Hague System: Declarations by Contracting Parties
Latest revision: October 2024
Contracting parties can make certain declarations, notably to ensure that the international procedural mechanism of the Hague System accommodates their own domestic requirements. This page provides a summary of those declarations.
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Learn about the laws, practices and procedures of all contracting parties in Hague System Member Profiles.
Information about mandatory and optional declarations is available in the Hague System Guide for Users [PDF].
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| Subject | Description | Reference (1999 Act, Common Regulations) | Contracting party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional mandatory elements of the international application | Description of design | Article 5(2)(b)(ii) | China, Romania, Syrian Arab Republic, Viet Nam |
| Claim | Article 5(2)(b)(iii) | United States of America, Viet Nam | |
| Identity of the creator | Article 5(2)(b)(i) | Romania | |
| Special requirements concerning the creator | Rule 8(1)(a)(i) | Brazil, Finland, Ghana, Hungary, Iceland, Mauritius, Mexico | |
| Oath or declaration of the creator | Rule 8(1)(a)(ii) | United States of America | |
| Applicant's contracting party | Prohibition of filing through the office | Article 4(1)(b) | African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), Belarus, Belize, Benelux, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, European Union, France, Israel, Latvia, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Slovenia, Ukraine, United Kingdom |
| Prohibition of self-designation | Article 14(3)(a) | None | |
| Date of effect of the international registration | Extension up to six months |
Rule 18(1)(c)(i) | China, Mexico, Russian Federation, United States of America |
According to domestic law (safeguard) |
Rule 18(1)(c)(ii) | China, Jamaica, Japan, Republic of Korea, United States of America | |
| Deferment of publication (standard publication period: 12 months) | Deferment of publication for less than 30 months from priority date (* from filing date) | Article 11(1)(a) | 6 months: Denmark, Finland, Israel*, Norway 12 months: African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), Belize, Benelux, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Jamaica, Samoa, Slovenia, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, United Kingdom* 18 months: Singapore* |
| No deferment of publication | Article 11(1)(b) | Belarus, Brazil, Hungary, Iceland, Mexico, Monaco, Poland, Russian Federation, Ukraine, United States of America, Viet Nam | |
| Designation fees | Level of standard designation fee | Rule 12(1)(c)(i) | Level two: Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Mauritius, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine |
| Individual fee in respect of a designation made under the 1960 Act | Rule 36(1) | Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova | |
| Individual fee in respect of a designation made – and a renewal requested – under the 1999 Act | Article 7(2) | African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), Canada, China, European Union, Israel, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, United States of America | |
| Individual designation fee payable in two parts | Rule 12(3) | Mexico, United States of America | |
| Designs / reproductions | Requirement of unity of design | Article 13(1) | Brazil, China, Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Romania, Russian Federation, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, United States of America, Viet Nam |
| Certain views of the design required | Rule 9(3)(a) | China, Republic of Korea, Viet Nam | |
| Refusals | Extension to 12 months of the refusal period | Rule 18(1)(b) | Canada, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Finland, Iceland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Türkiye, United States of America |
| Other | No effect of change in ownership until specified statements or documents are received by the office | Article 16(2) | African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), Brazil, China, Denmark, Jamaica, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, United States of America |
| Security clearance | Rule 13(4) | Russian Federation, United States of America | |
| Common office of several states | Article 19(1) | Benelux (Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands (Kingdom of the)) |
Maximum duration of protection per contracting party (Article 17(3)(c) | Rule 36(2))
Note: The maximum duration of protection is as provided in the (latest) declaration made by each contracting party.
| Contracting party | Maximum duration of protection |
|---|---|
| African Intellectual Property Organization | 15 years |
| Albania | 25 years |
| Armenia | 25 years |
| Azerbaijan | 15 years |
| Belarus | 15 years |
| Belize | 15 years |
| Benelux | 25 years |
| Benin | 15 years |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 25 years |
| Botswana | 15 years |
| Brazil | 25 years |
| Brunei Darussalam | 15 years |
| Bulgaria | 25 years |
| Cambodia | 15 years |
| Canada | 15 years |
| China | 15 years |
| Côte d’Ivoire | 15 years |
| Croatia | 25 years |
| Denmark | 25 years (except: spare parts, 15 years) |
| Democratic People’s Republic of Korea | 15 years |
| Egypt | 15 years |
| Estonia | 25 years |
| European Union | 25 years |
| Finland | 25 years (except: spare parts, 15 years) |
| France | 25 years |
| Gabon | 15 years |
| Georgia | 25 years |
| Germany | 25 years |
| Ghana | 15 years |
| Greece | 25 years |
| Hungary | 25 years |
| Iceland | 25 years |
| Israel | 25 years |
| Italy | 25 years |
| Jamaica | 15 years |
| Japan | 25 years |
| Kyrgyzstan | 25 years |
| Latvia | 25 years |
| Liechtenstein | 25 years |
| Lithuania | 25 years |
| Mali | 15 years |
| Mauritius | 20 years |
| Mexico | 25 years |
| Monaco | 50 years |
| Mongolia | 15 years under the 1999 Act 10 years under the 1960 Act |
| Montenegro | 25 years |
| Morocco | 25 years |
| Namibia | 15 years |
| Niger | 15 years |
| North Macedonia | 25 years |
| Norway | 25 years |
| Oman | 15 years |
| Poland | 25 years |
| Republic of Korea | 20 years |
| Republic of Moldova | 25 years |
| Romania | 25 years |
| Russian Federation | 25 years |
| Rwanda | 15 years |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 25 years |
| Samoa | 15 years |
| San Marino | 25 years |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 15 years |
| Senegal | 15 years |
| Serbia | 25 years |
| Singapore | 15 years |
| Slovenia | 25 years |
| Spain | 25 years |
| Suriname | 15 years |
| Switzerland | 25 years |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 15 years |
| Tajikistan | 15 years |
| Tunisia | 15 years |
| Türkiye | 25 years |
| Turkmenistan | 15 years |
| Ukraine | 25 years |
| United Kingdom | 25 years |
| United States of America | 15 years |
| Viet Nam | 15 years |