Madrid System: Filing International Trademark Applications – How to File

Complete your international trademark application using the "Madrid Application Assistant", available through our digital gateway, eMadrid (refer to “Start a new application”). Enter the country name for your Office of Origin and the Application Assistant will tell you which of the following filing methods is available to you:

1. Madrid e-Filing – So far available through more than 20 IP Offices of Madrid System Members, our Madrid e-Filing service provides you with a completely digital and streamlined environment to file – and for IP Offices to process – your application for an international trademark registration. You can directly communicate with your Office of Origin and receive – and respond to – any irregularity notices that we might issue.
   
   
2. IP Office online filing service – Many IP Offices provide their own infrastructure through which you can file your application for an international trademark registration.
   
   
3. Madrid System Application Assistant – Complete your application directly through our Application Assistant following the prompts, download it (in PDF format) and send it to your Office of Origin for certification.

Tips for completing your application

• Designate at least one Madrid System Member (this cannot be the Member through which you are filing your international application).
• Check that the information imported from your national trademark registration (“basic mark”) is correct. Where necessary, adjust or add any missing details such as your email address, representative details, etc.
• Check and if necessary, adjust the imported list of goods and service to be covered by your international trademark registration. The list can be narrower than that covered by your national trademark registration, but not broader. If you want to obtain international protection in additional classes of goods and services, you will first need to file a new national application.
  
  

  Be careful! If you narrow down the list of goods and services but later on need to reintroduce them, you will need to file an additional international trademark application. (You can then merge the two international trademark registrations.)

• Provide a quality copy of the image (“representation”) of your trademark. (Important: This must be the same as the representation used in your basic application or registration.)
• Pay all relevant WIPO fees. (Note: We cannot record your international trademark registration unless you have paid all fees.)

Madrid System Forms

You can still also file an international trademark application using downloadable Madrid System Form MM2. However, we strongly recommend that you file online using eMadrid in order to have digital access to your trademark portfolio.