Trademark Renewal in Nepal: When & How (7-Year Term, 2026)

Trademark renewal Nepal rules require you to renew a registered mark through the Department of Industry (DoI) before its seven-year term ends. Under the Patent, Design and Trademark Act 1965 (PDTA), you may renew in further seven-year terms indefinitely, but a missed final deadline results in automatic cancellation.

Key Takeaways

Trademark renewal in Nepal preserves a DoI registration for another seven years under Sec. 23B of the PDTA. File before expiry, use the six-month late-renewal period only if necessary, and track every registered NICE class separately because Nepal follows a first-to-file system.

• A Nepali trademark registration lasts seven years from its registration date.
• You can renew a trade mark for unlimited further seven-year terms.
• File renewal within the period before expiry rather than waiting for the last day.
• A late renewal is possible for six months after expiry, subject to the prescribed fine.
• If that late period passes, the registration is automatically cancelled.
• Each NICE class is a separate registration and needs its own renewal record.
• Foreign owners renew directly in Nepal through a Nepal-based representative.

What does trademark renewal protect in Nepal?

Trademark renewal keeps your existing DoI registration alive for a further seven-year term under Sec. 23B. It protects the registered wordmark, logo, or combined label in the class recorded on your registration certificate, preserving the formal rights you earned by filing first in Nepal.

A trademark identifies the commercial source of goods or services. For example, a tea label, a clothing logo, or a café name can be a trade mark if it distinguishes one business from another. Registration gives the owner stronger grounds to stop unauthorised use of that registered mark.

Renewal is not the same as filing a new brand registration. You are maintaining an existing right and its registration history. If the registration has already been cancelled, you cannot assume that the old certificate or past use will reserve the mark for you.

When should you renew a trademark in Nepal?

You should renew a trademark within 35 days before its seven-year expiry date, as Sec. 23B requires. The DoI calculates the term from the registration date, not from the original application date, so check the certificate rather than relying on a filing receipt.

In practice, start the review earlier than the statutory window. Locate the original certificate, confirm the current owner name, identify every class, and make sure the mark shown in your records matches the registered mark. A small record problem is easier to address before the deadline is close.

Do not assume that a business renewal, tax filing, company registration update, or domain-name renewal also renews your trademark. The Office of the Company Registrar (OCR) handles company matters. Trademark renewal is a separate DoI procedure under Nepal’s Industrial Property framework.

How do you renew a trademark in Nepal?

You renew a trademark by submitting the prescribed renewal request to the DoI within the Sec. 23B period and completing the required formalities. The process applies to each registered class, while foreign owners use a Nepal-based agent because Nepal is not part of the Madrid System.

1. Check the certificate details. Confirm the registration number, owner, mark, class, and seven-year expiry date.
2. Review your class portfolio. List every separate registration for the same name or logo, since one application covers one NICE class.
3. Prepare authority documents. The owner or appointed representative should have the documents needed to act before the DoI.
4. File the renewal request. Submit it in the proper period before expiry and complete the applicable government formalities.
5. Keep the renewed record safely. Update your internal deadline calendar for the next seven-year term and retain proof of renewal.

Which documents are needed for trademark renewal?

Trademark renewal normally requires the registration details, the prescribed request, and authority to act before the DoI. A Nepal-based representative may need a notarised Power of Attorney, while a company owner should ensure its corporate authority and ownership details remain consistent with the DoI record.

Keep the original registration certificate, a clear copy of the registered label where relevant, and the registration number together. If ownership has changed through assignment, do not treat renewal as a substitute for recording that transfer. The DoI record should show the correct owner before a deadline becomes urgent.

Foreign applicants renew nationally through a local representative. Nepal is outside the Madrid System, so an international renewal filing does not extend a trademark expiry Nepal deadline. A Paris Convention priority claim may matter at the filing stage, but it does not replace national renewal.

What happens if your trademark renewal is late?

The DoI allows late renewal for up to six months after expiry under Sec. 23B, with the prescribed fine. If renewal is not completed within that late period, the trademark registration is automatically cancelled, ending the registered right attached to that certificate.

The late period is a rescue route, not a sensible calendar system. During a business sale, franchise discussion, distributor appointment, or enforcement dispute, an expired registration creates uncertainty. You may also lose time gathering signatures, corporate documents, or a foreign owner’s Power of Attorney.

