For a Latin American company entering Europe, international design protection comes down to three routes: an EU design filed directly with the EUIPO, an international application under WIPO’s Hague System designating the EU, or national filings country by country. For the EU alone, the direct EU design is usually the simplest and cheapest in official fees; the Hague route pays off when you also need the United Kingdom, Switzerland or Norway, and only if your company is entitled to use it. This guide sets out the decision with real official fees.
Key takeaways
- An EU design costs EUR 350 for one design and EUR 125 for each additional design, and covers all 27 Member States.
- Designating the EU through Hague costs EUR 62 per design under EU law, but you also pay WIPO’s basic and publication fees.
- Only companies connected with a Hague member can use the system. In Latin America that means Mexico, Brazil and a few Caribbean states; El Salvador joins on 7 October 2026. Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru are not members.
- You have six months of priority from your first filing at home, and EU law disregards your own disclosures in the 12 months before filing.
- Designs shown in video or 3D can only be filed at the EUIPO; Hague accepts static images only.
What are the routes for international design protection in Europe?
| Feature | EU design (EUIPO) | Hague designating the EU | National filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Territory | 27 EU Member States | EU, plus any other Hague members designated (UK, Switzerland, Norway…) | One country per filing |
| Who can use it | Anyone | Nationals, residents or companies with a real establishment in a Hague member | Anyone, under each country’s rules |
| Official fees | EUR 350 + EUR 125 per additional design | CHF 397 basic + CHF 50 per additional design + CHF 17 per reproduction + EU fee per design | Each office’s own fees |
| Designs per filing | Up to 50, any class | Up to 100, same Locarno class | Varies |
| Formats | Static views, video or 3D | Static images only | Varies |
| Representative | Not needed to file; needed afterwards for non-EEA companies | Not needed to file with WIPO | Usually a local agent |
The EUIPO figures come from Annex I and Article 44 of Regulation (EU) 2026/715; Article 115 requires companies with no domicile or real establishment in the European Economic Area (EEA) to be represented in every EUIPO proceeding other than filing the application. The Hague figures come from WIPO’s Schedule of Fees in force on 1 July 2026 and its guidance on multiple designs.
Can your company use the Hague System?
The Hague System is open to nationals of a member, to anyone domiciled or habitually resident there, and to anyone with a real and effective industrial or commercial establishment in a member, as WIPO explains on its Hague System page. As of July 2026 it has 82 members covering 99 countries, including the EU and the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI).
According to WIPO Lex, the Latin American and Caribbean members are Mexico (since 2020), Brazil (2023), Belize, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Suriname. El Salvador deposited its accession on 7 July 2026, with effect from 7 October 2026 (Hague Notification No. 155). Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay are not members.
The Hague Yearly Review 2026 (9 July 2026) confirms the gap: applicants from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Oceania together accounted for 0.6% of the total in 2025, which WIPO links to the small number of members in those regions. The same report shows the EU was the most designated member, with 20,812 designs.
A Colombian or Chilean company can still use Hague if it has a real establishment in a member, such as an operating subsidiary in Spain, but the applicant must then be that entity. Decide who owns the design before filing, not after.
What does each route cost in official fees?
Two worked examples, using official fees only. Exchange rates and professional fees are excluded. The EU’s individual designation fee is EUR 62 per design under Annex I, which WIPO lists as CHF 59 in its table of individual fees (April 2026).
| Scenario | EU design (EUIPO) | Hague designating the EU | Hague designating EU, UK, Switzerland and Norway |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 design, 3 views | EUR 350 | CHF 507 (397 + 51 + 59) | CHF 669 (507 + 42 + 60 + 60) |
| 5 designs, 15 views, same class | EUR 850 (350 + 4 × 125) | CHF 1,147 (597 + 255 + 295) | CHF 1,477 (1,147 + 50 + 140 + 140) |
The United Kingdom applies the level one standard designation fee (CHF 42, plus CHF 2 per additional design) and Switzerland and Norway level two (CHF 60, plus CHF 20), according to WIPO’s declarations table. The comparison shows the point clearly: for the EU alone, the direct EU design costs less in official fees. Hague becomes efficient when one application replaces several national filings outside the EU, each of which would need a local agent.
A decision tree for Latin American companies
- Only the EU matters for now: file an EU design at the EUIPO, ideally claiming priority from your home filing.
