The cost of international trademark registration depends less on the number of countries than on the route each country requires. For one mark in three classes, a Spanish company can cover seven Madrid System markets from a single application for about CHF 3,500 in WIPO fees, but two Latin American markets outside Madrid still need separate national filings. This guide shows how to build that budget line by line, using official fees only, for brand owners and finance teams planning an international launch.
Key takeaways
- A realistic budget has three layers: official fees, professional and local agent fees, and contingencies such as refusals and oppositions.
- Under the Madrid System, WIPO charges a basic fee of CHF 653 (black and white mark) plus a fee for each country, which can be a flat CHF 100 complementary fee or an individual fee set by that country.
- In our ten-country example, the seven Madrid designations plus the basic fee add up to CHF 3,491 for three classes.
- Argentina and Peru are not members of the Madrid Protocol, so they need national filings with a local agent.
- Renewals, use requirements and responses to provisional refusals belong in the ten-year budget, not just the first year.
What makes up the cost of international trademark registration?
When a client asks what it costs to protect a mark abroad, the honest answer starts with a breakdown. Only the first layer is fixed in advance; the other two depend on the markets, the mark and what happens during examination.
| Cost layer | What it includes | How predictable it is |
|---|---|---|
| Official fees | Base mark at the office of origin, WIPO basic fee, complementary or individual fees per country, national office fees where Madrid is not available | Published by each office; can be calculated to the franc or euro |
| Professional fees | Clearance searches, drafting the specification of goods and services, filing and reporting, coordination of local agents | Depends on the adviser and the scope; ask for a written estimate per market |
| Local agent fees | National filings outside Madrid, and responses to provisional refusals in designated countries, which usually require a locally qualified representative | Known for filings; uncertain for objections |
| Contingencies | Office objections, third-party oppositions, coexistence negotiations, amendments to the specification | Reduced, not eliminated, by a good clearance search |
| Maintenance | Renewals every ten years, recordals of changes of owner or address, use evidence where required | Predictable if diarised from day one |
The Madrid System is the WIPO treaty framework that lets the owner of a national or regional trademark (the “base mark”) file one international application through its home office and designate other member countries. WIPO’s official list of Madrid Protocol contracting parties is the first thing to check when choosing markets.
A worked example: one mark, three classes, ten countries
Take a Spanish company with a word mark in three classes that wants protection in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Morocco, Egypt, Argentina and Peru. It files its base mark online at the OEPM (the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office), then files a Madrid international application for the seven markets that are members, and national applications in the two that are not.
| Item | Office and fee basis | Official fee (3 classes) |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish base application (online) | OEPM: EUR 127.88 first class, EUR 82.84 each further class | EUR 293.56 |
| National fee for the international application (online) | OEPM | EUR 38.13 |
| Madrid basic fee, black and white mark | WIPO | CHF 653 |
| Portugal | Complementary fee | CHF 100 |
| Egypt | Complementary fee | CHF 100 |
| Mexico | Individual fee, CHF 132 per class | CHF 396 |
| Colombia | Individual fee, CHF 276 first class, CHF 138 each further class | CHF 552 |
| Chile | Individual fee, CHF 210 per class | CHF 630 |
| Brazil | Individual fee, CHF 251 per class | CHF 753 |
| Morocco | Individual fee, CHF 219 first class, CHF 44 each further class | CHF 307 |
| Madrid subtotal | Paid to WIPO in Swiss francs | CHF 3,491 |
| Argentina | National application, not a Madrid member | National fee schedule plus local agent |
| Peru | National application, not a Madrid member | National fee schedule plus local agent |
The OEPM amounts come from its fee schedule in force since 1 April 2026. The WIPO amounts come from the Madrid schedule of fees (in force since 1 February 2023) and the table of individual fees in its update of 7 June 2026. Individual fees are set by each country and WIPO updates the table periodically, so confirm the final figure with the WIPO Madrid fee calculator on the day you file.
Two details change the arithmetic. First, beyond three classes WIPO adds a supplementary fee of CHF 100 per class, except where every designated country charges an individual fee. Second, a colour mark raises the basic fee from CHF 653 to CHF 903.
Madrid, EUIPO or national filings: how the route changes the budget
The same ten countries can be costed in more than one way, and the cheapest first-year option is not always the cheapest over ten years.
- A Spanish base mark plus a Madrid designation of Portugal covers the Iberian Peninsula at modest cost. An EU trade mark from the EUIPO (the European Union Intellectual Property Office) costs EUR 850 online for one class, EUR 50 for the second and EUR 150 for each further class, according to the EUIPO fee page: EUR 1,050 for three classes, but for all 27 Member States.
