UIBM examines absolute grounds only: it never searches earlier marks
What's included
For founders and companies protecting a brand that trades in Italy, resident there or not, including operators building a crypto licence in Italy around a name.
A clearance search before you file
Across the national register, the EU register and the relevant Madrid designations. A documented check, not a guarantee.
The route decision
National at UIBM for Italy alone, an EU trade mark for all 27 member states, or a Madrid extension of a mark you hold.
What can be registered, and by whom
Any sign that distinguishes goods or services and can be represented precisely: words, names, drawings, numerals, sounds, shapes, colours (Normattiva: CPI, Article 7). Normattiva: CPI, Article 19 sets no residence test.
The elected domicile and the PEC
The EU or EEA address UIBM notifies, and the certified mailbox that sits beside it.
A name the regulator will let you use
Article 59(5) MiCAR bars an unauthorised person from using a name suggesting CASP status, so a licensed operator's brand needs its own filing: see how MiCA applies to an Italian CASP.
Three routes, and what each one costs
Three offices, three procedures, three territorial results. A single-class national filing totals roughly EUR 189 with stamp duty; a single-class EU trade mark is EUR 850 for all 27 member states (EUIPO: the EU trade mark).
Starting from a single question, "I need to protect a name," three branches follow. Branch A: trades only in Italy, leads to a national filing at UIBM, at EUR 101 for one class plus EUR 34 per extra class, giving protection in Italy only. Branch B: trades or plans to trade across the EU, leads to an EU trade mark at EUIPO, at EUR 850 electronically for one class, giving protection in all 27 member states. Branch C: already holds a mark and wants to extend it further, leads to the Madrid System via the Office of origin, UIBM or EUIPO, subject to an eligibility test of nationality, domicile, or a real and effective establishment, giving protection in the designated Contracting Parties.
| Item | National (UIBM) | EU trade mark (EUIPO) | Madrid System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Territorial reach | Italy only | All 27 member states | The designated Contracting Parties |
| What you need first | Nothing | Nothing | A marchio di base, plus nationality, domicile or a real and effective establishment (UIBM-hosted WIPO guidelines) |
| Where it is filed | UIBM, electronically | EUIPO | The Ufficio di Origine, UIBM or EUIPO, which certifies it before forwarding to WIPO |
| Basic filing, one class | EUR 101 | EUR 850 electronic, EUR 1,000 on paper | n/a |
| Each additional class | EUR 34 | EUR 50 second class, EUR 150 beyond two | n/a |
| Collective or certification mark | EUR 337 | EUR 1,500 electronic | n/a |
| Renewal, one class | EUR 67 | EUR 850 electronic | n/a |
| Secretarial fee / opposition fee | EUR 40, EUR 43 with a certified copy | EUR 320 to oppose | n/a |
| A designation of Italy | n/a: these are first filings | Examined under the same national rules; provisional refusal within one year (Agreement) or eighteen months (Protocol), Normattiva: CPI, Article 171 | |
| If the base right falls | n/a | For five years it depends on the base mark; a national filing within three months keeps the priority date | |
How the filing works
Six requirements sit between the decision and a filing date, each met or missed before examination begins.
- Pick the route and the classes. National, EU-wide or Madrid. Every application states which of the 45 Nice classes it claims.
- Run the clearance search first. Across the national and EU registers, and the Madrid designations where the business will trade beyond Europe.
- Elect a domicile in the EU or EEA. Every application must state or elect one, so UIBM can send its notifications somewhere (Normattiva: CPI, Article 147).
- Add a certified email. The same article requires a PEC (posta elettronica certificata) from the applicant or their representative; without one the application fails Article 147(3-ter).
- Decide on representation. No agent is required; an employee may act. Article 201 CPI otherwise limits the role to a roster-listed mandatario abilitato or a lawyer.
- File online and pay. No paper application is accepted; authentication runs through SPID, CIE, CNS or eIDAS, open to any EU citizen. The payment date is the filing date
Next step
Not sure which route your mark needs?
