Trademark Registration via SAIP

The short answer

Trademarks in Saudi Arabia are registered through the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) on a strict first-to-file basis. An application covers one Nice class by default — several with the competent administration's approval (article 2 of the Implementing Regulations) — and the published fees are per class either way: SAR 1,000 filing, 500 publication, 5,000 certificate, totaling SAR 6,500 per class, subject to later decisions. Protection runs ten years, renewable (article 20), with sixty days from publication to oppose (article 14).

5 min read

Trademark protection in Saudi Arabia falls under the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) and is governed by the Trademark Law of the Gulf Cooperation Council States. Protection turns on the filing date: Article 17 provides that once a mark is registered, the effect of registration relates back to the date the application was filed, and Article 10 requires all applications to be suspended where two or more persons apply at the same time for the same, a closely similar, or a similar mark in one class. Timing is what orders the positions. This page maps the full registration path — documents, steps, fees, and timelines — as documented up to June 2026, within the business guides on Hala Law.

The first-to-file rule: why timing matters

Because the system protects whoever files first, postponing registration until after launch opens a practical gap: any other party that files for a similar name before the business owner gains the stronger position. This is why trademark filing appears early in the business setup sequence — and anyone planning to franchise should note what the Franchise Law actually requires: article 1 ties a franchise to a trademark or trade name the franchisor owns or is licensed to use, and the Ministry of Commerce lists only the agreement and the disclosure document as registration documents — so a Saudi registration certificate is not a stated precondition, though owning or being licensed to the mark is what the definition rests on. See franchise registration.

Classes and the Nice Classification

Article 9 provides that a trademark may be registered for one or more classes of goods or services, as the implementing regulation determines. The same article adds a rule that matters when similarity is assessed: goods or services are not similar merely because they fall in the same class, nor different merely because they fall in different classes.

In practice, SAIP's published fees are calculated per class, so extending protection to a further class raises the cost by the same amount. Choosing the right classes from the start therefore remains a substantive decision, with the description of goods and services conforming to SAIP standards.

Required documents

A high-resolution graphic representation of the mark.
Applicant identification data: the entity's Commercial Registration, or a National ID for individuals.
A comprehensive description of the goods or services conforming exactly to SAIP standards.

Registration steps on the SAIP portal

Access the SAIP portal and run the similarity search before filing.
Submit the initial application with the mark, the chosen class, and pay the filing and examination fee.
Examination at SAIP. Article 12 requires the competent authority to decide the application within ninety days of filing where it meets the conditions.
On acceptance: publication, with any interested party able to file a written opposition within sixty days of the publication date under Article 14.
Where the opposition period passes with no opposition filed, Article 16 requires the competent authority to register the mark as soon as it expires, and the registration certificate issues once its fee is paid.

Where an opposition is filed, the authority notifies the applicant with a copy within thirty days, and the applicant must file a written reply within sixty days of that notification, failing which they are deemed to have withdrawn the application — a deadline whose lapse ends the application rather than merely delaying it.

The steps above reflect the last verification in June 2026; labels and screens may change as the platforms are updated.

Official fees

Per SAIP's published service fees — fees change by subsequent decisions:

Item	Fee (SAR)
Filing and examination	1,000
Publication	500
Final registration certificate	5,000
Total per class	6,500

Because the fees are paid in stages, a prior similarity search and precise classification before filing are steps with a direct financial impact. Where an application is refused or made conditional, Article 13 lets the applicant appeal within sixty days of notification to the committee set out in the implementing regulation, and then challenge that committee's decision before the competent court within sixty days.

Expected timeline

The periods the law sets are: ninety days to decide an application that meets the conditions (Article 12), then sixty days to oppose from the date of publication (Article 14). The actual time to certificate depends on whether the application is complete and whether an opposition is filed; the law sets no overall ceiling.

What the certificate gives you

Article 17 gives the owner of a registered mark an exclusive right to use it and to prevent others — who have not obtained their consent — from using it or any identical or similar sign. Article 20 sets protection at ten years, renewable for like periods on an application filed during the final year, and renewable too within the six months following expiry; where those pass without renewal, the mark is struck from the register. The mark is therefore an asset used in franchising and licensing to third parties. It is distinct from reserving a trade name in the Commercial Registration — each provides a separate scope of protection.

When do you need a licensed lawyer or advisor?

