China is a first-to-file jurisdiction. The registration generally goes to whoever files first with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), not to whoever used the mark first somewhere else. A supplier, a distributor or an unrelated third party who files before you can end up holding the rights to your own brand inside China — and getting it back afterwards is slower and more expensive than filing early.
Foreign applicants cannot file directly. A China trademark application must be submitted through a China trademark agent that is registered with the CNIPA, which is what we are. You do not need a Chinese company, a Chinese address or a Chinese bank account to register a trademark in China.
This page covers the filing itself. If you have not chosen your classes yet, start with the Nice Classification class finder, which walks through the classes and helps identify where your goods or services fall.
Run a free China trademark search across all 45 Nice classes to check availability and work out which classes cover your goods or services — before you commit to a filing.
Free China trademark search| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| China trademark registration — first class | USD 199 / class |
| Each additional class in the same application | USD 199 / class |
| Additional goods or services items beyond 10 per class | USD 10 / item |
| Availability search and written quotation | Free |
Fees are quoted and payable in US dollars and are all-inclusive — the CNIPA official fee is already inside the price and is never billed separately. Full terms are in our Terms of Service; the complete fee schedule for every other service is on the services page.
A factory that knows your brand can file it in its own name. Once it holds the registration it can control the brand, block your own imports, or sell the mark back to you at its price.
Professional applicants monitor brands that are successful abroad but not yet registered in China, then file first and offer to sell the registration back.
Major Chinese platforms and many distributors ask for a registration certificate before they will list or stock your products under that brand.
Customs recordal, takedowns and infringement actions all rest on holding the registration. Without it, there is usually nothing to enforce.
Most foreign brand owners file a China trademark application directly through a CNIPA-registered agent. There is a second route — extending an existing international registration under the Madrid Protocol — but it is only open to you if you already hold a home, US or EU registration that acts as the base of a Madrid filing.
Simplest for a first China mark. One agent, one file, one fee, handled in English and Chinese. You can claim Paris Convention priority from an earlier home application within six months of its filing date.
Best if you already protect the mark across many countries through a Madrid international registration and want China added to it. It is slower to register and is tied to the base mark's fate, but it gives one centralized renewal across all designated countries.
Not sure which fits? Tell us what you already hold and we will advise in the free quotation. Either way the China filing is handled by a China trademark agent recorded with the CNIPA.
The process is the same everywhere. These pages answer the country-specific questions — claiming Paris priority from your home office, and the Madrid Protocol route from it.
Once the filing is done, or if you are still deciding how to approach China, these are the pages that pick up next.
Send us the mark and the goods or services you need. We check it against earlier filings and send you the search result in writing, together with the fee. Nothing is payable before you confirm.
Send your trademark and products or services through our client portal. The search is free, even if you decide not to register.
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