The Trademark Registration Process in Egypt – Step by Step
Trademark registration is essential for businesses seeking to protect their brand identity, products, and services in the Egyptian market. The process is regulated by articles from 63 to 118 of the Egyptian intellectual property law no. 82 for the year 2002, and articles from 70 to 115 of the executive regulation issued by the Prime Minister decree no. 1366 for the year 2003. The Egyptian Trademark Office (TMO) and follows specific legal and procedural steps. The following will outline each phase of the trademark registration process in Egypt, from document preparation to obtaining a certificate of registration, including options for appeals and opposition procedures.
Required Documents for Trademark Application
To file a new trademark application in Egypt, applicants must prepare and submit the following documents:
- Power of Attorney (POA) from the applicant. The POA must reflect the name of the applicant as reflected in their ID or Commercial registry if the applicant is a legal entity or a company. In the later event the POA shall indicate the legal form of the company, for example a joint sock company or a limited liability company ..etc. the POA must be signed, legalized and notarized at the Egyptian Consulate in the country of the applicant.
- Commercial Registration or Incorporation Documents: Includes the Certificate of Incorporation, Articles of Incorporation, or Memorandum of Association, duly legalized and notarized (if available).
- Trademark Logo: A clear copy of the trademark/logo.
- Specification of Goods or Services: A list describing the relevant goods/services to be covered. The wording of the specification of the relevant goods or services must be according to the wording of NICE classification. NICE Classification is an international standard classification of goods and services. The Nice Classification is based on a multilateral treaty administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization WIPO.
- Priority Document (if applicable): if the applicant has filed the same trademark in a signatory country to Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the applicant is entitled to claim the priority when filing the same trademark within six months from the date of the filing in the country of origin[i]. The applicant shall annex an official true copy of the application as filed in the country of origin along with a certified translation into Arabic. Although article 4/D of Paris convention states that the copy of the priority document, certified as correct by the trademark office in the country of origin does not need any further authentication step, but the examiners in the Egyptian trademarks office occasionally require the priority document to legalized and notarized, along with a certified Arabic translation.
Note: Documents (1) and (2) can be submitted within six months from the application filing date according to article 73 of the executive regulation. Failure to submit them within this statutory grace period will result in the application being considered lapsed.
For claiming conventional priority, according to article 4/C of Paris Convention, and article 75 of Egyptian IP law and article 74 of the executive regulations, the application must be filed in Egypt within six months from the original filing date in the country of origin. While article 4/d (3) of Paris convention provides a statutory period of three months for submitting the priority document, article 73 of the executive regulations provides extended statutory period of six months for filing the priority documents in the subsequent application in Egypt.
Trademark Registration Process
The typical duration of the trademark registration process in Egypt is between 12 to 18 months, and involves the following steps:
Step 1: Filing the Application
Submit the application along with the trademark logo and any available documentation.
Step 2: Grace Period for Completing Documents
Applicants are granted a six-month grace period to submit late documents such as the POA, incorporation documents, or priority document (if applicable).
Step 3: Examination of Application
After the grace period, the application is examined by the TMO to ensure compliance with legal requirements. This stage typically takes 6 to 12 months.
Step 4: Review by Senior Examiner
Before a decision is issued, the case file and proposed examination result are reviewed by a senior examiner.
Step 5: Decision Issued
The TMO will issue one of the following:
- Acceptance
- Conditional Acceptance
- Refusal
Step 6: Appeals for Conditional or Refused Applications
If the decision is conditional acceptance or refusal, the applicant has 30 days from the date of acknowledgment of the decision to file an appeal before the Appeals Committee at the TMO. The decision of the Appeals Committee is challengeable within 60 days of the acknowledgment receipt before the Administrative Court with the State Council Judiciary.
Step 7: Publication in the Official Gazette
Upon acceptance, publication fees are paid. The trademark is then published in the Official Gazette, typically within 2 months.
Step 8: Opposition Period
Third parties with a legitimate interest have 60 days from the date of publication to file an opposition, the opposition must be grounded.
Step 9: Opposition Procedure
- If an opposition is filed, the applicant is notified within 30 days.
- The applicant then has 30 days from the date of notification to submit a response to the opposition.
Step 10: Opposition Outcome and Further Appeal
If the Opposition Committee accepts the opposition and refuses the application:
- The applicant has 60 days from acknowledgment of the decision to file an appeal before the Administrative Court.
Step 11: The Registration, No Opposition or Unsuccessful Opposition
If no opposition is filed, or if an opposition is resolved in favor of the applicant:
- The applicant proceeds to pay the registration fees.
- A certificate of registration is issued within 15–20 working days.
Step 12: Appeal Against Appeal Committee Decision
If the Appeal Committee at the TMO refuses the trademark, the applicant can still appeal to the Administrative Court within 60 days from the acknowledgment of the refusal decision. The Administrative Court examines the application comprehensively on the merits.
The total process of trademark registration following the steps above typically takes around 12 to 18 months. With careful preparation and legal compliance, businesses can navigate the Egyptian trademark system effectively and protect their intellectual property in one of the Middle East’s key markets.
[i] < https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text/288514 > accessed on 25 May 2025