Trademark Renewal in Nepal: Process, Fees & Deadlines

A trademark registration in Nepal is valid for seven years and can be renewed repeatedly for further seven-year periods. Renewal is handled by the Industrial Property Section of the Department of Industry (DOI) under Section 23B of the Patent, Design and Trade Mark Act, 2022 (1965). Under the Act, the renewal application is filed within 35 days from the expiry of the current term; a late renewal is still possible for up to six more months at a higher fee, after which the registration is automatically cancelled.

Quick answer: A trademark in Nepal is valid for seven years. Renewal should be filed within 35 days after expiry. DOI currently lists NPR 3,500 for regular renewal and NPR 4,500 for late renewal up to six months.

Trademark Renewal in Nepal at a Glance

 

Item	Current position
Responsible authority	Industrial Property Section, Department of Industry, Tripureshwor, Kathmandu
Governing law	Patent, Design and Trade Mark Act, 2022 (1965), Section 23B
Validity of a registration	Seven years (Section 18D)
Standard renewal window	Within 35 days of expiry of the current term (Section 23B(1))
Late renewal window	Day 36 up to six months after expiry (Section 23B(2))
Current DOI renewal fee	NPR 3,500 within 35 days of expiry; NPR 4,500 from day 36 to six months
DOI service time	Three working days (current Citizen Charter)
Consequence of non-renewal	Automatic cancellation of the registration; no restoration procedure

How Long Is a Trademark Valid in Nepal?

Section 18D of the Patent, Design and Trade Mark Act, 2022 (1965) provides that the title of a registered trademark proprietor "shall remain valid for a period of seven years from the date of registration," except when the mark is renewed. There is a genuine inconsistency between official sources on when that seven-year clock starts:

• The Act says seven years from the date of registration (Section 18D).
• DOI's Trademark Guideline states on its certificate format that the certificate "will be valid for seven years from the period of filing date."

DOI's own guideline resolves this in favour of the statute: where the guideline conflicts with the Act, the Act prevails. In practice, the safest approach is to work from the expiry date recorded on the registration certificate itself and to start preparing the renewal file well before that date.

When Must the Renewal Be Filed?

Nepal's renewal timing is unusual compared with many countries, and it is worth stating precisely because several popular articles get it wrong:

• Standard window — Section 23B(1): the holder must renew the trademark within 35 days from the date of expiry of the current seven-year term, by submitting an application in the prescribed format (Schedule 2(f)) and paying the prescribed fee.
• Late window — Section 23B(2): if the 35-day period is missed, renewal is still possible within six months after that period expires, on payment of a fine.
• After the late window: if the trademark is not renewed within the additional six-month period, the registration is automatically cancelled by operation of the Act.

The Act does not provide a separate statutory "renew before expiry" window; the renewal filing period runs from the expiry date. That said, waiting for expiry is poor practice. Owners should diarise the certificate expiry date, assemble documents and confirm the current fee schedule with DOI at least a few months ahead, so the application can be lodged promptly.    

Trademark Renewal Fees in Nepal

DOI's current Citizen Charter lists the following renewal fees for trademarks:  

Filing window	Current government fee
Renewal within 35 days of expiry	NPR 3,500
Renewal from day 36 up to six months after expiry	NPR 4,500

These are the fees applied at the DOI counter under the current Citizen Charter, and professional or agent fees are separate.

Why some sources quote different amounts

You will often see two other figures in articles and firm websites:

• NPR 500 — the trademark renewal fee written into Schedule 3 of the Act as published in the commonly circulated English translation.
• NPR 1,000 — the late-renewal fine specified in Section 23B(2) of that translation (i.e., a quoted total of NPR 1,500 for a late renewal).

The explanation lies in Section 26A of the Act, which empowers the Government of Nepal to alter Schedule 3 fee amounts by notification in the Nepal Gazette. The current DOI Citizen Charter — the operative schedule a filer actually pays against — lists NPR 3,500 and NPR 4,500. Budget on the Citizen Charter amounts and confirm the live fee with DOI before filing, because this is one of the points where the statute text and current administrative practice visibly diverge.

Documents Required for Trademark Renewal

DOI's own pages are not fully synchronised, so the document list below consolidates the current Citizen Charter, the Industrial Property Section webpage and DOI's official renewal checklist PDF:

1. Renewal application in the prescribed format (Schedule 2(f) under the Act);
2. Original trademark registration certificate;
3. Receipt of the renewal fee payment;
4. Proof of renewal of the company, industry, firm, business or institution — or proof that it is still operating (the checklist PDF expressly accepts either);
5. Tax-clearance certificate;
6. Power of attorney, where a representative is appointed;
7. Evidence that the trademark is in use, listed on the Industrial Property Section webpage.

