UK trademark fees are increasing from 1 April 2026 - here's what's changing and what you can do now

The UK Intellectual Property Office has confirmed that trademark fees will increase on 1 April 2026. This is the first increase in trademark fees since 1998 - that is 28 years of unchanged pricing.

The average increase across all IP services is 25%. For trademark owners and applicants, the changes affect applications, renewals, oppositions, and international designations.

Here is the full breakdown of what is changing and what it means for your business.

What is changing

Application fees:

• Online application: rising from £170 to £205 (first class)

• Each additional class: rising from £50 to £60

• Paper application: rising from £200 to £235

Renewal fees (every 10 years):

• Online renewal: rising from £200 to £250 per class

• Paper renewal: rising from £250 to £300 per class

• Late renewal surcharge: also increasing

Opposition fees:

• TM7 (notice of opposition): rising from £100 to £125

• TM7a (notice of threatened opposition): remains free

Other fees:

• Registration certificate: rising from £50 to £60

• International trade mark individual fees (paid to WIPO in Swiss francs) are also increasing

Why fees are increasing

The IPO explains that fees have not increased since 2018 for patents, 2016 for designs, and 1998 for trade marks. During that time, there has been a 32% rise in inflation. The IPO has absorbed costs through efficiency savings and reserves, but can no longer offset further cost pressures without a fee increase.

The increase will allow the IPO to continue investing in its systems and maintaining service quality.

What you can do before 1 April

If you have any trademark activity planned, there are steps you can take now to save money.

File new applications before 31 March. An application filed before 1 April will be charged at the old rate (£170 instead of £205). That is a £35 saving per application, or £45 if you include an additional class. If you have been putting off a filing, now is the time.

Renew early. Trade marks with a renewal due date up to and including 30 September 2026 can be renewed before 1 April at the old rate (£200 instead of £250 per class). If your trademark is due for renewal in the next six months, renewing now saves £50 per class.

Check for conflicts before you file. With application fees going up, the last thing you want is to pay £205 for a filing that gets opposed because a similar mark already exists on the register. A 60-second conflict check before filing could save you the application fee and months of wasted time.

Check your brand name against 2.8 million UK trademarks for free at tmguard.uk/check.

What this means if you already own a trademark

If you have a registered trademark, the fee increase makes protecting it even more important.

Opposition is still cheap - but only if you act in time. A TM7 opposition notice is going up from £100 to £125. That is still a fraction of the cost of challenging a registered mark after the opposition window closes, which typically costs £5,000 to £30,000. The key is knowing about the conflicting filing within the 2-month opposition window.

Renewals are more expensive. At £250 per class (up from £200), maintaining your registration costs more. Losing it to a conflicting mark - and having to rebrand or re-file - costs dramatically more. Research shows a forced rebrand after trademark infringement costs UK SMEs £65,000 to £275,000.

Monitoring pays for itself faster. TMGuard monitoring costs £99/year. With renewal fees going up to £250 per class, that monitoring cost is less than half the cost of a single renewal. If it catches one conflict over the 10-year life of your registration, the return is measured in thousands of pounds saved.

The grace period and transitional rules

The IPO has published detailed guidance on transitional arrangements:

• Applications filed before 1 April are charged at old rates, even if payment is made after 1 April (provided it is within the grace period deadline)

• Right Start applications where the initial fee was paid before 1 April will be completed at old rates

• Renewals due before 1 April but paid late after 1 April will attract the old renewal fee plus the new late fee

• International trademark fees (paid to WIPO in Swiss francs) follow separate rules under Madrid Regulations

If you have any fees due around 1 April, check the IPO's guidance carefully to understand which rate applies to your situation.

Key dates to remember

• 31 March 2026: last day to file at old rates

• 1 April 2026: new fees take effect

• 30 September 2026: last renewal due date that can be paid early at old rates (if paid before 1 April)

Before you pay the new fees

Whether you are filing a new application, renewing an existing mark, or considering an opposition, check for conflicts first. With every IPO fee going up, making sure your filing is on solid ground before you pay is more important than ever.

Check your brand against 2.8 million UK trademarks - free, 60 seconds: tmguard.uk/check