Tell us the name, what it will be sold under, and where the business plans to trade.
Tell us about your caseWhat UIBM checks, and what it deliberately does not
Three stages stand between filing and registration. Only one can refuse a mark outright, and where it stops is the fact that matters.
Receivability, then formal examination
Ricevibilita, Article 148 CPI: the applicant identifiable, the mark reproduced, the goods listed. Formal examination, Article 156, checks the application's own content.
Technical examination: absolute grounds only
Normattiva: CPI, Article 170 lists Articles 7, 8, 9, 10, 13(1), 14 and 3: distinctiveness, deceptiveness, conflict with law, public policy or morality.
Article 12 novelty is not on that list
UIBM runs no search against earlier marks and will not refuse yours because a similar mark already exists. An earlier right is enforced by opposition, or later by an invalidity action in court.
Office actions and the reply window
A rilievo (office action) allows no less than two months to reply. Silence ends the file; a new ground buys two more months.
Which is why a search is worth paying for
Checking before the fee is paid catches a conflict while changing course costs nothing.
Publication and opposition
Once a mark clears examination UIBM publishes it in the Bollettino, at least monthly. That opens a window in which someone can still stop it.
Three months, and the deadline is mandatory
Opposition (opposizione) runs three months from publication, under Normattiva: CPI, Articles 176 and 178. The procedure has run in this form since 1 July 2011.
Who may oppose
Owners or licensees of an earlier Italian, international-in-Italy or EU trade mark right, and Article 8 CPI rightholders over a name or portrait used without consent.
Who may not oppose before UIBM
Well-known-mark holders under Article 6-bis of the Paris Convention, de facto users of a similar sign, and trade-name, company-name or domain-name owners go to the courts instead.
After an opposition is filed
UIBM checks admissibility within two months and opens a two-month conciliation window. Where the opponent's mark is five years old, proof of use may be demanded within 60 days.
Eight points in sequence, each with its own deadline and no cumulative total: filing, where the payment date equals the filing date; examination for receivability, formal requirements and technical grounds under Articles 148, 156 and 170 CPI; publication in the Bollettino, at least monthly, under Article 187 CPI; an observation window of 2 months under Article 175 CPI; an opposition window of 3 months, mandatory, under Article 176 CPI; where opposed, a conciliation window of 2 months under Article 178 CPI; evidence of use, where requested, within 60 days under Article 178(4) CPI; and finally registration and the certificate. No official total duration from filing to registration is published.
What registration gives you, and for how long
A registered mark carries an expiry date and a use requirement, and the classes decide how much of the market it covers.
- Exclusive use, and the power to stop identical or similar signs (Article 20(1) CPI)
- A mark with a reputation in Italy reaches dissimilar goods
- The sign stopped on goods, packaging, correspondence, advertising and non-EU imports (Article 20(2) and (2-bis))
- Ten years from filing, renewable indefinitely in ten-year periods (Normattiva: CPI, Articles 15 and 16)
- Renewal EUR 67 one class, EUR 34 per extra, EUR 202 collective
- Forty-five Nice classes since Legge 243/1982: 34 goods, 11 services
- Current edition NCL(13-2026), effective 1 January 2026, mandatory for Madrid
- Five years of unjustified non-use is a revocation ground (Article 24 CPI)
Problems we solve
"Surely the office already checked"
The applicants most surprised during a filing assumed UIBM had screened for conflicting marks. It has not.
A route chosen on price alone
The national-versus-EU call rarely turns on the fee gap; it follows from where the business plans to sell, like what Banca d'Italia requires from a payment institution.
Classes claimed "just in case"
Registering goods the business has no plan to sell is the pattern the five-year non-use rule exists to unwind.
Fraudulent invoices and fake certificates
UIBM has publicly warned about payment demands reproducing the names of its serving managers, and about false registration certificates.
Next step
Want the search run before you pay a filing fee?
