A practice manual for renewing Taiwanese trade mark registrations. Taiwan is not a member of the Madrid system, so it cannot be designated through an international registration. Every Taiwanese case is a direct filing renewed with the Taiwanese office, and the term is measured from the date of publication of registration rather than the registration date itself.
1. At a glance
- System type
- Ten-year renewal cycle
- Anchor date
- Date of publication of registration — may differ from the registration date
- Due date rule
- Tenth anniversary of the publication date
- Renewal window
- 6 months before expiry
- Grace period
- 6 months — the fee doubles
- Restoration
- Effectively none — the right lapses automatically
- Effective date of lapse
- Backdated to the expiry date Not the end of the grace period
- Fee
- TWD 4,000 per class, 8,000 within grace
- Representation
- Foreign proprietors must appoint a Taiwanese agent
- Risk level
- Caution
2. Anchor date and due-date calculation
The anchor is the date the office published the registration, which is not necessarily the registration date recorded on the case papers. Where the two differ, calculating from the registration date shifts the deadline, so capture the publication date separately for Taiwanese cases and keep it on the record.
Worked example
For a registration published 2023-03-10, the first renewal runs as follows.
| Item | Formula | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Window opens | Expiry − 6 months | 2032-09-10 |
| Renewal due | Publication of registration + 10 years | 2033-03-10 |
| Grace ends | Due date + 6 months (fee doubled) | 2033-09-10 |
| Effective date of lapse if missed | Backdated to expiry | 2033-03-10 |
| Next due date | Every 10 years thereafter | 2043-03-10 |
3. The renewal window
- The window opens six months before expiry.
- Renewal completes on payment and requires no proof of use.
- Foreign proprietors must appoint an agent in Taiwan.
- Classes may be dropped at renewal, and dropping unused classes reduces the fee accordingly.
4. Grace period and surcharge
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Grace period | 6 months from the due date |
| Surcharge | The same amount again — TWD 4,000 per class becomes 8,000 |
| Basis | A flat amount per class, regardless of how many goods are listed |
| If missed | Automatic lapse, backdated to the expiry date |
5. Lapse and restoration
Taiwan offers no practical procedure for restoring a missed renewal deadline. The six-month grace period is the last line of defence, and beyond it only a fresh application remains. If a third party files the same mark before the refiling, that application comes first.
6. Official fees
A flat amount per class. The number of goods makes no difference, so trimming the list of goods does not reduce the renewal fee in Taiwan — only dropping a class does.
| Item | Amount (TWD) |
|---|---|
| Renewal fee, per class | 4,000 |
| Within the grace period, per class | 8,000 |
7. Management checklist
- The publication date of registration, captured separately since it may differ from the registration date.
- Every Taiwanese case is a direct filing; no international registration substitutes for it.
- The class count, which is the only driver of the fee.
- Whether a Taiwanese agent is appointed — mandatory for foreign proprietors.
- Begin client confirmation when the window opens six months before expiry, and do not plan around the grace period, because there is no restoration.
- Entering the grace period doubles the fee exactly, so requote.
- For cases in grace, decide on enforcement alongside renewal, because the lapse is backdated to expiry.
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.