TRW & Co · Intellectual property
Trademark Renewal and Non-Use Cancellation in the UAE
Trademark renewal UAE rules give ten years of protection from the filing date, renewable for further ten-year periods without new examination. The Ministry of Economy and Tourism charges AED 6,500 during the term and AED 7,250 in the six months after expiry. Marks unused for five consecutive years can be cancelled. Here is how to renew and stay protected in 2026.
Key pointThe bigger risk to a UAE registration is usually non-use, not a missed renewal. Keep a dated use file for each mark and class, including notarised licences, so you can answer a cancellation request quickly.
At a glance
Ten years from filing
A UAE trademark registration lasts ten years from the application filing date and can be renewed for further ten-year periods without new examination.
Renewal fees
The Ministry lists AED 6,500 to renew during the protection period and AED 7,250 within six months after the period ends.
Removal after lapse
An unrenewed mark is treated as removed from the expiry date, and re-registration for the same or similar goods is restricted for three years.
Five-year non-use
An interested person may ask the Ministry to cancel a mark unused for five consecutive years, unless emergency circumstances prevented use.
AED 10,000 cancellation
Third-party cancellation requests carry a Ministry fee of AED 10,000, involve a hearing and take around 90 working days on average.
Swipe or scroll →
Trademark renewal UAE rules are simple on paper: a registration lasts ten years from the filing date and can be renewed for further ten-year periods without fresh examination. The Ministry of Economy and Tourism lists a fee of AED 6,500 to renew during the protection period, rising to AED 7,250 in the six months after expiry. The real risk is elsewhere: a registered mark left unused for five consecutive years can be cancelled on a third party's request.
This guide explains renewal timing and steps, what happens if you miss the deadline, how non-use cancellation works and how to keep evidence that protects your registrations. For the original filing, see our guide to trademark registration in the UAE.
Trademark renewal UAE: the short answer
- Term: ten years from the date the application was filed, not from the registration date.
- Renewal: for further ten-year periods, without a new examination and without third-party oppositions, announced in the Trademark Bulletin.
- Fees: AED 6,500 during the protection period, or AED 7,250 within six months after it ends, according to the Ministry's renewal service page.
- Speed: the Ministry indicates an average delivery time of one working day for the renewal certificate.
- If you miss it: the mark is treated as removed from the register as of the expiry date, and the law restricts re-registration of a removed mark for the same or similar goods for three years, unless a court sets a shorter period.
- Non-use: an interested person can ask the Ministry to cancel a mark that has not been used for five consecutive years, unless emergency circumstances prevented use.
The legal framework
Renewal and cancellation are governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 Concerning Trademarks, in force since 2 January 2022, and its Executive Regulations. Article 21 sets the ten-year term from the application date and provides for renewal without new examination. Article 22 deals with failure to renew: the mark is deemed removed from the register as of the end of the protection period. Article 24 covers cancellation, including for non-use.
The Ministry of Economy and Tourism runs the federal register for all seven emirates and the free zones, including the DIFC and ADGM. Its trademark renewal service sets out the fees, documents and channels.
Who can file a renewal
Companies, establishments and individuals can renew through the Ministry's website or smart app. Owners located outside the UAE usually act through a trademark agent registered with the Ministry, supported by a legal power of attorney. Check that the agent's authority is current before the deadline approaches, because arranging a fresh notarised and legalised power of attorney abroad can take weeks.
Marks protected in the UAE through a Madrid international registration are different. They are renewed centrally through WIPO rather than through the Ministry's renewal service, so they belong in the international docket, not the national one. Mixed portfolios, with some national and some Madrid protection, are a common source of missed trademark renewal UAE deadlines.
Trademark renewal UAE timing and fees
The table summarises the windows and fees published by the Ministry. Fees are government fees per registration; professional fees are additional.
| Stage | Timing | Government fee | Consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renewal during protection | Before the ten-year term ends | AED 6,500 | Protection continues for a further ten years |
| Grace period | Within six months after the term ends | AED 7,250 | Mark renewed at the higher fee |
| After the grace period | More than six months after expiry | Not available as a renewal | Mark treated as removed from the date protection ended |
| Re-registration after removal | After removal | Fees for a new application | Registration of the removed mark for the same or similar goods is restricted for three years unless a court sets a shorter period |
The Executive Regulations set the period in which a renewal may be filed before expiry. In practice, owners should file in the final months of the term, once the Ministry's system allows it, rather than relying on the grace period. The higher fee is not the only cost of lateness: until the renewal is processed, enforcement, customs recordals and licensing due diligence may all be complicated.
How to renew a trademark in the UAE, step by step
- Check the register. Confirm the filing date, the owner's name, the class and the specification. If the owner has changed name or the mark has been assigned, record that first.
- Gather the documents. The Ministry lists the registration certificate, a commercial licence for companies and establishments in the UAE, and a legal power of attorney if an agent files.
