trademarks Grievances Committee, then the Federal Court of Appeal | 30 days at each step (arts. 13 and 14) |
| Publication | Online Trademark Bulletin, issued twice a month, once the publication fee is paid | Within 30 days of the acceptance notice (Regulations, art. 6) |
| Opposition period | A third party may oppose; the applicant replies in writing within 30 days of notice | 30 days from publication (art. 15(2)) |
| Registration fee and certificate | Fee paid after the opposition period; the certificate follows | Within 30 days after the opposition period (Regulations, art. 9(2)) |
| Madrid designations | The Ministry must notify any provisional refusal | 18 months; opposition-based refusals may come later |
| Term and renewal | Protection counts from the filing date; renew in the last year, or in the 6 months after at a higher fee | 10 years from filing (art. 21) |
Periods from Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021, Cabinet Decision No. 57 of 2022 and the Ministry’s service card, read on 13 November 2026. The service card also gives an average service time of 45 working days; the law’s limit is 90 days.
What government fees does a UAE trademark carry?
These are government fees, not ours. The Ministry charges each fee per class, even when one application covers several classes. The UAE agent’s charges and our professional fee are quoted separately in writing.
| Government service | When it is paid | Government fee per class |
|---|---|---|
| Trademark application | At filing | AED 750 |
| Publication in the Trademark Bulletin | After acceptance | AED 750 |
| Registration certificate | Within 30 days after the opposition period | AED 5,000 |
| One-day examination (optional) | At filing, if chosen | AED 2,250 |
| Opposition (paid by the opponent) | Within 30 days of publication | AED 7,500 |
| Renewal in the last year of protection | Before the term ends | AED 5,750 |
| Renewal in the 6 months after expiry | Grace period after the term ends | AED 6,500 |
| Madrid: individual fee for the UAE (paid to WIPO) | With the international application, and at each renewal | CHF 1,420 |
Ministry fees from Cabinet Resolution No. 102 of 2025 (Arabic; the service names are our translation), published on the Ministry’s legislation page, and the Ministry’s trademark registration service, checked on 13 November 2026. The UAE individual fee from WIPO Information Notice No. 25/2025 and WIPO’s individual fees page, checked on 13 November 2026. A Madrid application also carries WIPO’s basic fee and IP India’s handling fee; see Madrid Protocol filing. Government fees change, so we confirm them in writing before filing.
What does an Indian company need for a UAE filing?
Application details
- Owner’s legal name, head-office address and nationality
- The mark: word, logo or both; a mark filed without a colour claim covers all colours
- Goods and services by class, each class carrying its own fees
- A certified Arabic translation showing the pronunciation of any English or other foreign-language words in the mark
- A copy of the Indian application with its date and number, if claiming priority within six months
Power of attorney
- A power of attorney in favour of the UAE-registered agent, signed by an authorised signatory
- Signed before a notary in India, then usually attested by the Ministry of External Affairs and by the UAE Embassy in New Delhi or the Consulate in Mumbai, with UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation
- An Arabic translation of the power of attorney, filed with it
- For Madrid instead: the Indian application or registration number, and Form TM-48 in our favour
Start the power of attorney first
The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille does not replace attestation. The Ministry asks for a “notarized” power of attorney and its Regulations say “duly authenticated” (art. 4(2)); the chain above follows the UAE Embassy’s attestation process for Indian documents. We confirm the current requirement with the UAE agent before you sign.
Why does the UAE Ministry refuse trademark applications?
Article 3 of the Decree-Law lists the signs that cannot be registered. These matter most for Indian brands.
- Religious symbols. Marks identical or similar to symbols of a religious nature are excluded, so a deity’s name or image or a religious motif needs review first.
- Flags, emblems and official symbols. Emblems, flags and symbols of the UAE, other states and Arab or international organisations, and imitations of them, are excluded.
- Geographical names. Place names that confuse buyers about the origin of the goods are refused.
- Earlier marks. Marks identical or similar to earlier ones for the same or related goods are refused where confusion would result.
