Trademark Renewal in Nepal: Period, Documents and Steps

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

30 Jul, 2026
Updated 18 Oct, 2026
Trademarks
IP Sewa
13 min read

In Nepal, a trademark owner must apply for renewal within 35 days from the date the seven-year term expires. After that, the Act allows six more months on a fine, then cancels the registration automatically. This guide covers trademark renewal in Nepal step by step: who files, the form, the documents and what to fix first.

Key takeaways

A registered mark lasts seven years from registration (Sec. 18D) and is renewable any number of times.
The renewal application goes in within 35 days counted from the expiry date (Sec. 23B(1)).
A six-month late period follows on a fine; after it, the registration is cancelled automatically.
The owner files, or an attorney or legal practitioner acting for the owner (Sec. 20).
The Department of Industry (DoI) asks for the original certificate, fee receipt, business-renewal proof, proof of use, tax-payment details and, if an agent files, a power of attorney.
Record any change of owner or name, and replace a lost certificate, before you file the renewal.

How long does a trademark last before renewal is due?

Sec. 18D of the Patent, Design and Trade Mark Act 1965 keeps a registered mark valid "for a period of seven years from the date of registration". The date that counts is the registration date on your registration certificate, not the filing date or the day the mark appeared in the Industrial Property Bulletin.

A trademark is renewable without limit. Sec. 23B(3) caps patents and designs at two renewals each, but lets a trade mark be renewed "any number of times for a period of seven years at a time".

How many days do you have to renew after expiry?

Thirty-five. Sec. 23B(1) says the holder "shall renew" the mark "within a period of 35 days from the date of expiry" of the term. The window opens when the term ends, not before it.

So a mark registered on 1 May 2020 expires on 1 May 2027, and the standard window runs for 35 days from there. Our guide on when to renew your trademark works through dated examples, including how to count day 1. Whatever the count, the date the DoI states prevails.

The 35 days start at expiry; the late period follows, then cancellation.

What happens with a late renewal?

Sec. 23B(2) lets you renew "within six months after the expiry of the time-limit" in Sec. 23B(1), on payment of a fine. Confirm the current amount with the DoI.

If that period also passes, the Act says the registration "shall automatically" be cancelled. Sec. 23B gives no notice or hearing first, so never plan on the late period.

Who can file a trademark renewal?

The registered holder. Sec. 23B puts the duty on the "trade-marks holder", so the application must come from the owner named on the DoI record.

Under Sec. 20, a person may appoint an attorney or legal practitioner, and that representative's actions count as the owner's own. If you file through one, the DoI checklist asks for a power of attorney.

A foreign owner renews the same way, usually through a Nepal-based agent holding a power of attorney. Nepal is outside the Madrid System, and Sec. 21B says a foreign registration is not valid in Nepal unless it is registered here, so a renewal abroad does not renew the Nepali mark. The DoI's own checklist covers domestic and foreign (स्वदेशी तथा विदेशी) renewals with one list of documents.

What does the renewal application form say?

The Act sets the wording in Schedule 2(F). Addressed to the Department, it states that the registration of the mark, affixed to stated goods and registered on a stated date, has expired, and asks for renewal with the fee enclosed. It ends with the applicant's signature, address and date.

The certificate format in Schedule 2(C) carries spaces for the date of renewal, the date the renewed term expires and the signature of the renewing authority. That is why the DoI wants the original. For each line of the application, see our guide to the trademark renewal form.

Which documents does the DoI ask for?

We read the DoI's Industrial Property Section page and its renewal checklist on 18 October 2026. Between them, they list:

the renewal application;
the original trademark registration certificate;
the receipt for the renewal fee;
proof that the company, industry, firm or business is renewed or still operating;
proof that the trademark is in use;
tax-payment details; and
a power of attorney where a lawyer or agent files.

An established business provides its latest tax clearance. A newly formed company will not have one yet, so confirm the DoI's current checklist before you file.

Seven items from the DoI's lists, plus the step that most often holds things up.

What should you fix before you renew?

Sort these out first: each has its own procedure, and each can take longer than the 35-day window.

