International Trademark Registration Through the USPTO
For Florida and other U.S. brands expanding into Latin America, Europe, Canada, and Asia, a Madrid international application filed through the USPTO is usually the most efficient route. One application, built on your U.S. filing, can reach any of the Madrid System's 117 members. We prepare the application, calculate every fee, track each country's examination, and coordinate local counsel when a foreign office pushes back.
Your international application is only as strong as your U.S. application
A U.S. brand owner cannot file a Madrid application on its own. It must rest on a pending application or an issued registration at the USPTO, called the basic mark, and it cannot claim more than that basic mark covers. For five years, the international registration also depends on the basic mark surviving.
That makes the U.S. filing the foundation of the whole strategy. A clearance search, the right owner, and goods and services drafted with foreign markets in mind decide what you can protect abroad. Our Federal Trademark Applications page explains how we build that U.S. filing. For how the Madrid System works and where it reaches, see the Madrid Protocol Overview.
New in 2026: Madrid e-Filing
Since October 1, 2026, U.S.-origin international applications are filed only through WIPO's Madrid e-Filing system, which replaced the USPTO's TEAS international form.
- Data from the U.S. basic mark is imported automatically. Unchanged entries are certified automatically; any edit sends the application to manual USPTO review.
- Fees, including the USPTO certification fee, are paid to WIPO in Swiss francs.
- A WIPO Account is required, and status is tracked in the eMadrid workbench.
- Subsequent designations are scheduled to move to the USPTO's Trademark Center in 2027.
The match test: what the USPTO checks before certifying
The USPTO's Madrid Processing Unit compares your international application against the U.S. basic mark, item by item. Anything that does not match leads to a denial of certification, and the certification fee is not refunded.
Example entries are illustrative. Requirements: 15 U.S.C. §§ 1141–1141b; 37 C.F.R. Part 7; USPTO outbound application guidance.3, 4
- Confirm the basic markOwner, mark, and goods are final at the USPTO, or any changes are recorded first.
- Choose countriesDesignate Madrid members by market, sourcing, and squatting risk. Non-members need national filings.
- Prepare in Madrid e-FilingImport the U.S. data, select classes and goods, add any country-specific declarations.
- Pay in Swiss francsUSPTO certification fee plus WIPO basic and per-country fees, in one payment.
- USPTO certifiesWithin the two-month window. A correction request may issue if review happens early enough.
- WIPO registersFormal review, any irregularity notice, then registration, publication, and notice to each country.
USPTO and WIPO fees for U.S.-origin applications
A Madrid filing carries three layers of government fees: the USPTO's certification fee, WIPO's own fees, and an individual fee set by each country you designate. All are now paid to WIPO in Swiss francs. Attorney fees and any local counsel fees for refusals are separate.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| USPTO (office of origin) | |
| Certification, based on one U.S. application or registration | $100 / class |
| Certification, based on more than one U.S. filing | $150 / class |
| Transmittal of a subsequent designation | $100 |
| Transmittal of an assignment or restriction | $100 |
| WIPO (International Bureau) | |
| Basic fee, mark in black and white | CHF 653 |
| Basic fee, mark in color | CHF 903 |
| Supplementary fee, each class beyond threeOnly for countries without an individual fee | CHF 100 |
| Complementary fee, per designated countryOnly for countries without an individual fee | CHF 100 |
| Subsequent designation, basic fee | CHF 300 |
| Renewal, basic fee (every 10 years) | CHF 653 |
| Transfer of ownership | CHF 177 |
| Continued processing after a missed WIPO deadline | CHF 200 |
| Individual fees by country | First class | Each added class |
|---|---|---|
| Latin America | ||
| Mexico | CHF 132 | CHF 132 |
| Colombia | CHF 276 | CHF 138 |
| Brazil | CHF 251 | CHF 251 |
| Chile | CHF 210 | CHF 210 |
| Europe | ||
| European Union (27 states)2nd class CHF 48; 3rd and later CHF 144 | CHF 789 | CHF 48 / 144 |
| United Kingdom | CHF 240 | CHF 64 |
| North America and Asia | ||
| Canada | CHF 282 | CHF 86 |
| China | CHF 220 | CHF 110 |
| Japan | CHF 221 | CHF 208 |
WIPO individual fees as of October 17, 2026. They are adjusted when exchange rates move, so we confirm them with the WIPO fee calculator on the filing date.6, 7
Every country in this list charges an individual fee, so WIPO's supplementary and complementary fees do not apply.
Not covered: Argentina, Peru, and other non-members require separate national filings with local counsel. Government fees only; attorney fees and local counsel fees for any refusal are separate.
How long it takes, and what happens when
The Madrid System runs on fixed time limits. The chart shows the windows that apply to a U.S. filer, measured in months from the date you file the international application.
