Pakistan Trademark Filing for Foreign Applicants

An applicant or opponent "who does not reside or carry on business within Pakistan" must give an address for service in Pakistan (s.126(1) TMO). Documents can then be served by leaving them at that address or sending them there by registered post (s.126(2)). Rule 9(1) of the Trade Marks Rules 2004 requires every applicant to file an address for service in Pakistan. Once the mark is registered, that address becomes the proprietor's (r.9(2)).

If none is filed, the Registrar sends a notice. If no address is filed within two months, the application is treated as abandoned (r.9(6)). Rule 80(3) excludes this period from the Registrar's general power to extend time.

Under s.127(1) of the Ordinance, any act other than making an affidavit may be done by a duly authorised agent registered with the Trade Marks Registry. Rule 10 requires the agent's authorisation to be on Form TM-48. It also requires the agent to be either a legal practitioner or a registered trade mark agent. The application itself must include the agent's full name, address and contact details (s.22(2)(f)).

IPO-Pakistan's filing guidelines add the practical points:

• a foreign applicant "should file application through their duly authorized attorney or advocate in Pakistan";
• Form TM-48 must be "duly stamped and notarized"; and
• correspondence about the application goes to the agent.

IPO-Pakistan's fee page shows no official fee for TM-48. It says the form is "to be stamped under the stamped Act, 1899".

Notarisation and the Apostille Convention

Pakistan acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 8 July 2022, and the Convention entered into force for Pakistan on 9 March 2023 (HCCH status table). Eight states objected to Pakistan's accession under Article 12: Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands (including Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten) and Poland. Between Pakistan and those states, the Convention does not apply.

Whether a TM-48 notarised abroad also needs an apostille or legalisation, and the stamp duty payable, should be confirmed with your Pakistan counsel before the form is signed.

The application form depends on whether priority is claimed: Form TM-1 for an ordinary application (r.12(2)), and Form TM-2 for a convention application claiming priority (r.12(3)).

Each application covers one class only (r.13). The same mark in several classes is treated as separate applications (r.14). Trademark classes in Pakistan

The official fees are the same for every applicant: PKR 3,000 per class on filing, and PKR 9,000 per class on registration (First Schedule, as substituted with effect from 9 March 2019). Payment is by pay order or bank draft in favour of the Director General, IPO-Pakistan. The Registry does not accept cash (IPO-Pakistan FAQs). Trademark registration cost and timeline in Pakistan

The Rules also require the following:

• Representations: the application is filed in duplicate with six additional representations of the mark (r.18). IPO-Pakistan's FAQs ask for eight clear reproductions.
• Non-Roman characters: a transliteration must be endorsed on the application unless the Registrar directs otherwise (r.22).
• Other languages: for words in a language other than English, the Registrar may ask for a translation (r.23). IPO-Pakistan's guidelines ask for the translation and transliteration by affidavit where the mark is not in English or Urdu.
• Use or intention to use: the application must state that the mark is used, or that there is a bona fide intention to use it (s.22(3)).

Pakistan is party to the Paris Convention, in force for Pakistan since 22 July 2004 (WIPO Lex). An applicant who filed first in a Convention country can claim priority in Pakistan if it applies within six months of the first filing, for some or all of the same goods or services (s.25(2) TMO). The Pakistani application then takes the foreign filing date for deciding which rights come first. Use of the mark in Pakistan in the meantime does not affect registrability (s.25(3)).

The procedure is in r.15:

• The claim: give particulars of the claim in the application, namely the country and the filing date (r.15(1)).
• The certificate: if a certificate from the foreign office was not filed with the application, file it within three months of the Pakistani filing. It must certify the filing date, the office, the representation of the mark and the goods or services (r.15(2)).
• The first filing: the application relied on must be the applicant's first in a Convention country for the same mark and goods or services (r.15(3)).

Pakistan has been party to the Madrid Protocol since 24 May 2021 (WIPO Lex). An international registration can therefore designate Pakistan. IPO-Pakistan states that it examines designations "in accordance with the provisions of the Trade Marks Ordinance & Rules". It publishes them in the Trade Marks Journal. If there is an objection, or an opposition after publication, it sends a provisional refusal to WIPO's International Bureau. It then withdraws or confirms the refusal once the procedure is complete.

From filing, the application follows the same path as a local one:

1. examination and any objection, with two months to reply (r.27(2));
2. advertisement in the Trade Marks Journal (s.28(1));
3. a two-month opposition window (s.28(2));
4. the registration fee on the demand notice (r.33); and
5. a registration that runs for ten years and can be renewed for a further ten years (s.34).

The registration date is the filing date (s.33(3)). IPO-Pakistan's published targets are four months to the first examination report and six months from acceptance through to the demand notice where there is no opposition. They are targets, not commitments.

If the Registrar raises an objection, the reply period and the options are set out in the objections guide. Trademark objections in Pakistan

If a third party opposes after advertisement, the timetable is set out in the opposition guide. Trademark opposition in Pakistan

Raza & Associates was established in 2005 and is listed in Tier 3 of The Legal 500 ranking for Pakistan intellectual property. The firm acts for foreign companies and overseas law firms that need Pakistan-based trademark counsel, from its head office in Lahore and its offices in London and Singapore. Its advice concerns Pakistan law and Pakistan proceedings only.

Instructing from the United States? Review the formalities US counsel needs. Filing a trademark in Pakistan from the US

Instructing from the United Kingdom? Review where Pakistani practice differs. Filing a trademark in Pakistan from the UK

Foreign applicants can coordinate with Pakistan IP local counsel for trademark filing, prosecution, renewals, opposition and enforcement matters.

For Pakistan trademark filing assistance, review our trademark practice. Trademark Law services in Pakistan

This guide summarises the Trade Marks Ordinance 2001, the Trade Marks Rules 2004, the First Schedule fees, IPO-Pakistan's published pages, WIPO Lex and the HCCH status table as read on 5 October 2026. It is not legal advice on any particular matter.