Replacement Certificate Payment: First Check Which Document Is Missing

An anonymised practice note based on official CNIPA documents. Names, marks, identifiers, dates and identifying details have been omitted or generalised. Options described below are not claims about steps actually taken or outcomes not documented.

What was received

The reviewed documents include a replacement-certificate payment notice requiring payment within seven days from receipt. It includes no later replacement certificate for this file. Payment requested is not proof of issue.

The notice also does not establish renewal, assignment or expansion of protection.

Diagnose the document problem

Ask what is missing: an electronic PDF, old paper certificate, change proof or assignment proof. Check the registered owner, status and validity. A platform or transaction may require a different document from the one initially requested.

For registrations covered by electronic-certificate arrangements, investigate retrieval through the authorised channel first. CNIPA introduced electronic certificates without paper issuance for relevant new registrations from 1 January 2022. Loss of a local PDF does not automatically require a paid replacement filing.

Check the origin and recipient's requirements before substituting a copy found online.

Certificate copies, reissues and registration proof

For registrations handled by MY CNTM, we permanently archive the electronic registration certificate and resend our archived copy free of charge after checking the requester's authority. This client service is different from CNIPA's own archives and a paid application.

A formal reissue may be needed if the original certificate cannot be retrieved, for example because the previous agent is unreachable. CNIPA now issues electronic registration certificates, including reissues, rather than paper replacements. Issuance of an official trademark registration proof is a separate procedure; replacement of a change, assignment or renewal certificate is different again. Confirm the document required before paying. See our certificate retrieval and reissue guide and CNIPA service guide.

Materials and choices

Provide registration details, current owner documents, representative authority and an explanation of the problem. If the owner name or address changed, assess updating it separately. Replacement is not a shortcut for correcting the legal record.

Options may include retrieving the existing certificate, obtaining the appropriate official proof or requesting formal replacement. Confirm what the receiving platform needs before choosing a more expensive procedure.

Payment and outcome checks

If proceeding, verify official payment in the filing account and keep confirmation. When the document arrives, compare the mark, owner, goods and validity with the register. Replacement does not restart the registration term.

The source has no guaranteed completion time or proof of issue. Distinguish “payment completed” from “certificate received” in progress reports.

How fees are determined

For registrations handled by MY CNTM, our permanently archived electronic registration certificate can be resent free of charge after checking your authority. Do not order a paid reissue merely to obtain our archived copy. A formal CNIPA reissue is a separate paid application when retrieval fails, such as when the former agent is unreachable. Confirm its bundled fee and scope before proceeding. Neither a fee notice nor an agency invoice establishes that a replacement has been issued.

For this subsequent service, each class handled is a separate fee unit even under one application or registration number. The number of goods or services does not trigger extra-item charges. Confirm the class count and total in the portal order or written quotation.

Related practice notes

Checking changes to the owner record

For the scope of a new instruction, see our services and pricing or client portal.