Trademark registration in China (CNIPA)
China protects whoever files first, and that includes the factory, the agent or a stranger who sees your samples. If you manufacture there, file before production starts, not after the first shipment sells.
Trademark registration in China for brands that manufacture or sell there
Trademark registration in China is handled by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). A foreign company without a business domicile in China must file through a lawfully established Chinese trademark agency; a representative office or a subsidiary does not count as the foreign company’s domicile. The official e-filing fee is CNY 270 per class covering up to ten goods, plus CNY 27 for each extra item. By law, CNIPA must complete examination within nine months, after which the preliminarily approved mark is published for opposition. A registration lasts 10 years and can be renewed.
Two changes matter in 2026 and 2027. China revised its Trademark Law on 26 June 2026, and the new text takes effect on 1 January 2027. It shortens the opposition period from three months to two, keeps the nine-month examination limit, refuses applications made without an intention to use, and allows CNIPA to cancel marks unused for three years on its own initiative. Under both texts, anyone can already apply to cancel a mark left unused for three consecutive years.
Why a Chinese filing comes early
Protection is territorial: an EU or US registration does nothing against a Chinese company that files your brand in China, and a mark registered there by someone else can be used to stop exports from a Chinese factory. Plan the Chinese-character version during naming; the market will create one if you do not. CNIPA assesses similarity using its own table of similar goods, which divides each Nice class into groups, so the goods list needs local drafting. China is also reachable through the Madrid route, with an individual fee listed by WIPO at CHF 220 for one class.
General information only, as of November 2026. In our projects a licensed Chinese trademark agency files in the brand owner’s company name, never in ours or a factory’s. Manufacturing choices are covered under contract manufacturing.
CNIPA registration at a glance
Fees from CNIPA’s English fee page, procedure from the Trademark Law (2019 text in force; 2026 revision from 1 January 2027), checked on 3 November 2026.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Office | China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), Trademark Office |
| Who can file / agency rule | Foreign applicants without a business domicile in China must use a lawfully established Chinese trademark agency |
| Application | Online or paper, in Chinese; one application can cover several classes |
| Classes | Nice classes, with CNIPA’s similar goods table dividing each class into groups |
| Official fees | CNY 270 per class online (CNY 300 on paper) for up to 10 items; CNY 27 (paper CNY 30) per extra item. No separate registration fee listed |
| Examination | Statutory limit of nine months from filing |
| Publication and opposition | Three months after preliminary approval publication; two months for marks published under the revised law from 1 January 2027. Opposition fee CNY 450 |
| Typical timing | Examination within nine months, then opposition period; longer if refused or opposed |
| Validity and renewal | 10 years; renewal in the 12 months before expiry plus a six-month grace period. Renewal CNY 450 online, plus CNY 225 in the grace period |
| Use requirement | Cancellation on request after three consecutive years of non-use; from 2027 CNIPA may also act on its own initiative |
General information, not legal advice. The Chinese agency confirms how the 2027 transition applies to your application.
A China filing plan
-
1
Search in Latin and Chinese
Check the name, the planned Chinese-character version and close variants in the groups that matter.
-
2
Fix the Chinese name
Choose meaning and sound with native speakers, then file it as its own mark.
-
3
Draft the goods list
Use standard item names from CNIPA’s table and cover each relevant group, not only the class.
-
4
File through the agency
In the owning company’s name, ideally before samples go to factories.
-
5
Examination and review
A refusal can be challenged within the deadline in the decision.
-
6
Opposition period
Watch the Gazette for conflicting applications as well as for oppositions against yours.
-
7
Use and records
Keep invoices and photos of use in China; three years of non-use is a vulnerability.
What to prepare
- Certificate of incorporation of the owning company, usually with a Chinese translation
- Power of attorney for the Chinese trademark agency
- The Latin mark and the chosen Chinese-character mark
- Goods list mapped to CNIPA groups
- Priority document if claiming an earlier foreign filing
- Your manufacturing agreement, checked for a clause that the factory will not register your brand
How brands lose their name in China
Samples before filing
Sending artwork to factories before the mark is filed invites someone else to file first.
No Chinese-character mark
If you do not choose a Chinese name, others will and may register it.
Filing by the agent or distributor
The mark must sit with your company, or you will have to buy it back.
Registering and not using
Three years of non-use exposes the mark to cancellation, and from 2027 to office action too.
Frequently asked questions
How much does trademark registration cost in China (商标注册费用)?
The official CNIPA e-filing fee is CNY 270 per class for up to ten items, plus CNY 27 per additional item, as of November 2026. There is no separate registration fee; agency fees are extra.
How long does trademark registration take in China?
CNIPA must examine within nine months by law. A three-month opposition period follows publication, two months under the revised law from 1 January 2027, so a clean application takes around a year.
Can a foreign company register a trademark in China directly?
Not without a Chinese domicile. A foreign company with no business domicile in China must use a lawfully established Chinese trademark agency.
Do I need a Chinese name for my trademark?
The law does not require one, but Chinese consumers and sellers will use a Chinese name. Filing your chosen version prevents others from registering it.
Does my EU or US trademark protect me in China?
No. Protection is territorial, and China follows first-to-file. You need a Chinese filing, directly or through Madrid.
Have a product idea? Check it before you buy stock.
Send a short brief. We tell you what we think, including when we think you should not do it.
Tell us about your brand
A few lines are enough: what you want to sell, where and to whom. We reply with an honest view of feasibility, the stages you need and the next step.
- No obligation: the first review of your idea is free
- If we think the idea will not pay back, we say so
- Your idea stays confidential; we can sign an NDA
What happens next
- 1We review your briefand may ask a few questions
- 2A short callabout goals, budget and limits
- 3Written proposalstages, scope, fees and timing
- 4First stage startswith a decision gate at its end
- usually 300–1 000 units per product in a first order
- usually 6–12 months from brief to first sales
- EU company, contract under Polish law