One Application. Many Countries. One Trusted Partner.
International Trademark Registration via the Madrid System
The Madrid System lets you seek trademark protection across more than 130 member countries through a single international application, filed in one language and backed by one set of fees — instead of filing, and paying, separately in every market. Brealant guides you through the entire Madrid System journey, from your first home filing to ongoing protection in every country you designate.
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Essential Guide to Trademarks in
Madrid system
Protecting Your Brand with Brealant’s Expertise
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What the Madrid System Actually Is
The Madrid System is an international filing and administration mechanism, governed by the Madrid Agreement (1891) and Madrid Protocol (1989) and administered by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. It is not a single 'world trademark' — it is a procedural route that bundles a request for protection in multiple member countries behind one application.
Built on a Home 'Basic Mark'
You cannot file internationally from a blank slate. Every international application must be based on a 'basic mark' — an existing trademark application or registration you already hold in your home country or regional office, which is examined first under that jurisdiction's own law.
One Filing, Many National Examinations
Filing through the Madrid System does not skip national scrutiny. Each country you designate still examines your mark under its own trademark law and can raise its own objections, so the system streamlines the paperwork and fees, not the underlying legal standards each country applies.
A Hassle-Free Registration Journey with Brealant
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Contact
Reach out to Brealant to discuss your brand, your existing home trademark rights, and the countries where you want protection.
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Search
We assess whether your basic mark is strong enough to support an international application, and search your target countries for likely conflicts.
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Quote
Receive a service quote covering WIPO's fees, per-country designation costs, and our professional fees for the scope you need.
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Pay
Proceed with secure payment for the stage of the Madrid System process you're instructing us on.
File
Brealant prepares and files what's needed — whether that's your international application through your home Office of Origin, a response to a designated country, a renewal, or another Madrid System filing.
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Wait
WIPO and each designated country's office process the matter on their own timelines, which Brealant tracks and reports on throughout.
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Response
You receive the outcome at each stage — from WIPO's international registration through to each designated country's individual decision.
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Clear, Simple Steps to Secure Your Trademark
The Madrid System works in layers. First, you need a pending application or registration in your home country — your basic mark. You then file one international application, in English, French, or Spanish, through your home Office of Origin, which certifies it and forwards it to WIPO. WIPO checks the application meets formal requirements and records the international registration, then forwards it to every country you've designated. From there, each designated country's own national or regional office examines the mark under its own law, within its own time limit — commonly 12 or 18 months — and can issue a provisional refusal if it has concerns. Understanding this layered structure is the clearest way to plan a realistic, well-sequenced global filing strategy.
Safeguarding Your Trademark in
Madrid system
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With Brealant by Your Side
The Madrid System can save significant time and cost compared to filing separately in every country you care about, but it rewards careful planning: which countries to designate, how strong your basic mark is, and how you'll respond if a designated country raises an objection. Brealant acts as your single point of contact across the whole process — search, filing, national responses, renewals, and everything in between — so your international trademark strategy stays coordinated rather than scattered across dozens of unrelated filings.
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What a Trademark Protects
Choosing the Madrid System route, rather than filing separately country by country, delivers concrete practical advantages. It gives you:
Efficient Global Filing: A single international application, filed in one language, can designate protection across every member country you choose, instead of dozens of separate national filings.
A Predictable, Centralised Fee Structure: Instead of negotiating separate official fee schedules with dozens of national offices, you pay one set of WIPO fees, denominated in Swiss francs (CHF), calculated in advance.
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Centralised Portfolio Management: Changes such as a subsequent designation, an assignment, a name change, or a renewal can generally be recorded once with WIPO rather than separately in every country.
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Room to Expand as You Grow: You're not locked into your original country list — a subsequent designation lets you add further member countries to an existing international registration later, without starting over.
Brealant helps you use these efficiencies without losing sight of the country-specific realities that still apply to every designation.
Limitations
What Cannot Be Trademarked in
Madrid system
The Madrid System is a filing and administration mechanism layered on top of national trademark law, not a replacement for it. Applicants should understand:
You Need a Basic Mark First: You must already hold a pending application or registration in your home country or region before you can file an international application — the Madrid System has no standalone starting point.