Situation	What to do first	Basis
Mark sold or transferred	Joint application by both parties to record the new owner	Sec. 21D.
Company renamed or moved	Ask the DoI to amend the particulars on record	DoI checklist.
Certificate lost	Request a copy from the Department on payment of a fee	Sec. 24.
Agent or lawyer filing	Sign a power of attorney in the owner's name	Sec. 20.
Mark not in use	Gather dated proof of use, or take advice first	Sec. 18C.
Several classes	List every certificate; each is renewed on its own	Sec. 18A(2).

Here is an illustration, not a real case. "Sirish Pickles Pvt. Ltd." registered its name in Class 29 and Class 30 under its old name, "Sirish Foods". One certificate is lost, and the Class 30 mark expires next March.

The order matters. Sirish Pickles first asks the DoI to amend its name on both records, then requests a copy of the lost certificate under Sec. 24. Only then does it file the Schedule 2(F) application for Class 30 inside the 35 days, and diary Class 29 for its own date.

How do you renew a trademark in Nepal, step by step?

Work through these steps for each certificate, starting months before the term ends.

Find every certificate. Note each registration number, class and registration date.
Work out the dates. Add seven years to find the expiry date, then the end of the 35-day window.
Fix the record. Record any transfer or name change, and get a copy of any lost certificate.
Collect the documents. Use the DoI checklist above.
Sign the application. Use the Schedule 2(F) wording, signed by the owner or an authorised agent.
File and pay. Submit at the DoI within 35 days from expiry and keep the fee receipt.
Check the result. Confirm the renewal date and new expiry are endorsed, then diary the next term.

After filing, keep the fee receipt until the certificate comes back with the renewal entered. Answer any DoI query quickly.

Most renewals go wrong in steps one to three, so do them early.

What if the original certificate is lost?

Ask for a copy first. Sec. 24 says that when a registration certificate is lost, a copy "may be obtained from the Department on payment of a fee". Because the checklist asks for the original, request the copy well before the expiry date, not inside the 35 days.

What if the owner or company name has changed?

Record the change before renewing. Under Sec. 21D, an owner may transfer a mark, and both parties file a joint application with the prescribed fee.

The DoI's checklist for that step asks for the joint application, the transfer agreement, a power of attorney, the fee receipt, the directors' list and board decision, proof the business is up to date, and identification at the Department.

A company renamed at the Office of the Company Registrar is not renamed on the DoI's trademark record. Ask the DoI to amend the particulars first, or the renewal can stall. Our trademark renewal service checks the record before anything is filed.

Does the mark have to be in use?

Yes, and the DoI checks. Under Sec. 18C, if a registered mark is not brought into use within one year of registration, the Department "shall conduct necessary inquiries and cancel" it. The renewal list asks for proof that the trademark is in use (ट्रेडमार्क प्रचलनमा रहेको प्रमाण).

Keep dated invoices, labels, packaging and adverts that show the mark exactly as registered, and store them with the certificate. They answer the checklist, and any later claim of non-use.

Renewal keeps the same mark, so a redesigned logo or new spelling needs its own application. More on that in trademark renewal myths in Nepal.

Do you renew each NICE class separately?

Yes. Sec. 18A lets the government classify goods and services, and its sub-section (2) requires a separate application for each category. The DoI uses the NICE classification of 45 classes, so a brand registered in three classes holds three certificates, often with three different registration dates, and each needs its own renewal. So does a logo registered separately from the word mark.

In IP Sewa's published-bulletin data, 3,916 of 19,972 owners, about one in five, hold published marks in two or more classes, and 113 hold marks in ten or more. That count groups marks linked to an owner record by owner name; it shows published entries, not current registrations.

To list your own published marks, use our owner and applicant search and match each entry to a certificate. The NICE class finder shows which class a product falls in.

What does IP Sewa's renewal calculator show?

Our free renewal calculator takes the IP type and a registration date in AD. It returns the expiry date, the days left or overdue, and a suggested renewal date about six months before expiry.

