The Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks enters into force for El Salvador on 7 October 2026, three months after the country deposited its instrument of accession with WIPO. The treaty does not create a regional trademark or change what can be registered, but it caps the formalities a national office may demand for powers of attorney, recordals of changes, licences and renewals. It adds to a slow trend in trademark law in Latin America: more predictable paperwork in a region where formalities still vary widely. This matters to any company holding or planning marks in Central America, and to those watching Argentina, which has committed to put the treaty before its Congress.
Key takeaways
- El Salvador deposited its accession on 7 July 2026, after approval by its Legislative Assembly in June; the treaty applies from 7 October 2026.
- The Singapore Treaty sets maximum requirements: for example, one power of attorney can cover several applications or registrations, and certification of signatures on paper communications cannot be required.
- In Latin America and the Caribbean, Peru, Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas were already parties; Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic have signed but not ratified.
- Argentina must submit the Singapore Treaty and the Madrid Protocol to Congress before the end of 2027 under its February 2026 agreement with the United States.
- El Salvador is still not a Madrid member: trademark filings there remain national, through local correspondents.
What is the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks?
The Singapore Treaty, adopted in 2006 and administered by WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization), harmonises the administrative side of trademark registration. According to the WIPO summary of the treaty, it builds on the 1994 Trademark Law Treaty (TLT), applies to all types of marks registrable under national law and is the first international trademark instrument to recognise non-traditional marks such as holograms, colour, movement, position, sound and smell. The two treaties are separate: a country can join one without the other.
What it does not do matters just as much. It does not harmonise substantive law (what is distinctive, what conflicts with an earlier right), it does not create a filing route like Madrid, and it does not oblige offices to introduce electronic filing. Its value lies in removing formal obstacles that cost time and money when portfolios move between owners or representatives.
What changes in practice when the treaty applies?
The treaty works through ceilings: an office may ask for less, but not more, than the treaty text and its Regulations allow. The provisions with most practical effect are these:
| Procedure | Rule under the Singapore Treaty | Practical effect for brand owners |
|---|---|---|
| Representation (art. 4) | A single power of attorney may relate to several applications or registrations, or to all existing and future ones of the same owner | Fewer documents when appointing or changing local counsel; offices may still require a local representative for foreign owners |
| Signatures (art. 8) | No attestation, notarisation, legalisation or other certification of signatures on paper communications, with limited exceptions | Less time spent on notaries and apostilles |
| Changes of name, address and ownership (arts. 10 and 11) | One request can cover several registrations, with a closed list of supporting documents | Cheaper, faster recordals after mergers, rebrandings or group restructurings |
| Licences (arts. 17 to 19) | Maximum requirements for recording licences; failure to record does not affect the validity of the registration, and a licensee’s use still counts as use by the owner | More predictable licensing and franchising structures |
| Renewal (art. 13) | Ten-year terms; a declaration or evidence of use cannot be required with the renewal request, and there is no substantive re-examination | Renewals as an administrative step, not a use audit |
| Missed time limits (art. 14) | Offices must offer at least one relief measure: extension, continued processing or reinstatement | A safety net when a procedural deadline is missed |
Two caveats. The treaty fixes outer limits but leaves each country to apply them through its own law and office practice, so the real test will be how the Salvadoran registry adapts its forms and requirements. And relief for missed time limits depends on the option the country chooses, so it should not be treated as a guaranteed second chance.
Singapore Treaty and trademark law in Latin America: who is in?
The WIPO Lex list of Singapore Treaty contracting parties shows 58 members. In the region, the picture is still patchy, and many countries rely on the older Trademark Law Treaty of 1994, which covers similar ground for traditional marks:
| Country | Singapore Treaty (2006) | Trademark Law Treaty (1994) |
|---|---|---|
| El Salvador | In force from 7 October 2026 | Party since 2008 |
| Peru | Party since 2018 | Party since 2009 |
| Uruguay | Party since 2020 | Signed only |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Party since 2020 | Party since 1998 |
| Bahamas | Party since 2025 | Party since 2025 |
| Costa Rica, Dominican Republic | Signed only | Party (2008 and 2011) |
| Mexico | Signed only | Signed only |
| Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama | Not party | Party |
| Argentina, Brazil | Not party | Not party |
On the European side of the corridor, Spain has applied the Singapore Treaty since 2009, alongside most EU Member States. In Africa, OAPI (the African Intellectual Property Organization, a regional office granting a single title for its mainly French-speaking member states) and Morocco are parties.
