How to register a trademark in India
Search, file and prosecute a trademark application through the IP India portal, from clearance search to registration certificate.
120 minutes6 stepsUpdated June 2026
What you need
- The mark itself — wordmark, logo file, or both
- The list of goods or services it will cover
- Applicant details — PAN and address, plus incorporation proof for a company
- Udyam registration certificate, to claim the reduced fee
- Form TM-48 power of attorney, if filing through an agent
- Proof of first use, if claiming a date earlier than filing
The steps
- 1
Run a clearance search
Search the IP India public database for identical and similar marks in the classes you intend to file in, and search the MCA company register and common web usage as well. A mark that is clear on the register can still be defeated by someone with earlier unregistered use.
This is the step people skip, and it is the one that decides whether the application survives. An objection under section 11 for similarity is far more expensive to fight than a different name is to choose.
- 2
Choose the right classes
The Nice Classification has 45 classes; goods run 1 to 34 and services 35 to 45. A software product typically needs class 9 and class 42. Fees are charged per class per application, and protection extends only to the classes filed.
- 3
File Form TM-A
File online through the IP India portal. The fee is ₹4,500 per class for an individual, startup or small enterprise with Udyam registration, and ₹9,000 per class otherwise. You may use the ™ symbol from the moment of filing.
- 4
Answer the examination report
The registry examines the application and usually issues a report within a few months. Objections under section 9 allege the mark is descriptive; under section 11, that it conflicts with an earlier mark. A reply is due within thirty days.
Thirty days is strict and an abandoned application cannot be revived. The fee and the priority date are both lost.
- 5
Clear the advertisement period
Once accepted the mark is published in the Trade Marks Journal, opening a four-month window in which anyone may oppose it. Most marks pass unopposed; an opposition becomes adversarial proceedings with evidence and hearings.
- 6
Receive the registration certificate
With no opposition, registration issues and the mark is protected for ten years from the filing date. You may then use the ® symbol.
What happens afterwards
Registration is renewable indefinitely in ten-year terms, but it can be removed for five years of continuous non-use — so use the mark and keep dated evidence that you did. Watch the journal for later applications that conflict with yours; the registry does not police your rights on your behalf.
Would you rather we did it?
This guide exists so you can do it yourself. If you would rather not, we will — and you will have a fixed price before any work starts.