A practice manual for renewing Indian trade mark registrations. What characterises India is a long examination period, and that reaches into renewal management. The term runs ten years from filing while registration issues much later, so cases genuinely arise where the first renewal falls due immediately after registration — or even before it. India has a separate rule for exactly those cases.
1. At a glance
- System type
- Ten-year renewal cycle
- Anchor date
- Filing date, registration taking effect from it
- Due date rule
- Tenth anniversary of the filing date
- Renewal window
- One year before expiry
- Grace period
- 6 months at INR 4,500
- Restoration
- Between 6 months and 1 year after expiry — INR 9,000 plus the renewal fee, discretionary
- Fee
- INR 9,000 per class electronically; INR 10,000 on paper
- Late registration rule
- Payable within 6 months of the actual registration date
- Office notice
- The office is required to notify before expiry
- Risk level
- Caution
2. Anchor date and due-date calculation
The anchor is the filing date. Registration takes effect from it, so however long examination took, expiry is measured from filing. Renewal falls due on the tenth anniversary.
Worked example
For a registration filed 2020-06-15.
| Item | Formula | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Window opens | Expiry − 1 year | 2029-06-15 |
| Renewal due | Filing + 10 years | 2030-06-15 |
| Grace ends | Due date + 6 months (INR 4,500) | 2030-12-15 |
| Restoration | End of grace to expiry + 1 year | 2030-12-15 to 2031-06-15 |
| Next due date | Every 10 years thereafter | 2040-06-15 |
3. The late registration rule
- Scope: cases registered later than six months before expiry, or after expiry.
- Effect: the renewal fee may be paid within six months of the actual registration date rather than by the ordinary expiry date.
- Given the size of the Indian backlog these cases are not rare, particularly among long-pending applications.
- Keep the registration date on the record; both the availability of the rule and the resulting deadline derive from it.
- Where the position is unclear, obtain written confirmation of the deadline for that case from the local agent.
4. Grace period and surcharge
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Grace period | 6 months from the due date |
| Surcharge | INR 4,500 |
| If missed | Removal proceeds — though restoration remains available |
5. Lapse and restoration
After the six-month grace period removal proceeds, but India keeps a restoration route open. An application may be made between six months and one year after expiry, at INR 9,000 plus the renewal fee, and the office decides on the circumstances at its discretion.
6. Official fees
| Item | Electronic (INR) | Paper (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal fee, per class | 9,000 | 10,000 |
| Grace surcharge | 4,500 | 5,000 |
| Restoration | 9,000 plus renewal fee | 10,000 plus renewal fee |
Electronic filing costs roughly ten per cent less than paper. Absent a specific reason, treat electronic filing as the default.
7. Management checklist
- The filing date, from which expiry is derived.
- The registration date, which determines whether the late registration rule applies and what deadline it produces.
- The class count, since fees are per class.
- Begin client confirmation when the window opens one year before expiry.
- Default to electronic filing, since paper costs more.
- Restoration runs to one year after expiry but is discretionary — do not treat it as slack.
- Whether the case is a direct filing or a Madrid designation, since designations renew at WIPO.
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.