A practice manual for renewing Hong Kong trade mark registrations. The Madrid system does not extend to Hong Kong. An international registration cannot cover it, so every Hong Kong case is a direct filing and every renewal goes to the Hong Kong registry. A mainland Chinese registration is sometimes assumed to reach Hong Kong; the two are entirely separate registration systems.
1. At a glance
- System type
- Ten-year renewal cycle
- Anchor date
- Filing date — registration takes effect from filing
- Due date rule
- Tenth anniversary of the filing date
- Renewal window
- 6 months before expiry — earlier requests are not accepted
- Grace period
- 6 months at HKD 500
- Restoration after removal
- 6 months from publication of removal, at the registry's discretion
- Practical last date
- About 12 months after expiry
- Fee
- HKD 2,670 plus 1,340 per additional class
- Representation
- No agent required — a Hong Kong address for service suffices
- Risk level
- Standard
2. Anchor date and due-date calculation
The anchor is the filing date. Registration takes effect from filing, so however long examination took, expiry is measured from the filing date. Renewal falls due on its tenth anniversary.
Worked example
For a registration filed 2020-06-15, the first renewal runs as follows.
| Item | Formula | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Window opens | Expiry − 6 months | 2029-12-15 |
| Renewal due | Filing + 10 years | 2030-06-15 |
| Grace ends | Due date + 6 months | 2030-12-15 |
| Restoration deadline | 6 months from publication of removal — about 12 months after expiry | 2031-06-15 |
| Next due date | Every 10 years thereafter | 2040-06-15 |
3. The renewal window
- The window opens six months before expiry; anything filed earlier is not accepted.
- Renewal is made on the prescribed form and requires no proof of use.
- There is no compulsory representation, but a Hong Kong address for service is required.
- Classes may be dropped at renewal, but a class once dropped cannot be recovered.
4. Grace period and surcharge
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Grace period | 6 months from the due date |
| Surcharge | HKD 500 |
| Status during grace | The registration remains on the register, marked as not yet renewed |
| If missed | Removal is published — though a restoration route remains |
5. Lapse and restoration
After the six-month grace period the registry publishes the removal. Hong Kong still leaves a restoration route open: an application can be made within six months of that publication, and the registry decides at its discretion. In practice this makes roughly twelve months from expiry the last line.
6. Official fees
A two-tier structure separating the first class from additional ones. The number of goods does not affect the fee.
| Item | Amount (HKD) |
|---|---|
| Renewal fee, first class included | 2,670 |
| Each additional class | 1,340 |
| Grace surcharge | 500 |
| Restoration with renewal, first class included | 4,000 plus 1,340 per additional class |
7. Management checklist
- The filing date, from which expiry is derived.
- Every Hong Kong case is a direct filing; no international or mainland registration substitutes for it.
- The class count, given the split between the first and additional classes.
- Whether the Hong Kong address for service is current, since registry notices go there.
- Begin client confirmation when the window opens six months before expiry; nothing is accepted before that.
- Restoration within six months of removal is discretionary — do not treat it as slack.
Sources, cut-off date and disclaimer
This manual is based on iphere's August 2026 survey of country-by-country overseas maintenance rules, together with values produced by the deadline engine that runs on those same rules. Official fees and deadline rules change by office notice, so please confirm against the official source and your local agent before any actual payment or filing.