- EU plus the UK, Switzerland or Norway, and your company is entitled to Hague (for example, a Mexican or Brazilian applicant): one Hague application per Locarno class.
- EU plus other European countries, but no Hague entitlement: EU design plus national filings in each non-EU country, coordinated by local correspondents.
- The design is best shown in motion or in 3D: EUIPO, since Hague does not accept those formats; prepare static versions for other countries.
- Only one EU country and a tight budget: a national filing can work, but you lose the single EU-wide right.
Timing: priority, grace period and unregistered rights
Under Article 49 of the Regulation, a first filing in any Paris Convention or WTO country gives six months of priority for an EU design. A company that files in Mexico, Brazil or Colombia in January can file in Europe until July and keep the January date.
Article 8(2) disregards disclosures by the designer or the company in the 12 months before filing. A launch at a trade fair in São Paulo does not destroy novelty in the EU if you file within that year, but the clock starts that day.
Without registration, the unregistered EU design lasts three years from first disclosure within the EU (Article 12). A launch only in Latin America may not start that protection, because the disclosure must be one that EU specialist circles could reasonably know about.
What this means for your business
- File first at home, then use the six-month window to decide between the EUIPO and Hague.
- Check entitlement before budgeting Hague: nationality, domicile or real establishment.
- Group designs by Locarno class if you go through Hague; mix classes freely at the EUIPO.
- Plan the corridor as a whole: Europe through the EUIPO or Hague, Mexico and Brazil through Hague, the rest of Latin America and Africa through national or regional filings.
Our team for international design protection across Latin America and Europe can map that plan for your product range. For a wider view of your portfolio, see our cross-border IP strategy service.
Where Latin American companies get this wrong
- Missing the 12-month grace period. Launching at a trade fair or online and filing in Europe too late destroys novelty.
- Assuming Hague is available. Without nationality, domicile or a real establishment in a member, a company cannot use it, however the application is drafted.
- Filing in the distributor’s name. A European importer that registers your design can block your own sales; ownership is costly to recover.
- Comparing fees per design only. EUR 62 per EU designation looks cheaper than EUR 350, until WIPO’s basic and publication fees are added.
- Filing a video EU design and then expecting it to support priority claims in Mexico or Brazil.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to register a design in Europe through the Hague System?
Not for the EU alone. One EU design costs EUR 350 at the EUIPO, while a Hague application designating only the EU costs CHF 397 basic fee, CHF 17 per reproduction and the EU’s individual fee of EUR 62 per design. Hague becomes more economical when the same application also covers the UK, Switzerland, Norway or other members.
Can a Colombian or Chilean company use the Hague System?
Only if it has a connection with a member: nationality, domicile, habitual residence or a real and effective industrial or commercial establishment. Colombia and Chile are not Hague members, so a company based only there must file an EU design directly or use national routes, unless a subsidiary in a member files as applicant.
How long do I have to file in Europe after filing in my home country?
Six months from your first filing to claim priority for an EU design, under Article 49 of Regulation (EU) 2026/715. Separately, EU law disregards your own public disclosures made in the 12 months before the EU filing, but relying on that grace period is riskier than filing early.
Can IP Global Guard file my designs in Europe and Latin America?
Yes. We prepare and coordinate EU design filings before the EUIPO and Hague applications before WIPO, directly where our professionals are entitled to act and otherwise through qualified representatives, and coordinate local correspondents for national filings in Latin America and Africa, all with one point of contact and one billing relationship.
Enter Europe with IP Global Guard
The right route depends on where you sell, who owns the design and how it is best shown. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, runs that decision across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa with a single strategy.
Send us the designs, your home filing dates and the European markets on your plan. We will compare the EUIPO, Hague and national routes with official fees and coordinate the filings. Ask for a route comparison.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the position on its publication date.
Sources
- EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2026/715 on European Union designs (30 March 2026)
- WIPO, Hague System
- WIPO, Hague System Schedule of Fees (in force on 1 July 2026)
- WIPO, Hague individual designation fees (April 2026)
- WIPO, Declarations by contracting parties (August 2025)
- WIPO, Guidance on including multiple designs in an international application (September 2025)
- WIPO Lex, Hague Agreement contracting parties
- WIPO Lex, Hague Notification No. 155, El Salvador (7 July 2026)
- WIPO, Hague Yearly Review 2026: executive summary (9 July 2026)
