UAE trademark registration is worth it if the UAE is a market you trade in, or genuinely plan to within the next few years, and if the name, logo or tagline is one you intend to build on there. It isn’t cheap. The UAE Ministry of Economy’s official fees come to AED 6,500 for a standard application, roughly £1,300 at June 2026 exchange rates, against an official UK IPO fee from £205. So the useful question isn’t whether it’s expensive. It’s whether the UAE is the right place to invest in your brand, right now.
More and more businesses are coming to us wanting to protect their brand in the UAE, and it makes sense. The region is ambitious and international, and registering there says something about where a business sees itself heading. Then people see the cost, and for a business that’s only just getting going it can come as a real shock. That reaction is understandable. It’s also the moment to step back and look at what you’re actually buying.
How much does UAE trademark registration cost?
The official fees are set by the UAE’s Ministry of Economy and Tourism and listed on its Register Trademark service page. For a standard trademark they are:
- Examination: AED 750 (or AED 2,250 for examination within one business day).
- Publication: AED 750, once the application is accepted.
- Registration: AED 5,000, paid after the objection period ends.
That’s AED 6,500 in official fees before any professional costs. The fee schedule was restructured under Cabinet Resolution No. (102) of 2025, which took effect on 15 November 2025 according to a UAE law firm’s summary, and the same summary says the fees are charged per class. The Ministry also charges late-payment penalties if the publication or registration fee isn’t paid within 30 days.
There are costs on top of the office fees. The Ministry’s page says an owner based outside the UAE has to apply through a registered trademark agent, with a notarised and legally translated power of attorney. Our international trademark registration service handles that through trusted local representatives, with one UK contact, and sets out the route and official fees for each country before you decide. Agent costs vary, so I’d ask for them in writing before you commit. Official fees vary by territory and number of classes, and we confirm the exact figure before anything is filed.
How does the UAE registration process work?
The steps are straightforward, and the timeframes are shorter than many people expect. Based on the Ministry’s published process:
- Apply and pay the examination fee. The Ministry checks whether the mark is identical or similar to one already registered or applied for, and aims to issue a decision within 20 working days.
- Pay the publication fee. Accepted marks are published in the official trademark bulletin.
- Wait out the objection period. Third parties have 30 days from the bulletin date to object.
- Pay the registration fee. The certificate is issued within 30 days of the end of the objection period.
- Renew every ten years. The renewal service page lists AED 750 for publication plus AED 5,750 for renewal in the final year of protection.
If an application is rejected, the Ministry’s page says you can appeal to its Appeals Committee within 30 days of being notified.
Update, September 2026: A UAE law firm reported on 16 September 2026 that the Ministry now accepts applications in trademark class 33 for alcoholic beverages, which it previously did not. If you make or sell wine, spirits or other alcoholic drinks and the UAE is on your list, that changes what you can protect there. Registration doesn’t give permission to import or sell alcohol, which remains separately regulated.
Is the UAE part of the Madrid system?
Yes. The UAE joined the Madrid Protocol, the international system run by WIPO that lets you extend one application to several countries, with effect from 28 December 2021, according to WIPO’s accession notice. That means a UK business can designate the UAE in an international application based on its UK filing.
But Madrid doesn’t make the UAE cheap. The same notice records that the UAE opted to charge its own individual fee rather than a share of WIPO’s standard fees, and that it gave itself 18 months, rather than the usual 12, to refuse protection. WIPO’s individual fee table listed 1,420 Swiss francs per class for the UAE when we checked it in September 2026, on top of WIPO’s own basic fee.
The easiest way I can describe Madrid is a booking website for hotels. You book several stays in one place, which saves admin, but each hotel still sets its own price and can still turn you away. Whether a direct UAE filing or a Madrid designation works out better depends on which other countries you need and how much control you want if the Ministry raises an objection. Our guide to whether the Madrid Protocol works goes into that trade-off in more detail.
Why is a UAE trademark an asset rather than a cost?
