Nepal puts its fee schedule in the Act itself rather than in subordinate rules, and charges per step. The structure is simple. What makes a Nepali portfolio cost what it does is the seven-year cycle and the one application per category rule, not any individual fee.
This note explains the structure rather than listing amounts. The schedule in the Act has been amended by notification, and the current figures are the ones the Department of Industry publishes — those are the numbers to work from.
Quick reference
| Where set | A Schedule to the Act, covering application, registration and renewal fees |
| How charged | Per step, and per category of goods or services |
| Two fees to register | An application fee on filing, and a registration fee to obtain the certificate |
| Transfer | A transfer fee, on the joint application under section 21D |
| Complaints | A fee for complaint and objection |
| Renewal | A renewal fee for each seven-year term |
| Late renewal | A fine of one thousand rupees, set in section 23B(2) |
| Other charges | Amendment of an application, endorsement on the record, information on registration details, copies of the certificate |
The structure
The fee Schedule to the Act lists charges against the three rights it covers — patents, designs and trademarks — and sets out the categories of charge rather than leaving them to rules.
Getting registered involves two separate payments. Section 17(2) requires the application fee on filing. Section 18(2) then requires the registration fee to obtain the certificate. The second falls due later, which is worth saying to a client who assumed the filing invoice was the whole of it.
Keeping the registration means a renewal fee for each seven-year term, and a fine of one thousand rupees where renewal is made late, within the six months after the 35-day window. That fine is fixed in section 23B(2) itself rather than in the Schedule.
Transactions carry a transfer fee, payable with the joint application under section 21D for a transfer of ownership or an approval for use.
Other charges in the Schedule cover amendment of an application, endorsement of amendments on the record and certification other than transfer, obtaining information on registration details, filing a complaint or objection, and obtaining a copy of the registration certificate.
What drives the total
The number of categories. Section 18A(2) requires a separate application for each category of goods or services, so each category is a separate application fee, registration fee and renewal fee for as long as it is held.
The seven-year cycle. Renewal comes round every seven years rather than every ten, so the cost of ownership over a decade is higher than in most of the region — and higher than in Bangladesh after its first term, which moves to ten years.
The one-year use rule. This is the Nepali-specific point and it is not a fee at all. Section 18C requires the Department to cancel a registration where the mark is not brought into use within one year of registration. Money spent registering a category the business will not enter within a year is money spent on a registration the statute directs the Department to cancel. See trademark cancellation in Nepal.
That turns the usual calculation around. In most jurisdictions, defensive breadth costs money and creates some non-use risk after five years. In Nepal it is a cost against a registration with a one-year horizon.
Staging. Section 18A(3) expressly allows a mark registered in one category to be registered in another where it falls there, so filings can be staged as the business reaches each category. That spreads the cost and starts each one-year clock when it can actually be met. See trademark classes in Nepal.
Where money is not the real cost
Three points where the fee is the least of it:
The 35 days from expiry. Miss that and the six months after it, and the registration is automatically cancelled with no restoration route in the Act. The replacement is a fresh application with a new seven-year term and a new one-year clock. See trademark renewal in Nepal.
The one year to use the mark. No fee attaches, and the consequence is cancellation.
The section 21D application. Using a registered mark in another’s name without a transfer of ownership or written permission under section 21D is an offence under section 19, punishable by a fine of up to one hundred thousand rupees with confiscation of the connected goods. See assignment and licensing in Nepal.
Checking the current amounts
The fee Schedule is part of the Act and has been amended by notification. Because the Rules made under the Act are not published in English, the reliable source for current amounts and for the forms they attach to is the Department of Industry, or local counsel at the time of filing.
We would rather say that than publish a figure that may have moved.
On the firm’s own charges
Ours are a separate conversation and depend on what the matter actually involves — the number of categories, whether the mark is already registered abroad, and whether anything is likely to be contested. We would rather quote on the real scope than publish a figure that fits nobody’s matter.
Frequently asked questions
Where are Nepali trademark fees set? In a Schedule to the Patent, Design and Trade Mark Act itself, covering application, registration, transfer, renewal and other charges.
Are there two fees to register a trademark? Yes. An application fee on filing under section 17, and a registration fee to obtain the certificate under section 18(2).
Does filing in more categories cost more? Yes, proportionally. A separate application is required for each category, so each one carries its own fees at every stage.
Is there a fine for late renewal? Yes. Section 23B(2) fixes a fine of one thousand rupees for renewal made within six months after the 35-day window.
Does it cost anything to object to a registration? The Schedule prescribes a fee for complaint and objection, which attaches to the 35-day complaint route under section 21A.
Where do I find the current amounts? From the Department of Industry. The Schedule has been amended by notification and the rules under the Act are not published in English, so the Department or local counsel is the reliable source.
Useful official resources
- Department of Industry, Nepal — current fees and forms
- Patent, Design and Trade Mark Act, 2022 (1965) — sections 17, 18, 18A, 18C, 21D, 23B and Schedule 3
- Nepal Law Commission
See our related notes on trademark classes in Nepal, trademark renewal and filing a trademark in Nepal.
Working out what a Nepali filing programme will cost to run? Talk to us.