Saudi Arabia deposited its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol with WIPO on 8 July 2026, and the treaty enters into force for the Kingdom on 8 October 2026. From that date, Saudi Arabia Madrid Protocol designations become possible: a company that owns a trademark in Spain, the EU, Mexico or any other Madrid member can extend it to Saudi Arabia through one international application. It matters most to European, Latin American and African brands selling or franchising in the Gulf.
Update (October 2026): WIPO Information Notice No. 35/2026 (23 July 2026) confirmed these declarations and added that the Saudi office will not present requests to divide or merge international registrations, because its law does not provide for the division of trademark registrations. Fee amounts will follow in a separate notice. WIPO, Information Notice No. 35/2026.
Key takeaways
- Saudi Arabia can be designated from 8 October 2026; applications and designations dated earlier cannot include it.
- The Saudi office will have 18 months, not the standard 12, to notify a provisional refusal, and opposition-based refusals may come later.
- Saudi Arabia will charge its own individual fee; the amounts were not part of the 8 July notification.
- Once in force, five of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states will be Madrid members. Kuwait is the exception.
What exactly did Saudi Arabia notify to WIPO?
The Madrid Protocol is the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) treaty that lets the owner of a national or regional mark (the “basic mark”) file one international application through its own office (the “office of origin”) and designate the countries it wants. Madrid (Marks) Notification No. 243, dated 8 July 2026, records the accession and two declarations.
| Item | What WIPO notified | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Entry into force | 8 October 2026, three months after deposit | First date on which Saudi Arabia can be designated |
| Refusal period (Art. 5(2)(b) and (c)) | 18 months instead of one year; opposition-based refusals may be notified later | A longer wait before you know the mark is accepted |
| Fees (Art. 8(7)(a)) | Individual fee for designations and renewals | Saudi Arabia sets the cost, not the standard Madrid schedule |
| Earlier registrations (Art. 14(5)) | No declaration listed | Existing international registrations should be extendable by subsequent designation |
Madrid designation or national filing in Saudi Arabia?
Until 8 October the only route is a national filing before the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), coordinated with local counsel. Afterwards, owners in Madrid member countries gain a second option:
- Filing: Madrid goes through your office of origin, in English, French or Spanish as that office allows; a national filing follows Saudi procedure locally.
- Cost: WIPO’s basic fee plus the Saudi individual fee, against SAIP’s official fees plus local counsel.
- Management: Madrid renewals and owner changes are recorded once at WIPO; national registrations are maintained separately.
- Dependency: for five years the international registration stands or falls with the basic mark (the “central attack”); a national registration is independent.
- Refusals: in both routes, objections are answered before SAIP, normally through a local representative.
Why the 18-month period and the individual fee matter
Designated offices normally have one year to notify a provisional refusal. Saudi Arabia has opted for 18 months, as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar did. Silence after twelve months does not mean the mark is safe, and an opposition-based refusal can arrive later.
Countries choosing an individual fee set their own amount, which can differ significantly from the standard complementary fee. Check the current figure in WIPO’s Madrid fee calculator rather than reusing an estimate made for European designations.
How does the Saudi Arabia Madrid Protocol accession fit a Gulf strategy?
WIPO Lex records show that Bahrain (2005), Oman (2007), the United Arab Emirates (2021) and Qatar (2024) were already members. Only Kuwait remains outside. A brand covering the whole GCC will usually combine one international registration with five Gulf designations and one national filing in Kuwait.
What this means for your business
- Review the basic mark: owner, goods and services, and whether it is still pending.
- Choose the vehicle: if you already hold an international registration, a subsequent designation from 8 October is usually simpler; it will follow that registration’s renewal date.
- Search locally first: a designation does not cure conflicts with earlier Saudi marks.
- Plan the timing: if your launch or distribution agreement comes before 8 October, a national filing may be the right first step.
- Arabic script: consider protecting any Arabic-script version used on packaging or signage.
To run the Gulf filings alongside your EU and Latin American portfolio, our international trademark registration team can review the basic mark and map the Madrid and national routes.
Where companies get this wrong
- Filing too early. A filing dated before 8 October cannot include Saudi Arabia.
- Building on a fragile basic mark. If the home mark is refused or cancelled within five years, the Saudi designation falls with it; transformation into a national application is possible, but only within three months and at extra cost.
- Treating silence as approval. Licensing plans should not assume the mark is secure after one year.
- Letting a distributor file locally. A mark in a partner’s name is hard to recover if the relationship ends.
These problems usually start when different advisers handle the home mark, the Madrid filing and the local response; one team watching all three keeps them aligned.
Frequently asked questions
When can I designate Saudi Arabia under the Madrid Protocol?
From 8 October 2026, when the Protocol enters into force for Saudi Arabia under WIPO Notification No. 243. Applications and subsequent designations dated earlier cannot include it, so a company needing protection sooner should consider a national application before the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property.
Can I add Saudi Arabia to an existing international registration?
Yes, through a subsequent designation filed from 8 October 2026. The notification contains no Article 14(5) declaration, which is how a country excludes registrations made before its accession. The Saudi designation expires with the international registration, so check its renewal date.
How long will the Saudi office take to decide on my mark?
Saudi Arabia has declared 18 months to notify a provisional refusal instead of the standard year, and opposition-based refusals may come later. The absence of objections after twelve months is therefore not final acceptance, and launches should be planned with that margin.
Can IP Global Guard handle a Saudi Arabia designation for my brand?
Yes. We prepare the international application or subsequent designation through your office of origin, acting before EUIPO and OEPM directly where our professionals are entitled and through qualified representatives otherwise, and we coordinate local counsel for any response before the Saudi office. You keep one point of contact throughout.
How IP Global Guard can help with your Gulf filings
IP Global Guard, the intellectual property line of META Channel Corporation Limited, manages trademark portfolios across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa with one strategy and a single billing relationship, and extends them to the Gulf through the Madrid System and local correspondents.
Tell us which marks and classes matter, which Gulf countries you are targeting and when you launch. We will check your basic mark, compare the routes for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and coordinate the filings from a single point of contact. Send your brand list to our team.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the position on its publication date.
Sources
- WIPO Lex, Madrid Notification No. 243, Saudi Arabia (8 July 2026)
- WIPO, Madrid Information Notice No. 35/2026 (23 July 2026)
- WIPO Lex, Madrid Protocol text, as amended on 12 November 2007
- WIPO Lex, Madrid Notification No. 239, Qatar (3 May 2024)
- WIPO Lex, Madrid Notification No. 231, United Arab Emirates (28 September 2021)
- WIPO Lex, Madrid Protocol contracting parties (database)