- Log in and select the service. File through the Ministry's website or smart app, as the owner or through a Ministry-registered trademark agent.
- Complete the application. Enter the registration details and attach the documents.
- Pay electronically. Pay AED 6,500 if filing during the term, or AED 7,250 if filing in the six-month grace period.
- Receive the renewal certificate. The Ministry indicates that the certificate is issued directly, with an average delivery time of one working day. The renewal is announced in the Bulletin.
- Update your records. Diarise the next expiry date, update customs recordals and notify licensees where licence terms are tied to the registration.
Customs recordals generally depend on a valid Ministry registration. If a mark lapses, recordals can stop protecting you at the border even before anyone notices. Link your renewal docket to your customs recordal renewals so both are updated together.
How non-use cancellation works
Registration is not a permanent monopoly. Under Article 24 of the trademarks law, an interested person may ask the Ministry to cancel a registered mark that has not been used for five consecutive years. The exception is where emergency circumstances prevented use, such as an import ban or a regulatory barrier outside the owner's control. The decision can be challenged through the grievance and appeal route, first to the Trademark Grievance Committee and then to the court.
Cancellation requests by third parties run through the Ministry's trademark cancellation e-service, which lists a fee of AED 10,000. The Ministry schedules a hearing at which the owner can respond, the applicant may comment on the response, and the Ministry then decides. Accepted cancellations are published in the Bulletin, and either party may object within 30 days of notification. The Ministry indicates an average of around 90 working days.
Non-use cancellation is a sword as well as a risk. A business blocked by an old, unused registration can use it to clear the way for its own application. For more on challenging conflicting marks, see our guide to trademark opposition in the UAE.
Defending a non-use request
An owner who receives notice of a non-use request should act quickly. First, establish the relevant five-year period and what use occurred within it, class by class. Second, collect the evidence: the hearing is the owner's opportunity to show genuine use, and documents assembled in a hurry are often incomplete or undated. Third, consider whether emergency circumstances explain any gap, such as a regulatory approval that was refused or delayed, or an import restriction beyond the owner's control.
If use covers only some of the registered goods, the realistic outcome may be a partial loss. In that case, a negotiated solution with the applicant, such as a narrowed specification or a coexistence agreement, may preserve more value than a contested hearing. Where the decision goes against the owner, the grievance route is available, but the time limits are short.
Proving use: what evidence to keep
When a non-use request is filed, the owner needs to show genuine use in the UAE for the registered goods or services. The best evidence is ordinary business paperwork, kept systematically:
- Dated invoices and delivery notes showing sales of goods bearing the mark to UAE customers.
- Photographs of products, packaging and shopfronts in the UAE, with dates and locations.
- Advertising and marketing materials directed at the UAE market, including social media campaigns and website pages targeting UAE customers.
- Distribution, franchise and licence agreements showing authorised use, together with sales reports from licensees.
- Customs and import records for branded goods.
Use by licensees is often central to an owner's evidence. Under the trademarks law, a licence must be written and duly notarised, so keep the signed, notarised licence with the use evidence. Our guide to IP licensing and assignment explains the formalities.
Use should match the registration. Use of a substantially altered logo, or use only for some of the registered goods, may leave parts of the registration exposed. Review the specification at each trademark renewal UAE cycle and consider fresh filings for modernised logos.
Renewals in licensing, investment and M&A
Registration status is one of the first things a buyer, investor or licensee checks. A mark that expires shortly after completion, or that sits in the grace period, invites price adjustments, specific indemnities or conditions precedent. Building trademark renewal UAE dates into the data room, with renewal certificates and use evidence, removes an easy negotiating point for the other side.
Licence agreements should allocate responsibility for renewals and for keeping evidence of use. Under the trademarks law, a licence cannot run longer than the protection period of the mark, so tie the licence term to renewal and require the licensor to renew on time. Licensees investing heavily in a brand should ask for notice if the owner decides not to renew, and for a right to step in.
In franchise and distribution structures, the brand owner should own the registrations and the licensee should supply sales data that doubles as use evidence. Our practice pages on franchising and IP licensing cover those contracts in more detail.
An illustrative scenario
Illustrative only; the parties are generic. A UK cosmetics company registered its mark in the UAE in several classes a decade ago but only launched skincare products. It now plans a fragrance line, and a local business has an application pending for a similar mark in that class.
The company's adviser finds two problems. Its own fragrance registration has never been used and is exposed to a non-use request. And its renewal deadline for all classes falls within the next three months. The company renews on time at the standard fee, files evidence of preparations to launch fragrances in the UAE, and opposes the local application within the publication window, relying on its earlier registration and reputation in skincare.
It then launches the fragrance range within the year, keeping invoices and campaign material in a use file. By combining a timely trademark renewal UAE filing with genuine use, it turns a vulnerable registration into an enforceable one.
