Madrid Protocol Singapore: How to Register Your Trademark Overseas (2026)

By Lucas Seah, Founder of Excellence Singapore Group | Last Updated: October 2026

The Madrid System, set up under the Madrid Protocol, lets a Singapore business protect its trademark in up to 133 countries with one international application, filed through IPOS and based on its Singapore application or registration. It is usually simpler and cheaper than filing country by country. But it carries two risks most brand owners only discover later: for five years the international registration stands or falls with the Singapore mark, and every country you designate (the countries you name in your application) examines the mark under its own law and can refuse it, sometimes with a deadline as short as 15 days.

This guide explains how the system works, what it costs, and how to reduce the risk of refusals and of the five-year trap.

Key Takeaways

• One international application, filed through IPOS on Form MM2(E) and based on your Singapore mark, can cover up to 133 countries through WIPO’s 117 Madrid System members.
• The cost is IPOS’s S$250 administrative fee, WIPO’s basic fee of CHF 653 (CHF 903 if the mark is in colour), and a fee for each country you designate.
• For five years, losing the Singapore mark can cancel the international registration in every country at once. This is called central attack.
• Each country can issue a provisional refusal within 12 or 18 months, and later for opposition-based refusals in some countries. Response deadlines range from 15 days (China) to 6 months (Canada and the United States); Singapore gives 4 months. Many offices require a local agent.
• Designating China does not cover Hong Kong or Macao, which need separate filings.

How does the Madrid System work for a Singapore business?

The Madrid System is run by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and has 117 members covering 133 countries. You can use it if you are a national of, are domiciled in, or have a business in a member country, and you already have a trademark application or registration there. For a Singapore company, that means a mark filed with IPOS.

That Singapore mark is called the basic mark, and it can be a pending application or a registration. Basing the international application on a pending application is faster, but WIPO’s own guide warns that it “could be risky”, because if the application fails, the international registration is cancelled with it.

1. File through IPOS. Submit Form MM2(E) on the IPOS Digital Hub with IPOS’s S$250 administrative fee. WIPO’s fees are paid separately, in Swiss francs.
2. Keep your IPOS date. If WIPO receives the application within two months of IPOS receiving it, the international registration is dated the day IPOS received your international application.
3. WIPO checks and registers. WIPO examines the formalities, records the international registration and notifies each country you designated.
4. Each country examines. Every designated office then examines the mark under its own law, as if you had filed there directly, and either protects it or issues a provisional refusal (a notice that it will not protect the mark unless you respond).
5. Renew in one step. The registration lasts ten years and is renewed through WIPO in one step for every designated country.

Should you use Madrid or file country by country?

Madrid is not always the better route. It suits you when you want the same mark, for the same goods and services, in several Madrid countries. It is weaker when you only need one or two markets, or a market that sits outside the system.

The deciding question is usually how settled your Singapore mark is, not the filing fee. If the Singapore application could still be opposed or objected to, a Madrid filing built on it inherits that risk in every country you designate.

The five-year trap: central attack

For five years from the international registration date, the international registration depends on the Singapore mark. If, within that period, the Singapore application is refused or withdrawn, or the registration is revoked, invalidated, cancelled or allowed to lapse, the international registration is cancelled to the same extent in every designated country. The same applies to a decision made after the five years in an action that was started within them. In WIPO’s words, this dependence “is absolute and effective regardless of the reasons why the basic mark is rejected, withdrawn or ceases to enjoy” legal protection.

Two details catch owners out. First, adding countries later does not restart the clock: there is no separate dependency period for a later designation. Second, WIPO notes that the basic mark “often” fails simply because the owner did nothing, for example by missing a deadline at the home office.

There is one rescue. If the international registration is cancelled because the Singapore mark failed, you can transform each designation into a national application in that country within three months of the cancellation, keeping the international registration date. Each country charges its own fees for this. Transformation is not available if you asked WIPO to cancel the international registration yourself.

This is why we treat a clean Singapore registration as the foundation of any international filing. A clearance search before you file, and a prompt response to any IPOS objection or opposition, reduce the risk to every country that depends on it.

Provisional refusals: the expensive surprise

Each designated office has 12 months to refuse protection, or 18 months if that country has declared the longer period. Some countries, including Singapore and China, have also declared that they can notify an opposition-based refusal after the 18 months. Otherwise, an office that misses its window loses the right to refuse. A refusal can come from the examiner or from a local opposition.