Because a trademark isn’t money spent and gone. It’s a registered right you own. It protects the brand you’ve spent years building, sits on your business as something of value, and can be licensed or sold later. That matters if you plan to enter the UAE through a distributor, a franchise partner or a local agent. If the brand is registered in your name, the relationship is built on something you control. If it isn’t, you may find the most valuable part of the deal isn’t clearly yours.
Seen that way, the question changes. It’s no longer “why does it cost so much?” but “is this the right asset to invest in, in this market, at this stage of growth?”
There’s a counterweight to that, too. A UAE registration only protects you in the UAE, and a UK registration doesn’t travel there. If the UAE is a “one day” market rather than a “this year” market, the money may work harder protecting the brand where you actually sell today.
How do you decide whether the UAE needs protecting first?
Step by step, this is what I’d consider before filing:
- Where is your revenue now, and where will it be in two years? Protection follows trade. List the countries you sell into or have firm plans for.
- Who are you working with in the UAE? A distributor, franchisee or marketplace may expect you to own the mark there, or may be tempted to file it themselves if you don’t.
- Is the name clear in the UAE? A clear UK register says nothing about Dubai. Search there before you spend.
- Get the UK filing right first. If you haven’t filed at home yet, our UK trademark registration service starts with a pre-application clearance audit, so the mark you carry abroad has been checked. The UAE is a member of the Paris Convention, as WIPO’s records confirm, so a UAE application filed within six months of your UK filing can generally claim the UK date. That window gives you time to decide without losing your place in the queue.
- Budget for the full life of the registration. Official fees now, renewal in ten years, and the cost of dealing with any objection or opposition along the way.
Brand names travel faster than trademarks do, as the story of Dubai chocolate showed. At The Trademark Helpline, a full trademark consultation and brand clearance audit, including searches of international registers, is carried out before any application is filed, so you know what’s already out there and which countries genuinely need protecting first. A good first step is our free trademark search to check the name in the UK, the base most UK businesses build from. If the UAE is on your radar this year, book a free call, ring 0161 833 5400 or email enquiries@thetrademarkhelpline.com, and we’ll help you work out where your brand needs protecting first.
Related questions
- Someone in another country is using my brand. Can I stop them?
- Do I need a trademark to sell on Amazon in the US or abroad?
- Do I need separate UK and EU trademarks after Brexit?
- How much is my brand or trademark actually worth?
This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute trademark advice or guidance. Last reviewed 25 September 2026. First shared as a LinkedIn post.
Questions about this
How much does it cost to register a trademark in the UAE?
The UAE Ministry of Economy’s official fees for a standard trademark come to AED 6,500, roughly £1,300 at June 2026 exchange rates. That is made up of AED 750 for examination, AED 750 for publication and AED 5,000 for registration, and a UAE law firm’s summary says the fees are charged per class. An owner based outside the UAE has to apply through a registered trademark agent, so agent costs come on top, and it helps to get those in writing first.
Answered by Alex Pugh, Brand Protection ConsultantCan a UK business protect its trademark in the UAE through the Madrid Protocol?
Yes. The UAE joined the Madrid Protocol with effect from 28 December 2021, so a UK business can designate the UAE in an international application based on its UK filing. Madrid does not make it cheap, though. The UAE charges its own individual fee rather than a share of WIPO’s standard fees, and it gave itself 18 months, rather than the usual 12, to refuse protection. Whether Madrid or a direct filing works better depends on which other countries you need.
Answered by Alex Pugh, Brand Protection ConsultantHow long does UAE trademark registration take?
The published timeframes are shorter than many people expect. The Ministry aims to issue an examination decision within 20 working days, accepted marks are then published, and third parties have 30 days from the bulletin date to object. Once the registration fee is paid after that objection period, the certificate is issued within 30 days. A UAE registration then needs renewing every ten years, and a rejected application can be appealed within 30 days of notification.
Answered by Alex Pugh, Brand Protection Consultant