- Other people’s names and pictures. A person’s name, picture or logo needs that person’s consent.
- Non-distinctive, immoral or misleading signs. Generic words, signs contrary to public morals or public order, and marks that mislead are refused.
What should an Indian brand know once its UAE mark is registered?
Use it. An interested party can apply to cancel a mark unused for five consecutive years (art. 24(3)), so keep dated evidence of UAE sales.
Record it with customs. Customs can hold infringing goods for up to 20 days (art. 45). Dubai Customs’ recording service asks for the Ministry’s registration certificate and an authenticated, translated power of attorney, so a pending application is not enough. A recordation lasts one year or the rest of the mark’s term, if shorter (Regulations, art. 24).
Renew on time. A mark not renewed within six months after expiry is treated as cancelled from its expiry date (art. 22(2)).
Counterfeiting is a crime. Counterfeiting a registered mark carries fines of AED 100,000 to 1,000,000 and imprisonment (art. 49).
How are patents, designs and copyright protected in the UAE?
Patents, utility certificates and industrial designs fall under Federal Law No. 11 of 2021 and its Implementing Regulation, Cabinet Decision No. 6 of 2022, and are filed with the same Ministry.
- Patents last 20 years from filing and utility certificates 10 years, both with annual fees (art. 18). File within 12 months of your Indian priority date, or enter the PCT national phase in the UAE at 30 months from priority (Regulation, art. 53(1)). See PCT application from India.
- Industrial designs last 20 years from filing, with annual fees (art. 45), and can claim six-month priority. The UAE is not in the Hague system, so designs need a national filing.
- Copyright under Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2021 does not depend on registration; registering a work with the Ministry is optional (art. 4).
Questions about UAE trademarks from India
Can our Dubai free-zone company register a trademark with the federal Ministry?
Yes. Free-zone companies are treated as domiciled in the UAE and file with the Ministry. There is no free-zone trademark registry: the DIFC’s IP law, for example, creates none and recognises federal registrations.
Do we need to file the Arabic form of our brand separately?
An English word mark is filed with a certified Arabic translation of its pronunciation, but that does not register an Arabic-script logo. If customers will see the brand in Arabic script, file that form as its own national application.
Can I claim my Indian filing date in the UAE?
Yes, if the UAE application is filed within six months of the Indian one, with a copy of the Indian application and a statement of its date, number and country (art. 11). Both countries are Paris Convention members; the UAE joined in 1996.
Can we record our mark with UAE customs while it is pending?
Not with Dubai Customs, which asks for a copy of the Ministry’s registration certificate. File early if you expect counterfeits.
Is there a faster examination option in the UAE?
Yes. The Ministry offers a one-day examination as an optional paid service, charged per class (see the table above). Publication and the 30-day opposition period still follow.
What if we have not yet started selling in the UAE?
You can file before you launch: the application particulars in the Regulations do not include evidence of use (art. 3). Once registered, the mark can be cancelled on the application of an interested party if it goes unused for five consecutive years.
Official sources
- 1.MoET: Trademark registration service
- 2.MoET: Intellectual property legislation (lists Cabinet Resolution No. 102 of 2025 on fees)
- 3.Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 on Trademarks (English translation, MoET)
- 4.Cabinet Decision No. 57 of 2022, Executive Regulations of the Trademarks Law (English translation, MoET)
- 5.WIPO Madrid Information Notice No. 15/2021: accession of the United Arab Emirates
- 6.WIPO Madrid Information Notice No. 25/2025: individual fee of the United Arab Emirates
- 7.UAE Embassy, New Delhi: attestation information
- 8.Dubai Customs: request trade mark recording
- 9.Federal Law No. 11 of 2021 on Industrial Property Rights (English translation, MoET)
- 10.Cabinet Decision No. 6 of 2022, Implementing Regulation of the Industrial Property Law (MoET)
- 11.Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2021 on Copyrights (English translation, MoET)
- 12.WIPO Lex: United Arab Emirates, treaty membership