- If the European market is wider than Iberia, an EU trade mark can also serve as the base mark for the Madrid application, so the international filing is built on a broader base.
- Madrid centralises renewals and changes of owner at WIPO, which lowers maintenance costs. National filings stay independent of the base mark, which matters if the base mark is vulnerable.
- For countries outside Madrid, such as Argentina and Peru in Latin America, or South Africa and Nigeria in Africa, the only route is a national filing coordinated with a local agent.
Choosing between these routes is a strategy decision before it is a fee calculation. Our cross-border IP strategy and portfolio budgeting team usually costs two scenarios side by side before recommending one.
Costs that arrive after filing
The filing receipt is not the end of the bill. Several costs typically appear later and should be in the plan from the start:
- Provisional refusals. Each designated office examines the mark under its own law. A refusal in Brazil or Morocco is answered before that office, normally through a local representative, at a cost that cannot be known in advance.
- Oppositions. Third parties can oppose in many offices of the corridor; defending or settling an opposition is often the largest unplanned cost.
- Renewals. A Madrid renewal costs a basic fee of CHF 653 plus per-country fees; in the June 2026 WIPO table, for example, Chile charges CHF 314 per class and Mexico CHF 127 per class to renew.
- Central attack. For five years the international registration depends on the base mark. If the base mark falls, so do the designations, and converting them into national applications means new national costs.
What this means for your business
- Rank the markets by revenue and risk, and separate those that need protection now from those that can wait for a later designation.
- Run clearance searches in the priority markets before you file; a refusal costs more than a search.
- Check Madrid membership for each country and split the list into Madrid designations and national filings.
- Choose the base mark carefully: national, EU trade mark or both.
- Build a ten-year budget that includes renewals and a contingency line for objections.
If your list includes markets in Latin America and Africa, our international trademark registration service can prepare the base mark, the Madrid application and the national filings as one coordinated plan.
Where companies get the trademark budget wrong
- Budgeting only the first year. Renewals, recordals and refusal responses can add up to more than the original filing.
- Assuming Madrid covers everything. Several key markets in the corridor are outside the system and need national filings with their own timelines.
- Using an overbroad specification. More classes and terms mean higher individual fees and more grounds for objection.
- Relying on old fee tables. Individual fees change; an estimate built on last year’s figures will be wrong.
- Letting each country be handled separately. Separate advisers mean separate invoices, inconsistent specifications and missed deadlines; a single coordinator keeps the portfolio and the budget aligned.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to register a trademark in 10 countries?
It depends on the countries, the number of classes and the route. In our example, a Spanish base mark plus a Madrid application for seven countries in three classes costs CHF 3,491 in WIPO fees and about EUR 332 in OEPM fees, before professional fees. Countries outside Madrid, such as Argentina and Peru, add national office fees and local agent costs.
Is the Madrid System always cheaper than national filings?
Not always. Madrid usually reduces filing and maintenance costs because there is one application, one renewal and one register for changes. But some countries charge high individual fees, the registration depends on the base mark for five years, and refusals still have to be answered locally. For one or two markets, a national filing can be competitive.
Why are Madrid fees in Swiss francs?
WIPO, which administers the Madrid System from Geneva, sets and collects its fees in Swiss francs, including the individual fees that each designated country fixes. Your actual cost in euros or other currencies therefore moves with the exchange rate, which is one reason to recalculate the budget with the WIPO fee calculator just before filing.
Can IP Global Guard prepare an international trademark budget for my company?
Yes. We map your markets against the Madrid System, cost the official fees for each route and add the local agent and contingency lines. We prepare and coordinate the filings, acting before the OEPM, the EUIPO and WIPO directly when our professionals are entitled to and otherwise through qualified representatives, with local correspondents in each national office.
Get a ten-country trademark budget from IP Global Guard
A trademark budget is only useful if it reflects the real routes, the real fees and the risks in each market. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, plans and manages trademark portfolios across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa with one strategy, one point of contact and one billing relationship; see our coverage across the corridor.
Send us your mark, the classes you need and the list of countries you are considering. We will split them into Madrid and national routes, cost each scenario with current official fees and tell you where the risks are. Ask our team for your trademark budget.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and official fees should be confirmed with each office on the filing date.
Sources
- WIPO, Madrid System schedule of fees (in force since 1 February 2023)
- WIPO, Individual fees under the Madrid Protocol (update of 7 June 2026)
- WIPO, Madrid fee calculator
- WIPO Lex, Madrid Protocol contracting parties
- OEPM, Fees for trademarks and trade names (from 1 April 2026)
- EUIPO, Trade mark fees and payments
- WIPO Lex, Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement (Articles 6 and 9quinquies)
