Home › Blog › UK Trade Mark Fees 2026: What Protecting a Brand Costs
As of October 2026, registering a UK trade mark online in a single class costs £205, with each additional class £60. Those are the figures that took effect on 1 April 2026, when the Intellectual Property Office raised patent, trade mark and design fees by an average of 25%. For trade marks it was the first increase since 1998. A registration lasts ten years and is renewable, at £245 for one class.
This page is an archived reference guide. Graphic Evidence ceased trading and this is not a service — no filing, searching, design or advisory work is offered here. All fees and procedures below should be confirmed against the Intellectual Property Office before you act, and anyone wanting representation should use a registered trade mark attorney.
What changed on 1 April 2026
The IPO announced in advance that fees would increase from April 2026. The average rise across patents, trade marks and registered designs was 25%. The notice sets out how long each set of fees had stood unchanged: patents since 2018, designs since 2016, and trade marks since 1998.
That last figure explains why the trade mark increase felt sharper than the others: the previous rate had stood for 28 years.
Trade mark fees as of October 2026
Taken from the IPO’s published trade mark fees table, with the pre-April figure alongside for comparison:
| Item | Before 1 April 2026 | From 1 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Online application (form TM3), one class | £170 | £205 |
| Each additional class, online application | £50 | £60 |
| Right Start, Stage 1 | £100 | £125 |
| Right Start, Stage 2 | £100 | £125 |
| Right Start, additional class per stage | £25 | £30 |
| Renewal (form TM11), online, one class | £200 | £245 |
| Renewal, each additional class | £50 | £60 |
| Series fee (online e-TM3) | £50 | £60 |
| Opposition (TM7), section 5(1) or 5(2) grounds only | £100 | £125 |
| Opposition (TM7), other grounds | £200 | £250 |
A worked example: a studio registering a name for design services, printed matter and software — three classes — pays £205 plus £60 twice, so £325. Ten years later the renewal on those three classes is £245 plus £60 twice, so £365.
Right Start: paying in two stages
Right Start splits the cost. You pay Stage 1, now £125 for one class, and the IPO examines the application and reports on whether it is likely to succeed. To proceed you pay Stage 2, also £125, within the deadline; if you stop, you have spent £125 rather than £205 and you keep the report.
So Right Start costs £250 for a single class against £205 filed outright — a £45 premium for the option to withdraw. For a coined word with no obvious conflicts that rarely pays. For a descriptive or crowded name it often does.
Which date decides the fee you pay
The IPO’s guidance on the new fees from 1 April 2026 sets out transitional rules, and the headline principle is that fees were charged at the old rate “up to and including 31 March 2026”. Several details matter if you have anything in flight from that period:
- Applications paid on or after 1 April 2026 pay the new fee. Saving a draft or using “save for later” does not count as submitting.
- Trade mark applications filed before 1 April 2026 keep the old fee if payment is made within the period of grace, including any class or series fees.
- Right Start completions keep the old Stage 2 fee if the initial fee was paid before 1 April 2026 and the completion fee is paid within the deadline.
- Renewals depend on both the due date and the payment date. A renewal due before 1 April 2026 and paid before that date attracts the old fee. A renewal due on or after 1 April 2026 and paid on or after it attracts the new fee. A renewal due on or after 1 April 2026 but paid before it attracts the old fee. Where a late fee applies, a renewal due before 1 April but paid late on or after it attracts the old renewal fee plus the new late fee.
- International registrations designating the UK are paid in Swiss francs to WIPO, and those fees also increased on 1 April 2026. Renewals follow rule 34(7)(d) of the Madrid Regulations, which again turns on both the due date and the payment date.
What the fee actually buys
The IPO’s own guide to registering a trade mark states that a trade mark lasts ten years and must be renewed to stay in force, that registration costs at least £205 depending on how many types of goods or services you cover, and that where there are no issues the process usually takes around three to four months from application to grant.
Two things follow. The fee is not a search fee: the IPO examines your application, publishes it in the journal so others can oppose it, and registers it if unopposed and otherwise acceptable. Clearance searching beforehand is a separate exercise and cost. And three to four months is the clean-run timescale — an objection or opposition extends it.
Registering a logo as a design
A trade mark protects a sign used to distinguish goods or services. A registered design protects appearance. For a visual identity, the two can overlap and are often used together. Design fees also rose on 1 April 2026, and are markedly lower than trade mark fees. From the IPO’s registered designs fees table:
| Item | Before 1 April 2026 | From 1 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Apply online (DF2A), one design | £50 | £60 |
| Apply online, up to 10 designs | £70 | £85 |
| Apply online, up to 50 designs | £150 | £185 |
| First renewal (DF9A), five-year period | £70 | £85 |
| Fourth renewal | £140 | £170 |
| Register a deferred design (DF2C) | £40 | £50 |
The multiple-design pricing is the practical point for anyone documenting a brand roll-out: filing ten designs online costs £85 in total rather than £60 each. Registered designs also renew in five-year periods on a rising scale, up to a fourth renewal at £170, rather than on the flat ten-year cycle trade marks use. The IPO adds that a request to register a deferred design made on or after 1 April 2026 pays the new deferral fee even if the original application predates it.
The IPO’s services are being rebuilt
Separately from fees, the IPO is replacing its filing systems under the One IPO Transformation Programme. As of October 2026, the new patent services are available to the public and the IPO says it will “shortly begin phase two”, covering digital trade mark services; registered designs and the IPO tribunal follow later, with no published timeline.
Frequently asked questions
Is £205 the total cost of a UK trade mark? It is the official filing fee for one class online. Additional classes are £60 each, and the IPO states registration costs “at least £205”. Professional fees for searching, drafting the specification or responding to objections are separate and are not set by the IPO.
I filed before April 2026 but have not paid everything. Which fee applies? Per the IPO’s transitional guidance, a trade mark application filed before 1 April 2026 keeps the old fees, including class and series fees, provided payment is made within the period of grace. Check your own deadlines with the IPO directly.
Do I need a trade mark if I have registered a company name? They are different registers doing different jobs. A company registration at Companies House does not give trade mark rights, and a trade mark does not reserve a company name. Many brand owners hold both.
How often do these fees change? Rarely. The IPO’s April 2026 notice records that trade mark fees had not increased since 1998, design fees since 2016 and patent fees since 2018. There is no published schedule for the next review, so treat the figures above as correct as of October 2026 and verify them on GOV.UK before filing.