How long does a trade mark take to register in Australia?

IP Australia sets out four steps: application, examination, acceptance and registration. Here's how the time falls across them.

1. The application is filed. This is the date everything counts from, including the 10 years a registration lasts.
2. An examiner looks at it. IP Australia says this usually happens 3 to 4 months after the filing date. The examiner checks things like whether the mark is distinctive enough and whether it's too similar to existing marks for the same or similar goods and services.
3. If there are no problems, the application is accepted and IP Australia advertises the acceptance. Anyone then has two months to oppose it.
4. If no one opposes, the mark is registered. IP Australia's TM Headstart page puts that at roughly 65 days after the acceptance is published.

We hold IP Australia's records for every application filed since 27 September 2024, so we can see how long the early stages actually took. Take the 22,327 applications filed between 1 October and 31 December 2024, which have had at least 21 months to move through the system.

By 27 September 2026, 17,319 of them (78%) had been advertised as accepted. For half of those, the advertisement came 152 days after filing, and the middle half fell between 151 and 154 days. That's a remarkably tight spread. 88% of the advertised ones got there within six months of filing, and 93% within a year.

Across the whole group, 16,875 (76%) are now on the register. 4,159 (19%) had lapsed, 240 were withdrawn, 116 were cancelled or removed and 26 were refused. The other 911 were still working through examination or the opposition window.

So the usual path for a clean application is roughly five months to advertisement, then two months of opposition window, then registration. That's how the 7-month minimum plays out in practice.

On those typical figures, an application filed on 1 March would be advertised around the end of July, and its two-month window would run to around the end of September.

The biggest delay is an examination report. If the examiner finds a problem, such as the mark not being distinctive enough or being too similar to another mark, IP Australia sends a report, and there are 15 months to respond. Miss that and the application lapses. An extension of up to 6 months is available at $100 a month, if it's asked for in the first 6 months after the original deadline.

An opposition adds more. The opponent and the applicant each get set periods to file evidence, and the matter can go to a hearing. IP Australia says opposition processes typically take at least 6 to 12 months, and longer with hearings or appeals. Our guide on how to oppose a trade mark has each step and deadline.

Fees depend on how many classes the application covers: $250 per class when the goods and services come from IP Australia's pick list, or $400 per class without it. Our guide to trade mark classes explains how classes work.

Not past the 7-month minimum. Two things can change how the time feels, though.

TM Headstart gets an examiner's view before you commit to a full application. You pay $200 per class, an examiner replies within 5 business days on whether the mark is likely to be registrable, and you then have 5 business days to go ahead, at $130 per class. IP Australia is clear that it doesn't shorten the time to registration: the 7 months still apply.

IP Australia also has a form to request expedited examination. The 7-month minimum applies either way.

IP Australia says owning a registered trade mark is what allows you to use the ® symbol, and that the ™ symbol has no legal significance in Australian law. Our guide to TM vs ® covers both.

The two-month window works in the other direction too. While your own application is advertised, anyone can oppose it, and later on you can oppose someone else's during theirs. If a similar name is filed after yours, its window will typically open about five months after its filing date.

What's the fastest a trade mark can be registered in Australia?

IP Australia's minimum is 7 months from filing, and that includes applications made through TM Headstart.

How long does a trade mark last in Australia?

A registration lasts 10 years from the filing date. It can then be renewed, and IP Australia charges renewal fees.

How long is the opposition period?

Two months from the date IP Australia advertises the acceptance. In our data, that advertisement usually comes about 152 days after filing.

How much does it cost to register a trade mark?

From $250 per class using IP Australia's pick list, or $400 per class without it. TM Headstart is $200 per class to start and $130 per class to proceed.

Why is my trade mark taking longer than 7 months?

The usual reasons are an examination report that needs a response, or an opposition. IP Australia says an opposition typically takes at least 6 to 12 months, and longer if it goes to a hearing.

• Trade mark timeframes and fees (IP Australia)
• How to respond to an examination report (IP Australia)
• Apply with Headstart (IP Australia)
• Trade mark expedited examination (IP Australia)
• How to challenge someone else's IP (IP Australia)
• Request IP Australia remove an unused trade mark (IP Australia, IP First Response: how long opposition processes take)
• Is my business name my IP? (IP Australia, IP First Response: renewal fees)
• A simple breakdown of names and trade marks (IP Australia, IP First Response: the ™ and ® symbols)
• CopyCatcher's own figures: IP Australia's IP RAPID data for the 22,327 applications filed from 1 October to 31 December 2024, as at 27 September 2026.