Add a trademark's Bulletin publication date and it also shows the last day to oppose: publication plus 89 days, because the 90-day opposition window counts the publication day as day 1.

It does not draw the 35-day or late periods, so add those yourself from the expiry date. The results are a guide; the DoI's record decides.

Can IP Sewa's search show whether a mark was renewed?

No. Our trademark search holds 71,842 marks printed in 123 issues of the Industrial Property Bulletin, from Volume 1, Number 1 (22 January 2006) to the issue of 16 October 2026. The Bulletin prints marks when they are published, before registration, so our data holds no renewals.

A result still gives the application number, class and owner as published. Find an entry with the application-number lookup, then rely on the certificate and the DoI record for the registration and renewal dates.

What happens if both periods pass?

The registration is cancelled, and with it the protection of Sec. 16(2), which bars others from copying or using a registered mark without a transfer or written permission. Recovery means a new application. The first-to-file principle generally applies in Nepal, so a rival who files first in your class may get ahead of you.

The calendar decides which route is still open.

A fresh filing goes through examination, Bulletin publication, a new 90-day opposition window and registration. Our trademark registration service handles the new filing.

Stop marking the brand as registered meanwhile. Sec. 18B bars using a mark as a registered trademark without registration, and Sec. 19 backs that with a fine and confiscation of the goods.

If a rival has already filed and its mark is published, our opposition team can check whether you can object within the 90 days.

Common mistakes in trademark renewal

Counting from filing. The term runs from registration, so filing and Bulletin dates are too early.
Waiting for a reminder. The Act puts the duty on the holder, not the Department.
Filing in an old company name. Record the name change at the DoI first.
Renewing one class only. Every certificate has its own term.

In short: how does trademark renewal in Nepal work?

The holder files the Schedule 2(F) application with the original certificate and the DoI's documents within 35 days from expiry of the seven-year term. Six more months follow on a fine, then automatic cancellation. Fix the record first, renew every class, and keep proof of use.

The Act is on the Nepal Law Commission site, and the official record is on WIPO Lex.

People also search for

Use our renewal service to have every class renewed on time, or contact IP Sewa with your certificate and we will tell you where you stand.

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Frequently asked questions

Within 35 days from the date the seven-year term expires, under Section 23B(1) of the Patent, Design and Trade Mark Act. The window opens at expiry; it is not a period before it. Have your documents ready beforehand so you can file early in the window.

Yes. Section 23B(2) allows renewal within a further six months after the 35-day limit, on payment of a fine. If that period also passes, the registration is cancelled automatically. Confirm the current fine with the Department of Industry.

Each renewal gives a further seven years. A registered trademark is valid for seven years from registration, and the Act lets it be renewed any number of times, seven years at a time. Patents and designs, by contrast, can be renewed only twice.

The registered holder named on the Department of Industry record. Under Section 20 the holder may act through an attorney or legal practitioner, and foreign owners usually renew through a Nepal-based agent with a power of attorney.

The DoI lists the application, the original registration certificate, the renewal fee receipt, proof the business is renewed or operating, proof of use, tax-payment details and a power of attorney where an agent files. A newly formed company will not have a tax clearance yet, so confirm the current checklist with the DoI.

Section 24 lets you get a copy from the Department on payment of a fee. The renewal checklist asks for the original certificate, so request the copy well before the expiry date. Waiting until the 35-day window can leave you short of time.

Yes. A transfer is recorded on a joint application by both parties under Section 21D, and a company name change is recorded as an amendment of particulars. Renewing in a name that does not match the DoI record can stall the application.

Yes. Nepal requires a separate application for each class, so each class has its own certificate, registration date and renewal. A brand in three classes needs three renewals, often on different dates.

Renewal does not cure non-use. Under Section 18C, a mark not brought into use within one year of registration can be cancelled after inquiry, and the renewal checklist asks for proof of use. Keep dated invoices, labels and packaging showing the mark as registered.

The registration is cancelled automatically, and you must file a new application. That application goes through examination, Bulletin publication and a fresh 90-day opposition window, and someone else may file first. Contact IP Sewa as soon as you find a lapsed mark.