Item 7 illustrates the discrepancy between DOI pages: the Citizen Charter's renewal row does not list use evidence, while the Industrial Property Section page does. Because the Industrial Property Section is the office that examines the file, prudent owners prepare use evidence anyway — invoices, packaging photographs, advertising and catalogue pages showing the mark in Nepal. This also protects the owner in a separate way: under Section 18C, a mark not brought into use within one year of registration is liable to cancellation after DOI inquiry, and use evidence is how an owner demonstrates compliance.

Step-by-Step Trademark Renewal Process in Nepal

1. Confirm the expiry date. Check the date recorded on the registration certificate or in DOI's register, not just internal records remember the registration-date versus filing-date inconsistency described above.
2. Prepare the application. Complete the renewal application in the Schedule 2(f) format, identifying the registration number, the proprietor and the mark.
3. Assemble the documents. Collect the original certificate, fee receipt, business-renewal or operating proof, tax clearance, power of attorney (if represented) and use evidence.
4. Pay the renewal fee. Pay the applicable Citizen Charter amount (NPR 3,500 or 4,500 depending on the window) and keep the receipt.
5. File with the Industrial Property Section, DOI, Tripureshwor, Kathmandu. The current Citizen Charter lists a three-working-day service time for trademark renewal.
6. Watch the publication stage. DOI publishes registered trademarks together with particulars of renewal or cancellation under Section 21A(1); any person may file a complaint about published particulars within 35 days of publication. If a complaint is lodged, DOI holds inquiries before acting.
7. Retain the endorsed record. Once processed, the renewal is reflected in DOI's register and the certificate record. Keep the updated record with the rest of the company's statutory documents.

Foreign Trademark Owners

Foreign owners renew Nepalese registrations through the same Section 23B procedure, with two practical differences:

• Local representation. Under Section 20 of the Act, an owner may appoint an attorney or legal practitioner, and DOI maintains a prescribed power-of-authority format for trademark registration, renewal and recordal matters. In practice, non-resident owners file through a Nepalese representative who acts as the address for service for DOI notices.
• Independent Nepalese registration. Section 21B provides that a trademark registered abroad has no title in Nepal unless it is registered in Nepal, and Section 21C allows DOI to register a foreign-registered mark on the strength of the foreign certificate. Nepal is a Paris Convention member (in force since 22 June 2001). Renewal keeps that Nepalese registration, not the foreign one, alive; the foreign home registration must be renewed separately in its own jurisdiction.

If the brand is being renewed as part of wider portfolio maintenance, it is also worth confirming that ownership and name changes have been recorded at DOI before filing the renewal, so the renewal record matches the current proprietor.

What Happens If Renewal Is Missed?

• Within the six-month late window: the registration can still be renewed at the higher Citizen Charter fee (NPR 4,500).
• After the late window closes: Section 23B(2) provides that the registration is automatically cancelled. The Act contains no restoration procedure. The only way to recover protection is a completely new registration application under Section 17, which is examined afresh, may face complaints or conflicting marks published in the Industrial Property Bulletin in the meantime, and is not guaranteed to succeed.
• Competitive risk during the gap: a cancelled mark can be applied for by someone else. For a brand with market recognition, even a short unprotected window invites copycat filings.

The cost of a missed renewal is therefore disproportionate: a few thousand rupees and one careful filing, versus re-filing fees, delay and the risk of losing the mark entirely.

Common Trademark Renewal Mistakes in Nepal

• Relying on the wrong expiry date. Because the Act and DOI's guideline measure the seven-year term differently, verify the expiry date against the certificate and DOI's register.
• Assuming a pre-expiry renewal window exists. The statutory window runs from expiry; the practical task before expiry is preparation, not filing.
• Quoting Schedule 3 fees to the client. The Rs 500 figure in the Act's schedule no longer matches the Citizen Charter counter fees; confirm the live amounts.
• Missing the use-evidence item. The Citizen Charter omits it, but the Industrial Property Section page requires it, bring it.
• Letting tax clearance or business-renewal proof lapse. Renewal documents assume the owner's own registrations (business renewal, tax clearance) are current; those lapses delay the trademark file.
• Ignoring the publication stage. A complaint within the 35-day publication window can hold up the renewed record; monitoring the Industrial Property Bulletin is part of portfolio maintenance.