Trademark Classes in Pakistan: How the Classification Works

The Trade Marks Ordinance 2001 provides for registration of goods, services or both "comprised in the prescribed classification of goods or services in accordance with the international classification of goods and services" (s.12(1)). Rule 11 of the Trade Marks Rules 2004 makes the Fourth Schedule the classification for registration. It describes the Schedule as setting out "the current version of the classes of the International Classification of goods and services".

There are 45 classes. IPO-Pakistan's Classification Summary lists classes 1 to 34 as goods and classes 35 to 45 as services. Some examples from that summary:

• class 3 covers non-medicated cosmetics and toiletry preparations;
• class 5 covers pharmaceuticals, medical and veterinary preparations;
• class 42 covers scientific and technological services, including the design and development of computer hardware and software;
• class 45 covers legal services and security services, among others.

Pakistan applies the international classification because its own law adopts it: s.12 of the Ordinance and r.11 of the Rules.

Which Edition?

IPO-Pakistan's website publishes the class list as "Nice Classification, 12th Edition, Version 2024", and its Classification Summary states that the data was updated on 24 April 2024. WIPO brought the 13th edition of the Nice Classification into force on 1 January 2026. Under s.97(1) of the Ordinance, the Registrar "may, if he considers it necessary, implement any amended or substituted classification".

Check the wording of each item against the version IPO-Pakistan publishes, and confirm with your Pakistan counsel which edition the Registry applies to a new filing.

Pakistan does not accept multi-class applications:

• Rule 13 TMR: "Every application for the registration of a trade mark shall be in respect of goods or services in one class only of the Fourth Schedule."
• Rule 14 TMR: an application for the same mark in different classes is "treated as separate and distinct applications". Where a mark is registered under one number in more than one class, each class is "deemed to be a separate registration for all the purposes of the Ordinance".
• Rule 12(2) TMR: the form for an application in one class is Form TM-1. A convention application claiming priority uses Form TM-2 (r.12(3)).

IPO-Pakistan's filing guidelines put it plainly: "separate applications for separate classes".

An application that covers more than one class is a deficiency under r.25. The Registrar sends a notice, and the applicant has two months to put it right. Otherwise the application is treated as abandoned.

The filing stages that follow are set out in the registration guide. Trademark registration procedure in Pakistan

Each class is a separate application, so official fees are paid per class. These are the official fees of IPO-Pakistan, not the firm's fees. They are taken from the First Schedule to the Trade Marks Rules 2004, as substituted with effect from 9 March 2019, and match IPO-Pakistan's fee page:

• Official search of the Register for one mark in one class (r.87), Form TM-55: PKR 1,000.
• Application in one class, Form TM-1: PKR 3,000.
• Convention application (priority claimed) in one class, Form TM-2: PKR 3,000.
• Registration fee on the demand notice, "including in one class", Form TM-11: PKR 9,000.
• Notice of opposition, "for each application opposed", Form TM-5: PKR 9,000.
• Renewal of a registration, Form TM-12: PKR 15,000.

On those figures, an unopposed application that draws no objection carries PKR 3,000 on filing and PKR 9,000 on registration: PKR 12,000 in official fees per class, or PKR 13,000 if an official search is run first. A mark in four classes multiplies that by four. This is our arithmetic on the published schedule. Fees are paid by pay order or bank draft in favour of the Director General, IPO-Pakistan; the Registry does not accept cash. Professional fees are separate and are quoted per matter.

The full official fee schedule and IPO-Pakistan's published processing times are in the cost guide. Trademark registration cost and timeline in Pakistan

The Registrar does. Under s.12(2) of the Ordinance, any question about the class in which goods or services fall "shall be determined by the Registrar whose decision in the matter shall be final". The Registrar may publish an alphabetical index of goods and services. Items not in the index are classified by the Registrar under s.12(2) (s.13).

Getting the class right before filing is therefore simpler than arguing it afterwards. How to answer a classification objection is covered in the objections guide. Trademark objections in Pakistan

• What the application must contain: the goods or services and their international classification (s.22(2)(c)–(d)), and a statement that the mark is used, or that the applicant has a bona fide intention to use it, for those goods or services (s.22(3)).
• You cannot add goods later: no amendment may extend the goods or services covered by the application (first proviso to s.27(7)). You may restrict them at any time (s.31(1)). Draft the specification for the business you have and the business you plan.
• Statement of use: an application must state the period of use and who has used the mark. The Registrar may ask for an affidavit with exhibits (r.16).
• Dividing an application: while an application is pending, part of the goods or services can be split into a divisional application that keeps the original filing date (s.32). The official fee on Form TM-14 is PKR 900.

A search or a specification limited to one class can miss the real risk. Section 17(2) of the Ordinance refuses a mark that is identical or similar to an earlier mark for identical or similar goods or services where confusion is likely. The test does not depend on the class. Section 17(3) protects an earlier mark with a reputation in Pakistan even for goods or services that are not similar.

The Registrar's own search under r.26 looks for marks "in respect of same goods or services or same description of goods or services". Goods of the same description can sit in different classes.

A clearance search should cover the related classes, not just the one you will file in. Trademark search and clearance in Pakistan

Classes 22 to 27 are "textile goods" for Chapter XI of the Ordinance (r.95 TMR). Where a mark for textile goods consists exclusively of letters or numerals, a separate application is needed for each item of textile goods in the Fifth Schedule, on Form TM-53 (r.96). For such marks, r.97 groups the items: goods in the same group are treated as goods of the same description.

Registrations made under an earlier classification can be brought into line with the Fourth Schedule. The proprietor applies on Form TM-40 (r.71 TMR; s.97 TMO). The Registrar's proposal is advertised in the Journal and can be opposed (rr.71(3), 72).

Pakistan has been party to the Madrid Protocol since 24 May 2021 (WIPO Lex). IPO-Pakistan states that it examines international registrations designating Pakistan "in accordance with the provisions of the Trade Marks Ordinance & Rules". It publishes them in the Journal and can issue a provisional refusal. How a multi-class designation is recorded and charged locally should be confirmed with your Pakistan counsel.

Raza & Associates was established in 2005 and is listed in Tier 3 of The Legal 500 ranking for Pakistan intellectual property. Its trademark practice covers clearance searches, filing, prosecution, objections, oppositions, renewals, assignments, licensing and enforcement. Offices: Lahore (head office), London and Singapore.

For filing and prosecution in Pakistan, review our trademark practice. Trademark registration and trademark lawyers in Pakistan

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