If an office refuses, you have the same remedies as if you had filed there directly. The refusal notice states the deadline to respond and whether you must respond through a local representative, which WIPO says may be required in most cases.

Sources: WIPO, time limits to respond to provisional refusals and members’ declarations, October 2026.

The response windows are the part to plan for. Under WIPO’s rules an office should give at least two months. The 17 members that have opted out of that minimum include China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and France. A business that designates eight countries can face eight separate refusals on eight timelines, each potentially needing a local agent. Budget for that before you file, not after the first refusal arrives.

Check whether each notice says total or partial. Under a partial refusal, the goods and services it does not affect go ahead without a reply. Under a total refusal, if you do not respond, the whole designation for that country is lost, even where the grounds touched only some of your goods or services.

What does a Madrid application cost from Singapore?

There are two layers of fees: IPOS’s administrative fee in Singapore dollars, and WIPO’s fees in Swiss francs, part of which WIPO passes on to the countries you designate.

Sources: IPOS forms and fees; WIPO schedule of fees, October 2026.

Because many countries set their own individual fees, the total depends on the countries and classes you choose. We work out the full cost for your list, including our professional fees, before you commit, and you should keep a reserve for responding to refusals.

Can the EDGE grant pay for a Madrid filing?

Yes, if your company qualifies. Enterprise Singapore’s EDGE grant supports overseas trademark registration under its Market Entry Setup activity, including international applications under the Madrid System. It covers up to 70% of the professional service costs for SMEs and up to 50% for larger companies. For EDGE, an SME has group annual sales of up to S$100 million or up to 200 workers.

Check the three points below before you ask anyone to start work, including us.

Does your company qualify?

• Registered and operating in Singapore: the applicant must be a business entity registered and operating in Singapore.
• At least 30% local ownership: Singapore citizens or permanent residents must own at least 30% of the company, directly or indirectly.
• The company owns the mark: Enterprise Singapore’s EDGE FAQ says the trademark “must be owned by the grant applicant”. A mark owned by your licensor, your franchisor or a director personally does not qualify.

What does EDGE cover for a trademark filing?

• Overseas markets only: the activity supports overseas expansion. Singapore IP registration costs are eligible only “when they form part of an international IP application process”, such as a Madrid filing, so a Singapore-only registration is not covered.
• One application for several markets: a Madrid filing can go into one EDGE application that lists every target market, and so can a PCT patent or Hague design filing. Direct national filings need one EDGE application per market.
• Supported costs: the activity page lists professional service costs, and only the expenses approved in your Letter of Offer are supported. Objection costs can be included, but not as a standalone cost once your claim has been submitted and approved.
• Cap and deadline: the support counts towards your company’s S$100,000 annual EDGE cap, and the project must be completed within 18 months of approval.
• Claim after paying: all project expenses must be paid in full before you claim, and the claim needs a signed engagement letter with an auditor from Enterprise Singapore’s Panel of Auditors.

In what order should you apply?

1. Get the quotation and proposal. The application asks for the vendor’s proposal and quotation, so this comes first.
2. Your company submits its own application. It applies on the Business Grants Portal through Corppass, using its own authorised staff. Vendors, service providers and corporate secretaries are not allowed to submit it, so we cannot apply for you, even as your corporate secretary.
3. Do not start work or pay a deposit before you submit. If you do, Enterprise Singapore treats the application as retrospective, and retrospective applications are not supported.
4. Only then start the filing. Costs incurred from the date of application are covered if the application is approved, and the activity page gives the outcome in 6 weeks. Filing before approval is at your own risk: if the application is rejected, the cost is yours.

If your company meets these criteria, send us four details through our contact page: the mark, the company that owns it, the countries you want to cover and when you need to file. We will prepare our quotation and proposal for the filing, ready for your EDGE application. For how EDGE works across all its activities, see our EDGE grant guide.

Designating Singapore: what overseas brand owners need to know

If you are based overseas and your international registration designates Singapore, IPOS examines it under Singapore law. Singapore has declared the 18-month refusal period and charges an individual fee of CHF 265 per class. For example, an Australian owner designating Singapore for three classes pays CHF 653 plus CHF 795, a total of CHF 1,448 in WIPO fees for a black-and-white mark, before any fee its home office charges. Singapore also requires a declaration of intention to use the mark.

