Registering a trade mark in Singapore: process, fees and timing

Key figures

Why the fee differs by S$130

This is the easiest saving to capture and the one most often missed. IPOS maintains a classification database of pre-approved goods and services descriptions.

Where a class consists entirely of descriptions drawn from that database, it attracts the discounted fee of S$280. Include even one item of your own wording and that class costs S$410. The difference compounds across classes — three classes means S$390.

So before filling in the form, spend the time finding existing descriptions in the database that genuinely cover your business. Draft your own only where nothing fits, rather than starting from a blank page.

Four stages

1. Formalities and examination. IPOS checks the application against registration requirements. Where it is deficient, an examination report is issued and you have 4 months to respond. The usual issues are unclear specifications or similarity to an earlier mark.

2. Publication. Once accepted, the mark is published in the Trade Marks Journal for 2 months.

3. Opposition. During publication, any interested party may oppose registration. This is the least controllable part of the process — an opposition raises both time and cost materially.

4. Registration. Where examination is cleared and no opposition arises, a certificate of registration is issued.

IPOS states that registration takes about 9 months where the application contains no deficiency and faces no objection or opposition. Read the other way: nine months is the smooth case, not a guarantee.

When to file

The common error is waiting until the business takes off. As in most jurisdictions, rights here depend heavily on registration and priority — by the time a brand has recognition, someone has frequently registered the same class already.

The practical moment is after incorporation, once the brand name is settled, and before you start using it publicly. Securing the core classes then costs least. Note also that trade mark registration and company registration are separate: registering a company name with ACRA does not give you trade mark rights in that name.

Do not miss the renewal

Registration lasts 10 years. The renewal window opens six months before expiry, via Form TM19 with the applicable fee, extending protection by a further 10 years.

Ten years is long enough to forget. Where a company has changed secretary, moved address or lost the staff member who handled it, renewal notices routinely go astray — and once a mark lapses, refiling means starting again, potentially against someone who has since registered it.

How we handle it

Trade marks sit on our service list. In practice we do three things: classes and specifications — select the classes that match what you actually do and use IPOS pre-approved descriptions wherever possible to secure the S$280 rate; prior search — check for similar earlier marks before filing, so you do not pay to discover the obstacle afterwards; and deadlines — the 4-month response window on an examination report, the 2-month opposition window, and the renewal window ten years out, all tracked by us. See pricing.

Frequently asked

Sources: IPOS (Form TM4 and online filing via IPOS Digital Hub, per-class fees of S$280 and S$410 plus GST, the 4-month window to respond to an examination report, the 2-month opposition period following publication, the approximately 9-month timeline where unopposed, the 10-year term, and renewal via Form TM19 from six months before expiry). Verified August 2026; fees and rules change, so refer to IPOS for the latest. This article is general information and not legal advice.

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