A practice manual for maintaining Philippine trademark registrations. The Philippines is a jurisdiction where docketing only the ten-year renewal will eventually lose the right. Four declarations of actual use run on separate clocks, and the first of them falls three years after filing — before registration has issued. A docket built around renewal reminders never shows that deadline at all.
1. At a glance
- System type
- Ten-year renewal cycle plus four declarations of use
- Renewal anchor
- Registration date
- Renewal due
- Tenth anniversary of the registration date
- Filing window
- 6 months before expiry
- Grace period
- 6 months, with a surcharge
- Restoration
- None — refiling is the only route
- Declarations of use
- 3rd year from filing; 5th year of protection; after renewal; 5th year of each renewal Removal on the office's own motion if not filed
- Fee basis
- Per class, plus a 1% legal research fund levy
- Reduction
- About 50% for small entities
- Risk level
- High
2. Anchor dates and due-date calculation
Renewal is anchored on the registration date, not the filing date. The first of the four declarations, however, is calculated from the filing date, and the others from the date protection was granted and from each renewal date. A single case therefore runs several anchors at once.
Worked example
For a case filed 2020-06-15 and registered 2023-03-10, the deadlines are as follows.
| Item | Formula | Due |
|---|---|---|
| 1st declaration of use | Filing + 3 years | 2023-06-15 (2023-12-15 if extended) |
| 2nd declaration of use | 5th anniversary of registration + 1 year | 2029-03-10 |
| Renewal window opens | Expiry − 6 months | 2032-09-10 |
| Renewal due | Registration + 10 years | 2033-03-10 |
| Renewal grace ends | Due date + 6 months | 2033-09-10 |
| 3rd declaration of use | Renewal + 1 year | 2034-03-10 |
| 4th declaration of use | 5th anniversary of renewal + 1 year | 2039-03-10 |
3. The four declarations of use — the reason this manual exists
| Instalment | Anchor | Due | Extension |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Filing date (international registration date for Madrid designations) | 3 years | One 6-month extension available |
| 2nd | 5th anniversary of the grant of protection | Within the following year | None |
| 3rd | Renewal date | Within the following year | None |
| 4th onwards | 5th anniversary of each renewal | Within the following year | None |
- Failure to file leads to removal on the office's own motion, without any further step by a third party.
- Goods not actually in use are left out of the declaration and are deleted from the registration.
- The first declaration usually falls due before registration issues, so a habit of docketing maintenance only from registration is itself the failure mode.
- All four are separate deadlines; filing one does not automatically create the next reminder. Docket the next one as soon as the current filing is made.
4. Renewal window and grace period
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Window opens | 6 months before expiry |
| Due date | Tenth anniversary of the registration date |
| Grace period | 6 months after the due date, on payment of a surcharge |
| Surcharge | PHP 3,300 standard / PHP 1,500 small entity |
| If missed | The right lapses — no restoration |
5. Lapse and restoration
If the renewal grace period passes, or a declaration of use is not filed, the registration is gone and there is no procedure to revive it. The only route is a new application. Because the declarations make the deadline points denser than in most countries, a single miss is costly here.
6. Official fees
Fees are charged per class, with a 1% legal research fund levy added. A small-entity reduction is available and roughly halves the amount for qualifying owners.
| Item | Standard (PHP) | Small entity (PHP) |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal fee, per class | 6,600 | 3,100 |
| Grace surcharge | 3,300 | 1,500 |
| Levy | 1% legal research fund on each amount | Same |
7. Management checklist
- Record both the filing date and the registration date: the first declaration runs from filing, the renewal from registration.
- For Madrid designations, record the international registration date as well — the first declaration runs from it.
- Docket all four declarations separately from the renewal, so that a renewal flag never covers those reminders.
- The first declaration falls due before registration, so set that deadline while the case is still pending.
- Confirm actual use with the client before each declaration; goods not in use are deleted from the registration.
- Small-entity status, which roughly halves the fees.
- The class count, since fees are charged per class.
- Do not plan around the grace period, because there is no restoration.
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.