UAE Trademark Registration: Cost, Timeline, and What a Class Actually Means

What a 'class' actually means, and why it matters for cost

UAE trademark registration is class-based — you are not registering a name in general, you are registering it for specific categories of goods or services, under the international Nice Classification system of 45 classes. Class 35, for instance, covers advertising and business management services; Class 25 covers clothing; Class 9 covers software and electronics. If your business spans multiple classes — say, you sell a physical product and also offer consulting around it — you will need to register in each relevant class separately, and each class carries its own government fee. This is the single biggest driver of cost variation between a straightforward single-class registration and a broader brand protection filing across several classes.

What it costs

All in, most clients registering a single class land somewhere between AED 9,000 and 12,000 for the full process, government fee included. Additional classes each add the AED 6,500 government fee plus a smaller incremental professional fee, since much of the drafting work is shared across classes for the same mark.

Timeline & What you will need to provide

Standard processing runs 6 to 12 months end to end, mostly driven by Ministry examination queues and the mandatory 30-day publication window during which third parties can object. Fast-track processing compresses this to roughly 2 to 4 months and is worth the additional fee if you need registered status quickly — for a funding round, a franchise agreement, or a launch date you cannot move.

What you will need to provide

• The exact wordmark, logo, or combination mark you want to register, in final form
• A clear list of the goods or services the mark will cover, mapped to the relevant Nice Classification class or classes
• Trade license copy, if registering on behalf of a UAE company
• Power of attorney authorising us to file on your behalf, notarised where required for foreign applicants
• Priority document, if you are claiming priority from an earlier filing in another country within the 6-month Paris Convention window

What registration actually protects — and what it doesn't

A registered UAE trademark gives you the exclusive right to use that mark in the classes you have registered, and the standing to take legal action against infringement or unauthorised use within the UAE. It does not automatically protect you outside the UAE — international protection requires separate filings in each jurisdiction, though the UAE membership in the Madrid Protocol means you can use a single international application to extend protection to multiple member countries more efficiently than filing separately in each one.

It also does not protect a name or logo you have not registered, even if you have been using it in the market for years — UAE trademark law is generally first-to-file, not first-to-use. If a competitor registers your unregistered brand name before you do, they hold the rights, not you. This is the most common and most expensive mistake we see: businesses trading successfully for years under a name they never protected.

Copyright registration & How it works, step by step

Copyright in the UAE, for original literary, artistic, and software works, arises automatically on creation and does not require registration to exist. Registration with the Ministry of Economy is optional but useful as documented evidence of authorship and creation date, which strengthens your position in any future dispute. We handle this for clients who want that documented protection, particularly for software, written content, and design work.

How it works, step by step

1. Trademark search. We check the UAE trademark register for conflicting existing marks before you commit to filing.
2. Class selection. We map your goods and services to the correct Nice Classification class or classes.
3. Filing. We submit the application to the Ministry of Economy with all required documentation.
4. Examination and publication. The Ministry examines the application and, if accepted, publishes it in the Trademarks Journal for the 30-day objection period.
5. Objection handling, if needed. We respond to any third-party objections filed during the publication window.
6. Certificate issuance. Once uncontested or objections are resolved in your favour, the registration certificate is issued.

Frequently asked questions