In a smooth scenario, trademark registration takes about 7–9 months from filing to receiving the registration certificate: about 1 month for the Notice of Acceptance, about 4–6 months for substantive examination, and 3 months for the preliminary approval publication. If corrections, refusal, or opposition occur, the timeline may extend beyond one year.
Breakdown by Stage
- Filing: for online applications, filing is completed the same day and the application number can be queried the next day.
- Formality examination: about 1 month; the Notice of Acceptance is issued if the application passes.
- Substantive examination: about 4–6 months. Article 28 of the Trademark Law requires CNIPA to complete examination within nine months of receiving the application documents; in practice it is generally faster than this upper limit.
- Preliminary approval publication: a fixed 3 months that cannot be shortened.
- Registration publication and certification: within about one month after the publication period expires, the registration publication is issued and the electronic registration certificate granted.
What Extends the Timeline
- Corrections: if materials or the specimen are non-standard, the correction period is not counted toward the examination timeline and typically adds 1–2 months.
- Refusal: if you apply for a review of the refusal, the review procedure generally takes another 9–12 months.
- Opposition: after an opposition is filed, the opposition hearing usually takes about 12 months, and registration is approved only if the opposition is found unfounded.
How to Shorten It as Much as Possible
Conduct a similarity search in advance to reduce refusal risk; fill in the application form properly and provide a clear specimen to avoid corrections; choose online filing so that each stage circulates faster.
Validity Reminder
Once approved, a registered trademark is valid for 10 years from the date of the registration publication, and renewal may be filed within 12 months before expiry.
Note: The timeframes in this article are updated to 2026. Actual duration depends on examination progress; please refer to official CNIPA guidance.
If you are facing the issues above, you can first do a trademark registration evaluation on MyTMBee to confirm feasibility before deciding whether to file, avoiding wasted official fees from blind filings.