Send us the sign and the goods or services it will cover.
Tell us about your caseWhy work with us
From our practice. The elected-domicile requirement catches first-time, non-resident filers more often than any other formality here: nothing about it feels like registering a trademark.
Not incorporated yet? Start at company registration in italy. For a clearance search and a route recommendation, start the onboarding form.
Prepared by Marta De Luca, Regulatory and Licensing Lead, Milan office, after four years inside the compliance function of an Italian payment institution.
Reviewed by Giulia Mancini, Head of Corporate Formation. Updated 13 September 2026.
Accuracy note: this page states the position under the instruments cited, as published at the update date, and is not legal advice. No official statistic for the total time from filing to registration exists; only the individual statutory deadlines above are given. Sources verified 6 to 10 September 2026.
Tell us about your case
Tell us the mark and the markets it has to cover, and we will say which filing route fits.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to register a trademark in Italy?
A national filing is EUR 101 for one class plus EUR 34 per extra class, EUR 40 in secretarial fees and a EUR 48 electronic-filing stamp; renewal is EUR 67 for one class. An EU-wide trade mark is EUR 850 electronically for one class, covering all 27 member states.
How long does an Italian trademark registration last?
Ten years from the filing date of the application, renewable indefinitely in further ten-year periods for the same mark and the same class or classes, under Articles 15 and 16 of the Codice della Proprietà Industriale.
How many classes does the Nice Classification have?
Forty-five: thirty-four for goods and eleven for services. The current edition, NCL(13-2026), took effect on 1 January 2026, and its use is mandatory for a Madrid System international application.
Does UIBM check for earlier conflicting trademarks before registering mine?
No. UIBM's technical examination under Article 170 CPI checks only absolute grounds: distinctiveness, deceptiveness and public policy. An earlier conflicting mark is a matter for opposition, within three months of publication, or for a later invalidity action, not for UIBM's own initiative.
How long do third parties have to oppose my application?
Three months, a mandatory deadline running from the date the application is published in UIBM's official Bollettino. The procedure, under Articles 176 to 184 CPI, has run in its current form since 1 July 2011.
Who can and cannot oppose my trademark application?
Owners or licensees of an earlier Italian, international-in-Italy or EU trade mark right, and Article 8 CPI rightholders where consent is missing, may oppose. Well-known-mark, de facto-use and trade-name or domain-name rights cannot be raised before UIBM and go to the ordinary courts instead.
Can someone object to my application without filing a formal opposition?
Yes. Under Article 175 CPI, any interested party may send UIBM written observations within two months of publication, without becoming a party to the case. If UIBM finds them relevant, the applicant gets thirty days to respond.
Do I need an address in Italy or the EU to file a trademark?
Yes. Every application must state or elect a domicile in an EU or EEA member state, to receive all of UIBM's communications and notifications, plus a certified email (PEC) address under Article 147(3-bis) and (3-ter) CPI.
Do I need a local agent to file an Italian trademark?
No agent is legally required; an applicant may act through an employee of their own business. Where an agent is appointed, Article 201 CPI limits the role to a representative on the roster of the Consiglio dell'Ordine dei Consulenti in Proprietà Industriale, or a lawyer at the bar.
Should I file nationally in Italy or go for an EU trademark?
A single-class national filing runs to roughly EUR 189 in official fees; a single-class EU trade mark is EUR 850 but covers all 27 member states. The break-even is around two national filings, so an EUTM tends to make sense once more than one or two EU countries matter.
Can a Madrid System international registration cover Italy?
Yes. UIBM examines an inbound designation under its own national rules and may issue a provisional refusal to WIPO within one year for a Madrid Agreement designation, or eighteen months for a Madrid Protocol designation, under Article 171 CPI.
What happens if I don't use my Italian trademark?
Non-use for five consecutive years without a legitimate reason is a ground for revocation under Article 24 CPI, subject to an exception if genuine use resumes at least three months before a forfeiture action is filed.