The information above is a general framework, not an assessment of any specific mark. Engaging an IP attorney or licensed advisor carries direct practical weight when:

You want a comprehensive availability search before filing. We found nothing in SAIP's material stating whether the filing fee is refundable on rejection, so we make no claim either way — the search is worth doing on its own merits.
Your activity requires precise alignment with Nice Classification classes or coverage across several classes in parallel applications.
Your application faces a third-party opposition during the publication window, or you intend to oppose a published mark.
You plan to use the mark in franchise or licensing agreements that need drafting to preserve your rights.

In those situations your position turns on facts and technical judgments that differ from one mark to another — not on a single general rule.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does trademark registration cost in Saudi Arabia?

Per SAIP's published service fees — fees change by subsequent decisions — filing and examination cost SAR 1,000, publication SAR 500, and the final registration certificate SAR 5,000, totaling SAR 6,500 per class. The fee table attached to the Implementing Regulations is denominated per mark per class: the default is one application per class, several classes may be combined in one application with the competent administration's approval, and the schedule is paid for each class either way.

How long does trademark registration take?

Article 12 requires the competent authority to decide a registration application within ninety days of filing where it meets the conditions. After acceptance the mark is published, and any interested party may oppose within sixty days of publication under Article 14. The actual time to certificate depends on whether the application is complete and whether an opposition is filed; the law sets no overall ceiling.

Can one application cover multiple classes of goods or services?

Article 9 of the Law permits registering a trademark for one or more classes, and article 2 of the Implementing Regulations supplies the mechanism: a single application is confined to one class by default, and may cover several **with the competent administration's approval** under the Nice Classification. The fees are calculated per mark per class, so extending protection to a further class raises the cost by the same amount whether the classes share one application or not. Article 9 adds that goods or services are not similar merely because they fall in the same class, nor different merely because they fall in different classes.

How long does protection last after registration?

Article 17 gives the owner of a registered mark an exclusive right to use it and to prevent others, who have not obtained their consent, from using it or any identical or similar sign. Article 20 sets protection at ten years, renewable for like periods on an application filed during the final year, with a further six months after expiry — and where those pass without renewal, the mark is struck from the register.

What happens if the application is rejected?

Because the fees are paid in stages, a prior similarity search on the SAIP portal and correct classification before filing are steps with a direct financial impact. Where an application is refused or made conditional, Article 13 lets the applicant appeal within sixty days of notification to the committee set out in the implementing regulation, and then challenge that decision before the competent court within sixty days.

Is a registered trademark required before registering a franchise agreement?

We found no such condition in the Franchise Law. Its article 1 defines franchising as operating a business tied to a trademark or trade name **owned by the franchisor or which it is licensed to use**, and the Ministry of Commerce service page lists two registration documents: the franchise agreement and the disclosure document. Registering a trademark is its own track; the Law does not make it a precondition for the agreement to be recognised.

Official sources

Source	Article / reference	As of
Trademark Law of the Gulf Cooperation Council States — Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers	Article 9 (registration for one or more classes), Article 10 (competing applications), Article 12 (decision within ninety days), Article 13 (appeal within sixty days), Article 14 (publication, sixty-day opposition, and the reply to it), Article 16 (registration once the opposition period expires), Article 17 (registration relating back to the filing date, and the exclusive right), and Article 20 (ten-year protection, renewal, the six-month grace period, and cancellation)	2026-07-26
SAIP — Trademark Registration service page	Application 1,000 + publication 500 + registration certificate 5,000 SAR; staged invoices and the 30-day final-payment window	2026-07-24
Implementing Regulations of the GCC Trademark Law — Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property	Article 2: a single application shall be confined to the registration of a trademark in one class, and a single application may cover several classes of goods or services with the approval of the competent administration under the Nice Classification. Article 40: the due fees shall be defined in accordance with the table attached hereto, which is denominated per mark per class	2026-07-26

Change log

2026-07-27Corrected the multi-class answers, which contradicted the Article 9 excerpt on this same page: the answer field asserted one application per class as an absolute rule, and the fee FAQ made a separate application mandatory for each class. The full rule, from article 2 of the Implementing Regulations now added to the sources: one class per application by default, several classes in one application with the competent administration's approval, and the fee table attached to the Regulations is paid per mark per class either way. The Arabic page's flat No to the same question was corrected on the same basis.
2026-07-24Fees corrected to SAIP's published service fees: publication SAR 500 (was 1,575), single-class total SAR 6,500 (was 7,575); fee source replaced with SAIP's official service page.
2026-07-06First edition

Content on this site is general legal information, not legal advice, and is no substitute for consulting a licensed lawyer. We link you to official sources and do not represent any government body.