Central Attack Risk: For the first five years, your international registration remains legally dependent on your basic mark. If the basic mark is successfully refused, withdrawn, or cancelled during that window, the international registration can fall with it, to the same extent, across every designated country at once.
Independent National Examination: Each designated country still examines your mark under its own law and can issue its own provisional refusal, regardless of how smoothly WIPO's formalities check went.
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Not Every Country Is a Member: Only countries that belong to the Madrid Agreement or Madrid Protocol can be designated. While membership now covers more than 130 countries, a number of jurisdictions worldwide still sit outside the system and require a separate, direct national filing.
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Eligibility Requirements Apply: You must be a national of, domiciled in, or have a genuine business establishment in a Madrid member country to use the system at all — it isn't available to every applicant, everywhere.
Brealant walks you through these realities before you file, so your international strategy is built on accurate expectations rather than assumptions.
Timeline for Trademark Registration in
Madrid system
The process moves through two distinct phases — WIPO's own administration, then each designated country's national examination. It typically involves:
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Application submission
Basic Mark & Application Preparation: Your home application or registration is confirmed as eligible, and your international application is prepared, including your chosen countries and classes.
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Examination
Filing Through the Office of Origin: Your home IP office certifies the application and forwards it to WIPO, generally within a matter of weeks of filing.
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Acceptance and publication
WIPO Formalities Examination: WIPO checks the application meets formal requirements and, once satisfied, records the international registration and publishes it in the WIPO Gazette.
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Registration
National Examination in Each Designated Country: Each designated country examines the mark under its own law, within its own statutory period — commonly 12 months under the Madrid Agreement or up to 18 months.
Overall timing depends heavily on how many countries you designate and how each one responds — expect the national examination phase to run 12 to 18 months per country from the international registration date, sometimes longer where opposition is available.
Understanding Trademark Costs in
Madrid system
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Simplified with Brealant
Costs are set by WIPO in Swiss francs (CHF) and scale with the number of countries and classes you designate, so exact figures vary considerably from one filing to the next:
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WIPO Filing & Designation Fees: A basic fee, plus either individual fees (set by each designated country) or standard complementary and supplementary fees, charged per class and per country designated — WIPO's official fee calculator gives an exact figure once your countries and classes are confirmed.
Professional Fees: Brealant's fees cover preparing your international application, coordinating your basic mark and Office of Origin filing, and managing correspondence with WIPO and any designated country that raises a question — scoped to the stage of the Madrid System process you need.
We calculate your exact WIPO fees before you commit, so there are no surprises once you've chosen your designated countries.
Continued Trademark Protection in
Madrid system
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Supported by Brealant
Filing your international application is rarely the last step. Brealant supports you through the full Madrid System lifecycle: an international trademark search before you file, responding to a provisional refusal if a designated country objects, renewing your international registration every 10 years, defending or navigating a cancellation matter (including central attack), and adding new countries later through a subsequent designation as your business expands. Wherever you are in that lifecycle, Brealant keeps your global trademark portfolio working as one coordinated whole.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Madrid System, in simple terms?
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It's an international filing mechanism, administered by WIPO's International Bureau, that lets you seek trademark protection in multiple member countries through one application, in one language, with one set of fees — rather than filing separately in each country.
Is the Madrid System the same thing as a 'worldwide trademark'?
No. There is no single trademark that automatically covers every country. The Madrid System bundles the filing and administration behind one application, but the result is a set of individual national rights, each still governed by that country's own trademark law.
Do I need an existing trademark before I can use the Madrid System?
Yes. You need a pending application or registration — your 'basic mark' — in your home country or regional office before you can file an international application based on it.
How many countries can one Madrid System application cover?
You can designate any combination of countries that belong to the Madrid Agreement or Madrid Protocol — membership currently covers more than 130 countries, giving you broad reach through a single filing.
What languages can I file an international application in?
International applications are filed in English, French, or Spanish, whichever your home Office of Origin accepts, removing the need to prepare separate translated applications for each country.
Blogs and Resources
Discover more insights and stay informed about the latest in intellectual property with Brealant's blog. From expert advice on trademark registration and patent protection to strategies for safeguarding your brand in a competitive market, our resources are here to empower your business. .
Explore our blog to learn how effective IP management can strengthen your brand's position and protect your innovations
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