Argentina’s commitment
As Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal reported on 13 February 2026, the agreement signed by Argentina and the United States on 5 February 2026 requires Argentina to submit the Madrid Protocol and the Singapore Treaty to Congress for debate and vote before the end of 2027. That is a commitment to a parliamentary process, not accession. Until it happens, Argentina keeps its own formalities.
El Salvador’s wider package: designs and patents too
The trademark treaty is part of a broader move. The EU IP Helpdesk reported on 20 July 2026 that El Salvador deposited four instruments on 7 July: accession to the Singapore Treaty and the Patent Law Treaty, and ratification of the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement and the Riyadh Design Law Treaty. The first three take effect on 7 October 2026. From that date, El Salvador can be included in an international design application under the Hague System, which our industrial design protection team handles alongside trademark filings. The Riyadh treaty had not yet entered into force internationally at the time of that report.
What this means for your business
- Map your Central American portfolio: which marks are registered or pending in El Salvador, who the representative of record is and when each renewal falls due.
- Plan pending recordals: if a merger, change of name or assignment affects several Salvadoran registrations, check whether a single request can cover them once the registry applies the new rules.
- Review licences and franchise agreements that rely on recordal in El Salvador.
- Do not change the filing route: El Salvador is not a Madrid member, so new marks still require national applications.
- Keep Argentina on a separate track: national filings before INPI remain the only option until Congress acts and any accession enters into force.
If you manage marks in several Central American countries, our trademark registration and portfolio management service can align representatives, renewals and recordals across the region from one plan.
When to bring in an adviser
- Assuming the treaty applies itself. The ceilings bind the state, but forms and office practice may take time to adapt. A filing prepared on the old requirements may still be accepted; one prepared on assumptions about the new ones may not.
- Treating TLT and Singapore countries as one block. The level of harmonisation differs, and non-traditional marks or licence recordals are where the gap shows.
- Waiting for harmonisation before filing. In first-to-file systems, the earliest application usually wins, whatever the paperwork.
- Leaving outdated powers of attorney and representatives on record, which slows any urgent action such as an opposition or a renewal at the last minute.
Coordinating these points from one place is what keeps a regional portfolio consistent when the rules move at different speeds in each country.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Singapore Treaty apply in El Salvador?
From 7 October 2026. El Salvador deposited its instrument of accession with WIPO on 7 July 2026, after approval by the Legislative Assembly in June, and the treaty enters into force for a new party three months after deposit. The same date applies to the Patent Law Treaty and the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement.
Does the Singapore Treaty let me register one trademark for all of Latin America?
No. It harmonises administrative procedures, such as powers of attorney, recordals and renewals, but it creates no regional title or filing route. To cover several countries with one application you need the Madrid System, which in Latin America includes Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Chile, but not El Salvador or Argentina.
Will Argentina join the Singapore Treaty?
Argentina has committed, in its February 2026 agreement with the United States, to submit the Singapore Treaty and the Madrid Protocol to Congress for debate and vote before the end of 2027. Accession depends on that vote and on the subsequent deposit with WIPO, so national formalities continue to apply in the meantime.
Can IP Global Guard manage my trademarks in El Salvador and Central America?
Yes. We coordinate qualified local correspondents for filings, renewals, recordals of changes and licences in El Salvador and the rest of Central America, and we keep those marks aligned with your European and South American portfolio. You deal with one point of contact and one billing relationship.
Bringing your Central American marks into one plan
Harmonised formalities only help if someone uses them: consolidating powers of attorney, grouping recordals and keeping renewals on schedule. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, manages trademark portfolios across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa, as shown on our jurisdiction coverage page, with one strategy and one point of contact.
Send us the list of your marks in El Salvador and the rest of Central America, with their registration numbers and current representatives. We will check what can be simplified under the new rules and what still needs attention. Contact our trademark team.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the position on its publication date.
Sources
- EU IP Helpdesk, El Salvador accedes to three WIPO treaties and ratifies the Riyadh Design Law Treaty (20 July 2026)
- WIPO Lex, member profile of El Salvador (treaty memberships)
- WIPO Lex, Singapore Treaty contracting parties (database)
- WIPO Lex, Trademark Law Treaty contracting parties (database)
- WIPO Lex, Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks (2006), text
- WIPO, Summary of the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks (2006)
- Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal, The Madrid Protocol at the core of the agreement with the US (13 February 2026)
