UAE Ministry Of Economy Introduces New Trademark Service Fees To Boost Business Competitiveness

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism has announced new fees for trademark services. This decision was revealed during a media briefing at the Ministry's Dubai headquarters. Present at the briefing were Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Under-Secretary of the Ministry, and Dr. Abdulrahman Hassan Al Muaini, Assistant Under-Secretary for Intellectual Property.

Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, highlighted the UAE's progress in creating a robust framework for intellectual property. He noted that trademarks are crucial to this system, supported by Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021. This law aims to establish a secure business environment that aligns with international standards.

The Cabinet's decision on trademark service fees is designed to attract international investors and support SMEs and People of Determination. Bin Touq stated, "The Cabinet’s decision on the fees for trademark services provided by the Ministry represents an important step in enhancing the UAE’s attractiveness to international investors, attracting global companies, and supporting SME owners and People of Determination." This move aims to improve service quality and speed up procedures.

In the first half of this year, 19,957 national and international trademarks were registered by the Ministry. This marks a 129% increase compared to 8,711 registrations in the same period last year. The growth reflects an increasing interest in trademark registrations within UAE markets.

Al Saleh mentioned that numerous national initiatives have been launched to enhance intellectual property and trademarks. These initiatives involve collaboration with both government and private sectors locally and internationally. He said, "The Ministry has consistently launched numerous national initiatives for intellectual property and trademarks."

Among these initiatives is the Geographical Indications (GI) system for national products. This federal initiative protects local products with unique characteristics from specific regions in the UAE. Additionally, joining the Madrid Protocol in 2021 allows SME owners to register their trademarks locally while expanding internationally.

New Trademark Services

The decision introduces seven new trademark services with specific fees. For instance, registering a geographical indication costs AED6,500 while one-day trademark examination is priced at AED2,250. Other services include grievance against trademark cancellation at AED5,000 and conversion of a national trademark to international at AED400.

The decision also consolidates fees for four services related to trademark renewal. Renewal during the final year costs AED5,750 while renewal within six months after protection ends is AED6,500. Monitoring mark renewal during its final year is AED8,250; within six months after protection ends it’s AED9,750.

Support for SMEs

The decision offers a 50% fee exemption on trademark services for members of the National Programme for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It coincides with launching ‘The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World’ campaign aimed at enhancing competitiveness as an incubator for SMEs globally.

People of Determination receive full exemption from these fees. This reflects UAE’s commitment to empowering them alongside SME owners by facilitating access to efficient business environments.

Enhancing Business Environment

Dr. Abdulrahman Al Muaini emphasized that amending fees enhances service flexibility and efficiency while boosting competitiveness within UAE’s business environment. He affirmed that "the decision contributes to improving government performance in delivering world-class services."

This decision supports innovation by protecting rights of both national and international trademark owners through faster processing times including one-day examination options.

The Ministry continues efforts towards supporting growth within UAE’s intellectual property sector which now boasts over 402 thousand registered trademarks as of September 2025.

The Ministry remains committed towards fostering innovation while enhancing competitiveness regionally & globally aligning with ‘We The UAE 2031’ vision aiming at establishing UAE as global hub for new economy by next decade.

With inputs from WAM