A practice manual for renewing Australian trade mark registrations. Conditions here are comparatively favourable: the window opens a year before expiry and the office sends a reminder two months out. What causes trouble is therefore not the deadline but the way the late fee accrues — monthly, with any part of a month counting as a whole one.
1. At a glance
- System type
- Ten-year renewal cycle
- Anchor date
- Filing date
- Due date rule
- Tenth anniversary of the filing date
- Renewal window
- 12 months before expiry
- Grace period
- 6 months at AUD 100 per class per month
- Fee accrual
- Part months count as whole months, capped at AUD 600
- Restoration
- None — refiling only
- Fee
- AUD 400 per class online
- Office reminder
- Two months before expiry — not a legal obligation
- Risk level
- Standard
2. Anchor date and due-date calculation
The anchor is the filing date. Renewal falls due on its tenth anniversary, with the window opening twelve months earlier.
Worked example
For a registration filed 2020-06-15.
| Item | Formula | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Window opens | Expiry − 12 months | 2029-06-15 |
| Office reminder | Expiry − 2 months | 2030-04-15 |
| Renewal due | Filing + 10 years | 2030-06-15 |
| Grace ends | Due date + 6 months | 2030-12-15 |
| Next due date | Every 10 years thereafter | 2040-06-15 |
3. The renewal window
- The window opens twelve months before expiry.
- The office sends a reminder two months before expiry, but it carries no legal obligation and non-receipt does not reopen the deadline.
- Renewal completes on payment and requires no proof of use.
- Classes may be dropped at renewal, reducing the per-class fee accordingly.
- Where Australia is designated through an international registration, renewal goes to WIPO.
4. Grace period and late fee
| Elapsed | Per class (AUD) | On a three-class registration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day to 1 month | 100 | 300 |
| 1 to 2 months | 200 | 600 |
| 3 months | 300 | 900 |
| 6 months (cap) | 600 | 1,800 |
The late fee is added to the standard renewal fee of AUD 400 per class. Paying in the final month of grace brings the total to AUD 1,000 per class, more than double the standard amount.
5. Lapse and restoration
After the six-month grace period the registration is gone and no procedure revives it; only refiling remains. Given the generous window and the office reminder, a miss here is worth treating as a signal to review the docketing process itself.
6. Official fees
| Item | Amount (AUD) |
|---|---|
| Renewal fee, per class, online | 400 |
| Late fee, per class per month | 100 |
| Late fee cap, per class | 600 |
7. Management checklist
- The filing date, from which expiry is derived.
- The class count, since both the fee and the late fee are per class.
- Begin client confirmation when the window opens twelve months before expiry.
- Set an internal cut-off a few days before the due date, since one day late costs a full month.
- Do not rely on the office reminder as the docketing system; it carries no obligation.
- Whether the case is a direct filing or a Madrid designation, since designations renew at WIPO.
- There is no restoration, so do not plan around the grace period.
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.