Key windows after filing an international application
Refusal windows run from WIPO's notification to each office, usually a few weeks after filing. Members that opted for 18 months may notify opposition-based refusals later still. Sources: Madrid Protocol Arts. 3(4), 5(2), 6(3), 9quinquies; Common Regulations; USPTO outbound guidance.3, 5
Realistic expectations, country by country
WIPO registers the mark, but each country decides whether to protect it. Refusals are common and usually curable. Planning for them is part of the budget.
International registration issues
WIPO records the registration, publishes it in the WIPO Gazette, and sends a certificate. The certificate confirms the filing; it does not mean any country has accepted the mark.
Irregularities add up to 3 monthsCountry decisions arrive
Each office either sends a statement of grant, issues a provisional refusal, or lets the time limit pass, which also results in protection. Decisions arrive one at a time, not together.
India objects to about 30% of designations; Chile refuses about 1 in 3Responding to refusals
Most offices require a local attorney to respond, in the local language. Deadlines range from about one to several months. A refusal in one country has no effect on the others.
Thailand: 90 days, in Thai, through a local agentOffice figures are those reported by the examining offices to WIPO and are given for illustration; outcomes depend on the mark and the goods.8
Top five mistakes by U.S. applicants filing under Madrid
These are the filing and follow-through errors we see most often from U.S. applicants. For broader strategy mistakes, such as relying on Madrid for non-member countries, see the Madrid Protocol Overview.
An international application that does not match the U.S. filing
A different entity name, a refreshed logo, a new color claim, or goods described more broadly than in the U.S. filing all lead the USPTO to deny certification. The certification fee is lost, and if the two-month window passes, the registration date slips.
Certification deniedImport the U.S. data without edits wherever possible. Record assignments and name changes at the USPTO before filing, and file a new U.S. application for any new logo.
Filing before the U.S. goods and services are settled
When an examiner later narrows the U.S. identification, or the applicant deletes goods to overcome a refusal, the USPTO notifies WIPO and the international registration is restricted to match, in every country at once.
Restriction of the international registrationUse ID Manual wording in the U.S. application and resolve likely objections early. Where priority allows, file the international application once the U.S. examiner has reviewed the goods.
Miscalculating fees and missing WIPO's irregularity deadline
Country fees are charged per class, the EU uses a tiered scale, a color claim raises the basic fee, and individual fees change with exchange rates. Short payments and classification issues trigger irregularity notices that must be fixed within three months.
Irregularity · 3 monthsRun the WIPO fee calculator on the filing date, keep a funded WIPO account, and docket every irregularity notice the day it arrives.
Letting the U.S. basic mark slip during the five-year dependency
A missed office-action deadline, an unfiled Statement of Use, or a lost opposition at the USPTO ends the U.S. filing. The USPTO notifies WIPO, and every designation abroad is cancelled with it.
Ceasing of effectTreat U.S. deadlines as international deadlines. If the basic mark does fail, file transformation applications in each country within three months to keep the original dates.
Overlooking local obligations after protection is granted
Some countries require their own use filings, such as Mexico's declaration of use around the third anniversary or the Philippines' declarations of actual use. In the EU and UK, five years of non-use exposes the mark to cancellation. Renewing the U.S. registration does not renew the international one.
Local use and renewal rulesDocket each country's post-registration requirements and the WIPO renewal date separately from U.S. maintenance. We keep one consolidated calendar for U.S., Florida, and international deadlines.
Frequently asked questions
Can I file before my U.S. application registers?
Yes. A pending U.S. application is enough. Filing within six months of the U.S. filing date lets every country recognize your U.S. date as your priority date.
Does designating the European Union cover every EU country?
Yes. One EU designation covers all 27 member states through the EUIPO. It does not cover the United Kingdom, Switzerland, or Norway, which are designated separately.
Who answers a refusal from a foreign office?
Usually a local attorney in that country, in the local language. We coordinate local counsel through our network of foreign associates and manage the deadlines for you.
Can I add more countries later?
Yes, by subsequent designation at any time while the registration is in force. The added countries take the date of the subsequent designation, not the original date.
How do I cover Argentina or Peru?
Neither is a Madrid member, so each needs a national application filed through local counsel. We coordinate those filings alongside your Madrid application.
Is Madrid always cheaper than national filings?
Usually, once three or more countries are involved. For one or two countries, or where broad goods descriptions matter, direct national filings can be the better value. The comparison on our Madrid overview sets out the trade-offs.
Plan your international filing
Send us your U.S. application or registration number and the countries you are considering. We will confirm the match with your basic mark, recommend Madrid or national filings for each market, and give you a full fee estimate in dollars and Swiss francs.
- International applications through Madrid e-Filing
- Fee estimates and WIPO irregularity responses
- Coordination of local counsel for foreign refusals
- Subsequent designations, renewals, and recordals