How to Register a European Trademark: Step-by-Step Guide

Updated for 2026 — last updated: 19 July 2026

One application, one fee, protection in all 27 EU member states: the European Union Trade Mark (EUTM), registered at the EUIPO in Alicante, remains the best-value brand protection available to any business selling into Europe. The process is genuinely accessible — and genuinely full of avoidable mistakes, from classification errors to missed opposition deadlines to relying on subsidy schemes that have changed. Here is the current, step-by-step route.

EUTM or Cyprus National Mark — Which Do You Need?

	EU Trade Mark (EUIPO)	Cyprus national mark
Territory	All 27 EU member states, as one right	Cyprus only
Official fees	From €850 (one class, e-filing)	Materially lower
Risk profile	One earlier right anywhere in the EU can ground an opposition	Only Cyprus-relevant earlier rights matter
Best for	Businesses trading or planning to trade beyond Cyprus	Purely local brands; fallback via conversion

Most Cyprus businesses with any cross-border ambition file the EUTM — the arithmetic of 27 countries for one fee is hard to beat. Purely local brands may prefer the national route, covered in our Cyprus trademark registration guide.

Step 1: Search Before You File

The EUIPO does not refuse applications because an identical earlier mark exists — it leaves enforcement to opposition, which means you carry the clearance risk. Before filing: search eSearch plus (EUIPO's register) and TMview (EU-wide and national registers) for identical and confusingly similar marks in your classes; check the obvious absolute-grounds problems (descriptive terms, generic words, deceptive elements); and take a view on the crowded classes before falling in love with the name. An hour of searching prevents the two expensive outcomes: an opposition from an earlier right-holder, or a rebrand after launch.

Step 2: The Application — Classes, Fees, Fast Track

The application is filed online at EUIPO: mark representation (word, figurative, shape, sound — most businesses file word plus figurative separately), the Nice classes of goods and services, and the applicant details. Official fees: €850 for one class by e-filing, €50 for the second class, €150 for each further class — resist the temptation to over-claim classes you will never use, since unused coverage invites non-use challenges after five years. Applications using the harmonised goods-and-services terms qualify for Fast Track, roughly halving the time to publication.

Step 3: Examination, Publication and Opposition

EUIPO examines absolute grounds (distinctiveness, descriptiveness, formalities), then publishes the application — opening the three-month opposition window in which holders of earlier rights anywhere in the EU may oppose. No opposition, and the mark proceeds to registration; an opposition triggers a cooling-off period (where many disputes settle on coexistence terms) and then adversarial proceedings if not. A straightforward unopposed Fast Track application typically completes in around four to six months end to end.

Step 4: Registration, Renewal and Use

Registration lasts ten years from filing, renewable indefinitely for further ten-year terms. Two duties follow: renew on time, and use the mark genuinely — after five years of non-use in the registered classes, the mark becomes vulnerable to revocation and loses its teeth in oppositions. Registration is also the key that unlocks enforcement: customs applications, marketplace takedown programmes and the remedies in our counterfeits enforcement guide.

The SME Fund in 2026 — Read Before Budgeting

The EUIPO SME Fund still exists, but budget on the current terms, not last year's: the 2026 trade-mark voucher reimburses application fees up to a cap of €700 — down from earlier years' levels — and the 2026 allocation has been exhausted, so new applicants should check current availability before relying on it. Two mechanics trip applicants: the voucher must be applied for and granted before filing the trade mark (retrospective claims fail), and reimbursement follows the Fund's claim procedure after filing. If the Fund is closed when you file, the €850 base fee remains the whole budget line.

Going Wider: Madrid, and Conversion as the Safety Net

For protection beyond the EU, the EUTM (or a Cyprus mark) serves as the base for a Madrid Protocol international registration through WIPO, designating the UK, US, China and other markets in one filing. And if an EUTM fails — refused, or defeated by an opposition that bites only in one member state — conversion lets you transform the application into national applications (Cyprus included) keeping the original filing date: the safety net that means a lost EUTM rarely means a lost brand.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an EU trademark cost?

Official fees from €850 for one class (e-filing), plus €50 for a second and €150 per additional class, per ten-year term. The 2026 SME Fund voucher can reimburse up to €700 where available — but the current allocation is exhausted, and the voucher must be granted before filing.

How long does EU trademark registration take?

Around four to six months for a clean, unopposed application using Fast Track — longer where objections or oppositions arise, with the three-month opposition window built into every timeline.

Does an EU trademark cover Cyprus?

Yes — the EUTM covers all 27 member states including Cyprus as a single right. A separate Cyprus national registration makes sense mainly for purely local brands or as a conversion fallback.

Speak to Connor Legal

Connor Legal files and prosecutes EU and Cyprus trade marks — clearance searches, applications, oppositions and the enforcement that follows registration. To protect your brand across Europe, contact the firm.