Once cancelled, you may need to apply again from the beginning. That means examination, publication in the Industrial Property Bulletin, and a 90-day opposition window before registration. A new application also faces Nepal’s first-to-file rule if another party files a similar mark first.

How do NICE classes affect trademark renewal?

NICE Classification divides goods and services into 45 classes, and Sec. 18A requires a separate application for each class in Nepal. Renewal therefore follows each individual registration: a brand protected in Classes 25 and 35 has two records, not one combined right.

For example, a fictional Kathmandu business called Himal Sip Tea may hold Class 30 for tea and Class 43 for a tea house. Renewing Class 30 does not preserve the café-service registration in Class 43. Build one portfolio list, then check every entry against its certificate.

What does trademark renewal cost in Nepal?

Trademark renewal costs depend on the number of DoI registrations, whether the filing is on time, and whether you use professional help. Because Nepal charges and records trademarks class by class, a wider portfolio costs more to maintain than a single-class registered mark.

Government charges and professional fees are different items. Late renewal adds the prescribed penalty, while document corrections, ownership issues, and foreign representative work can also affect the total. Use the trademark fee calculator for a current guide, or ask our team for a case-specific figure.

What law governs trademark expiry and renewal?

The Patent, Design and Trademark Act 1965 governs trademark expiry and renewal through Sec. 23B, while Sec. 18A supports Nepal’s separate-class approach. The DoI administers these industrial-property rights, and its official records determine whether a registration remains live, renewed, or cancelled.

Sec. 16 connects trademark title to registration, which is why letting a certificate lapse has serious consequences. Nepal also follows the NICE Classification, a WIPO system for grouping goods and services into 45 classes. You can read the statute through the Nepal Law Commission and check DoI information at the Department of Industry.

A registered owner should also use the mark. Under Sec. 18C, the DoI may cancel a mark that has not been put into use within one year of registration. Renewal preserves the registration term; it does not cure every possible challenge to the mark.

Which renewal mistakes put a brand at risk?

Common trademark renewal mistakes include tracking the application date instead of the registration date, overlooking one NICE class, and assuming the DoI or OCR will renew a mark automatically. Sec. 23B makes the owner responsible for completing renewal before the applicable deadline.

• Using ™ as if it proves a current registered-mark status; use ® only for a valid registration.
• Failing to record an assignment before a former owner becomes unavailable to sign documents.
• Renewing the wordmark but forgetting a separately registered logo.
• Waiting until the late-renewal period, then discovering missing documents.
• Assuming a foreign home registration or Madrid renewal protects Nepal.

A common mistake we see is treating a brand name as one asset when the DoI register shows several certificates. Use the application-number lookup tool to organise known records, then compare them with the certificates in your own files.

What are the alternatives if a registration has been cancelled?

A cancelled trademark may require a fresh DoI application, followed by examination, Industrial Property Bulletin publication, and a 90-day opposition period before a new certificate. That process typically takes about 12–14 months when unopposed, although the smoothest cases can finish in roughly 6–8 months.

Before filing again, search the register for later marks that could block or complicate your application. The public Nepal trademark database is a useful starting point, but similar spellings, translations, and logo elements need careful review. A professional clearance assessment is sensible where the brand is commercially important.

If another party has filed a conflicting mark, do not rely on informal conversations alone. The DoI handles registration and acts as a quasi-judicial body in trademark matters. Our team can help assess renewal, opposition, and enforcement options; this article is general information, not legal advice.

In short: renew your trademark before its seven-year term expires, use the six-month late period only as a backup, and maintain a separate deadline record for every DoI certificate and NICE class.

People also search for

Trademark owners researching renewal often also need help with expiry, forms, portfolio records, and protection after cancellation. These related Nepal-focused guides explain connected issues under the PDTA, including other renewable industrial-property rights and practical brand-protection questions.

• Trademark renewal form Nepal explained
• Trademark renewal myths in Nepal
• Patent renewal in Nepal
• Industrial design renewal in Nepal
• IP glossary: trademark and patent terms in Nepal
• How trademark disputes between Nepali brands are resolved

Check your certificate dates with the renewal calculator, then contact our team through IP Sewa contact support if a deadline is approaching or ownership records need review. For end-to-end help, see our trademark renewal service.