After you file a trademark in Pakistan: status check, objections, journal, opposition and renewal

There is no working online trademark status check in Pakistan as of 20 October 2026: IPO-Pakistan’s “E-Status” service is still marked “coming soon”. To check where your application stands, contact the Trade Marks Registry in Karachi with your application number, or file form TM-45 (Rs 1,500) for formal information. Below is every stage after filing, with IPO’s average times, your deadlines and the fees.

How do I check my trademark status in Pakistan?

You have three routes, none of them online:

The Registry’s helpline page gives 021-99232050 and [email protected]. Its contact page and FAQ give 021-99230538. The Lahore office says it handles “post filing requests” on trademark applications. Fees go by pay order or bank draft to Director General, IPO-Pakistan, as the Registry doesn’t take cash.

Before your mark is published, section 109 lets IPO share an application’s details with other people only in prescribed cases or with your consent. After publication, anyone can ask on TM-45.

What happens after I file, and how long does each stage take?

These are IPO’s own average times. They assume no objection that drags on and no opposition.

If you reply to an objection, IPO takes about three months on average to act on your reply. IPO puts the stretch from acceptance through the opposition window to the demand notice at about six months.

Your acknowledgement receipt carries the application number. Keep it: every later letter, payment and query uses it.

What does a trademark objection or show-cause notice mean?

After filing, the Registrar searches earlier marks and checks your application against the law. If there’s a problem, IPO writes to you. IPO’s FAQ calls this letter a show-cause notice. Common reasons are a similar earlier mark, or a mark that only describes the product.

You have two months from the date of the letter (rule 27) to do one of these:

If you do none of these, the application is treated as abandoned. You can ask to restore it on TM-57 (Rs 1,500) with a statement of your reasons within two months of the abandonment.

Most deadlines in the Rules can be extended by up to three months in total on TM-56 (Rs 1,500). The opposition and counter-statement deadlines and the renewal periods can’t; they have their own limits.

If the Registrar refuses your mark, ask for the written grounds on TM-15 (Rs 1,500) within one month of the decision. An appeal goes to the High Court within two months of the decision (rule 85).

When is my mark published in the Trademarks Journal?

Once IPO accepts the application, it advertises it in the Trademarks Journal, about two months after acceptance on IPO’s average. IPO posts each issue as a PDF on its E-Journal page, one a month. The latest on 20 October 2026 was No. 907, dated 25 September 2026, a file of about 30 MB.

Under rule 29, the entry shows your mark, application number, class, goods or services, your name and address, the filing date and any conditions or disclaimers. To find yours, look for your application number in the issues published after acceptance.

How long is the trademark opposition period in Pakistan?

Two months from the date of the Journal advertisement (section 28). The Registrar can allow up to two more months in total if someone applies and pays.

If someone opposes, the steps and deadlines are:

Miss the counter-statement and your application is treated as abandoned (section 28(4)). The counter-statement deadline can be stretched by up to two months, but only if the Registrar allows it. An opponent who files no evidence is treated as having dropped the opposition. IPO says opposition cases take as long as each case needs.

Grounds for opposing include a similar earlier mark, that the applicant doesn’t own the mark or doesn’t intend to use it in Pakistan, and similarity to a well-known mark (section 29).

When do I get the registration certificate?

If no one opposes within two months, or you win the opposition, IPO sends a demand notice for the registration fee: Rs 9,000 per class on TM-11. If you don’t pay within the time allowed, the application is treated as abandoned (section 33(2)).

IPO’s average is about three months from your payment to the certificate. The certificate is sealed, has a copy of your mark attached, and the registration is published. Your mark counts as registered from the filing date, not the certificate date.

If registration isn’t completed within 12 months of filing because of something you didn’t do, IPO can send a notice giving you 21 days to complete it before treating the application as abandoned.

How do I renew a trademark in Pakistan?

A registration lasts 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed for 10 years at a time. IPO’s fees, as listed on its fee page on 20 October 2026:

IPO should send you a reminder between six months and one month before expiry (rule 50), but don’t rely on it. The renewal runs from the old expiry date, not the day you pay. From the second renewal on, IPO can ask for proof that you use the mark in Pakistan.

If you don’t renew in time, IPO removes the mark and publishes the removal. Restoration is at the Registrar’s discretion: you have to show it is just to restore it.

More guides

Still choosing a name? Start with a trademark search in Pakistan. For the filing fees and online application, see trademark registration in Pakistan.

More guides: Company Setup, how to register a sole proprietorship, how to register a company.