Risks and common mistakes
Calculating expiry from the registration date
Protection runs for ten years from the date the application was filed, not from the date the certificate was issued. Because registration can take months, owners who calculate from the certificate date may think they have more time than they do. Docket the filing date for every registration and check it against the Ministry's records.
Relying on the grace period
The six-month grace period costs more and leaves a period in which the registration's status may be questioned. After it ends, the mark is treated as removed from the expiry date, and re-registration of the same mark for the same or similar goods is restricted. Treat the grace period as insurance, not a plan.
Renewing in the wrong owner's name
Group restructurings, mergers and name changes often leave registrations in a former entity's name. Renewal does not fix ownership. Record assignments and name changes before or alongside renewal, or the owner may struggle to enforce the mark or license it cleanly in a transaction.
Keeping marks you do not use
Defensive registrations in classes you never enter can be cancelled after five years of non-use, and paying to renew them may be wasted money. At each renewal, decide which classes you will use and which you will let go, and file fresh applications where your plans have genuinely changed.
Cross-border portfolio checklist
International brands rarely hold a single UAE mark. A trademark renewal UAE programme should sit inside a regional docket covering other Gulf states, where each country has its own renewal rules and fees, and Madrid designations, which renew through WIPO rather than the Ministry. For owners in TRW's network markets, including Bangladesh, the UK, Singapore, China and India, align UAE renewals with home-country renewals so that ownership and specifications stay consistent.
- Docket every UAE registration by filing date, with reminders well before expiry.
- Check ownership and record any assignments or name changes before renewing.
- Renew within the term at the standard fee; use the grace period only as a fallback.
- Update customs recordals and licence records after each renewal.
- Keep a use file for each mark and class with dated UAE evidence.
- Review classes at each renewal and drop or refile as plans change.
- Watch the Bulletin and consider non-use requests against old blocking marks.
TRW & Co advises on portfolio audits, renewals, non-use defence and cancellation strategy, working with registered trademark agents where filings must be made through one. Our practice page on trade mark strategy in the UAE covers wider portfolio planning, and disputes are covered in our guide to IP disputes in the UAE. To discuss a trademark renewal UAE question, contact our Dubai team or email info@trw.co.
Frequently asked questions
01How long does a trademark last in the UAE?
A UAE trademark registration lasts ten years from the date the application was filed, and it can be renewed for successive ten-year periods. Renewal does not involve a fresh examination and cannot be opposed by third parties; it is announced in the Trademark Bulletin. Because the term runs from filing, not from the certificate date, check the filing date for each registration when setting reminders.
02How much does trademark renewal cost in the UAE?
The Ministry of Economy and Tourism's renewal service lists a government fee of AED 6,500 to renew during the ten-year protection period, and AED 7,250 to renew within six months after the protection period ends. Professional fees are additional if an agent or adviser files for you. The Ministry indicates an average delivery time of one working day for the renewal certificate.
03What happens if I do not renew my UAE trademark on time?
You can still renew within six months after expiry by paying the higher fee. If you miss that window, the mark is treated as removed from the register from the date protection ended. The law then restricts registering the removed mark for the same or similar goods or services for three years, unless a court judgment sets a shorter period, so a lapse can leave a brand exposed.
04Can my UAE trademark be cancelled for non-use?
Yes. An interested person may ask the Ministry to cancel a registered mark that has not been used for five consecutive years, unless emergency circumstances prevented its use. The Ministry holds a hearing at which the owner can respond with evidence of use. Decisions can be challenged through the grievance and appeal route. Keeping dated evidence of genuine use in the UAE is the best defence.
05What counts as evidence of trademark use in the UAE?
Practical evidence includes dated invoices to UAE customers, photographs of branded products and shopfronts, advertising aimed at the UAE market, import and customs records, and distribution or licence agreements with licensee sales reports. Trademark licences must be written and notarised under the trademarks law, so keep the licence with the evidence. Use should match the registered mark and the registered goods or services as closely as possible.
06Can I use non-use cancellation against a mark blocking my application?
Yes, if the blocking mark has not been used in the UAE for five consecutive years. You file a cancellation request with the Ministry, which lists a fee of AED 10,000, and the owner is given the chance to respond at a hearing. Investigate use first, because a request against a mark in genuine use will fail. Coexistence or purchase of the mark may sometimes be quicker.
Sources and official materials
- Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 Concerning Trademarks — Term, renewal, removal and non-use cancellation
- Ministry of Economy and Tourism: Trademark renewal — Renewal fees, grace period, documents and timeline
- Ministry of Economy and Tourism: Trademark cancellation request — Third-party cancellation fee, hearing and timeline
- Ministry of Economy and Tourism: Trademark services — All trademark e-services
- Dubai Customs: Trademark Recording System — Customs recordal linked to valid registrations
General information only, current as at 27 October 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create a lawyer–client relationship. UAE law differs between the onshore jurisdiction, the DIFC, ADGM and the free zones, and changes frequently; check current official sources and take advice on the facts of your matter.
