Legal & IP · Trademark Registration

Trademark registration in the UAE

A registered UAE trademark protects your brand for 10 years from the filing date, renewable for further 10-year periods. The register is maintained by the Ministry of Economy & Tourism under Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021, and it covers the UAE only — not the wider GCC.

Federal Decree-Law 36 of 2021Ministry of Economy & TourismArticle numbers cited throughout

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What registration gives you

And what it does not

Term 10 years, running from the date the application was filed, not the date the certificate arrives (Art. 21).

Renewal For further 10-year periods, without re-examination. The ministry accepts a renewal during the final year of the term, and for 6 months after expiry.

If the window closes The mark is cancelled from the Register as of the date the protection period expired (Art. 22).

Territory UAE only. A UAE registration does not extend to Saudi Arabia, Qatar or anywhere else.

Classification Nice Classification — you register for specified goods or services, not for the name in the abstract.

Examination and objection The ministry decides within 90 days of filing (Art. 12); once accepted and published, any interested party has 30 days to object (Art. 15).

Class selectionYou are protected for the goods and services you registered in, not for your name generally. A restaurant group registering only in the food-service class has no claim against someone using the name on packaged products. Getting classes right at filing is far cheaper than filing again.
TerritoryA UAE registration does not extend across the GCC. If your expansion plan includes the region, the filing strategy should be decided before the first application, not after.
Registration runs from the filing dateArticle 17 makes registration effective from the date the application was filed. The 10 years are counted from then, not from when the certificate issues — which matters when you calculate your renewal date.
Use it or risk losing itAny interested party can apply to cancel a mark that has not been used for 5 consecutive years, absent emergency circumstances that prevented use (Art. 24). Register what you actually intend to use.

At a glance

The essentials

Term: 10 years from the filing date, renewable for like periods
Renewal window: During the final year of the term, and 6 months after expiry
Examination: The ministry decides within 90 days of filing
Objection period: 30 days from publication in the ministry's Bulletin
Non-use: Cancellable after 5 consecutive years of non-use
Territory: UAE only — not the wider GCC
Governing law: Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021

Does this apply to you

Should you register?

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This applies to you if

The name carries value you would defendYou are building recognition, franchising, or selling under it in a competitive category.
You are about to expand regionallyThe filing strategy is cheaper to decide before the first application than after.
You licence the mark to othersA licence recorded against a registered mark is enforceable in a way an unregistered one is not.

It may not apply if

The brand is still movingRegistration is tied to a mark as filed; changing the logo materially can mean filing again.
What you actually need is copyrightSoftware, written work, film, music and design drawings are a copyright question, not a trademark one.

FAQ

Common questions

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Does registration stop copycats automatically?

No. It gives you the standing to act. Enforcement is a separate step.

What if someone objects?

Any interested party has 30 days from publication in the ministry's Bulletin to file an objection. If the ministry rejects or suspends your application you can take it to the Trademarks Grievances Committee within 30 days, and appeal from there to the Federal Court of Appeal within a further 30 days (Arts. 13–16).

Do I need to use the mark to keep it?

Yes, in substance. Any interested party can apply to cancel a mark that has not been used for 5 consecutive years, absent emergency circumstances that prevented use.

Does a UAE registration cover Saudi Arabia?

No. Protection is national. Each GCC state is a separate filing.

When exactly does my renewal fall due?

Ten years from the filing date, not the certificate date. The ministry accepts a renewal during the final year and for 6 months after expiry; miss that and the mark is cancelled as of the expiry date.

Talk to an advisor

Filing in the wrong class is the expensive mistake

Tell us what you sell and where you plan to sell it, and we will set the classes and the territory strategy before the first application goes in.

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