• Time to respond to an IPOS refusal: 4 months from the date IPOS issues it, extendable on Form CM5 (S$25 for the first request, S$50 for the second and S$75 after that).
• Agent: you must give IPOS an address for service in Singapore (where IPOS sends official letters). The law allows you to act through an agent but does not require one: under section 80 of the Trade Marks Act, acts “may be done by or to an agent”.
• Missed the deadline: the designation is treated as withdrawn, but you can ask for continued processing on Form CM13 (S$100) within two months, together with your response. The older six-month reinstatement route applies only to cases from before 26 May 2022.
• Partial objection: if IPOS objects to only some goods or services, only those are withdrawn if you do not respond.
• If the registration is cancelled through central attack: you can transform the Singapore designation into a national application within three months, keeping its date, on Form MP1 at S$410 per class.

When someone opposes your mark in Singapore

Published marks, national or international, can be opposed by third parties. The timelines differ slightly for an international registration designating Singapore.

Sources: Trade Marks Rules and Trade Marks (International Registration) Rules; IPOS forms and fees.

IPOS suspends the proceedings from the date the counter-statement is filed, and each side then files a notification to the Registrar within one month of IPOS’s letter. Mediation is available, in 30, 60 or 90-day slots that can be extended. If the dispute continues, the Registrar sets periods for each side’s evidence, a hearing before IPOS’s Hearings and Mediation Department costs S$1,000 for the first class and S$800 for each further class, and either side can appeal to the General Division of the High Court within 28 days. Our guide to trademark opposition and invalidation walks through each stage, on both sides of a dispute.

How do you check if a Madrid trademark is valid?

WIPO’s Madrid Monitor lets you look up an international registration and see the countries it designates and the decisions each office has issued. It covers international registrations only. For marks filed directly in other countries, also search WIPO’s Global Brand Database.

How we help with international trademarks

Excellence Singapore Group is listed as a Trade Mark Agent on IPGrow, the government’s directory of IP service providers, and acts for brand owners before IPOS, including objections, oppositions, invalidations and revocations, short of court. For international filings we help you decide whether Madrid or direct filings suit your markets, check the Singapore basic mark for weaknesses before you file, prepare the international application, and keep track of your designations and deadlines.

If you are new to trademarks, start with why trademark registration matters in Singapore, how a trademark differs from registering a company or business name, and how long registration takes. Once registered, a Singapore mark lasts ten years, so diarise its renewal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Madrid Protocol?

The Madrid Protocol is the treaty behind WIPO’s Madrid System, which lets a trademark owner protect a mark in up to 133 countries with one international application and one set of fees. A Singapore business files through IPOS, based on its Singapore application or registration, and each country it designates then examines the mark under its own law.

Which countries are in the Madrid System?

WIPO’s Madrid System has 117 members covering 133 countries. They include the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India and the United Arab Emirates, and ASEAN markets such as Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei. Hong Kong and Macao are not covered.

Is Hong Kong covered by the Madrid System?

Not as of October 2026. WIPO states that protection in China does not include Hong Kong or Macao, so if you need protection there, you file separately with each territory’s trademark office.

How much does a Madrid application cost from Singapore?

IPOS charges a S$250 administrative fee. WIPO then charges a basic fee of CHF 653, or CHF 903 if the mark is in colour, plus a fee for each country you designate, which many countries set themselves. Singapore’s own fee is CHF 265 per class. The total depends on the countries and classes you choose.

Does the EDGE grant cover overseas trademarks?

Yes, if your company qualifies. EDGE’s Market Entry Setup activity supports overseas IP registration, including Madrid filings, at up to 70% of professional service costs for SMEs and up to 50% for larger companies. The company must be registered and operating in Singapore, be at least 30% owned by Singapore citizens or permanent residents, own the mark and submit its own application before any work starts or any deposit is paid.

Can I file before my Singapore mark is registered?

Yes. The international application can be based on a pending Singapore application. It is faster, but riskier: if the Singapore application is refused or withdrawn within five years, or as a result of an action started within that time, the international registration is cancelled in every country that depends on it.

Do I need an agent if IPOS refuses my mark?

Not necessarily. IPOS requires an address for service in Singapore, and the law allows you to act through an agent without requiring it. You have 4 months to respond, extendable on Form CM5. If you miss it, you can still ask for continued processing within two months, together with your response.

Planning to sell overseas? Protect the brand first

A brand that sells in other markets is worth protecting in them, and the Madrid System is often the most efficient way to do it, provided the Singapore mark underneath it is secure and you are ready for refusals. If you are planning an international filing, or IPOS has just refused or opposed your mark, talk to us and we will tell you where you stand.