₹4,500 (or ₹9,000 for companies) is the per-class, per-application government fee that covers filing through examination, journal publication, and certificate issuance — provided there's no objection or opposition. It is non-refundable at every stage and is not reduced further for any applicant category.
₹4,500 is the government fee to file a single trademark application, in a single class, if you're an individual, sole proprietor, DPIIT-recognised startup, or MSME filing online. Companies, LLPs, and other applicant categories pay ₹9,000 per class. This fee is set out in the First Schedule of the Trade Marks Rules, 2017, and it's the same whether you file it yourself or through any professional service. What it actually buys you, though, is worth spelling out plainly.
What the Fee Covers
The government fee is a single payment for the full statutory process of examining and registering one trademark application in one class — assuming nothing goes wrong along the way. Specifically, it covers:
- Formalities checking of your Form TM-A submission
- Substantive examination by the Registrar, including a search against the existing register
- Publication of your mark in the Trademark Journal for the four-month opposition window
- Issuance of the registration certificate, if the application clears examination and no one opposes it
That last point is worth underlining: there is no additional government charge just to receive your certificate. If your mark sails through examination uncontested, the ₹4,500 (or ₹9,000) you paid at filing is the only government fee you'll owe for that class, for the full 10-year registration term.
What the Fee Doesn't Cover
Several parts of a typical trademark journey sit outside this fee entirely, either because they're optional stages that only apply to some applications, or because they're separate line items under the Trade Marks Rules:
- A separate application for a device mark (logo), if you file a wordmark and want the logo covered too
- Additional classes, if your business needs are covered by more than one
- Professional or agent fees, for anyone assisting with the filing
- Responding to an examination report or attending a show-cause hearing, if an objection is raised (no government fee applies here either, but it's a separate stage of work)
- Opposition proceedings, if a third party challenges your mark after publication (₹2,700 per class for the Notice of Opposition or Counter-Statement)
- Expedited examination, if you choose to request it (₹20,000, on top of the standard filing fee)
- Renewal, due once the 10-year registration term ends
We've covered the full cost picture of these downstream stages, including current government fee amounts for each, in our breakdown of what a ₹999 registration offer usually leaves out.
The Fee Is Never Refunded — At Any Stage
This is the detail most worth knowing before you file: the government fee is non-refundable under the Trade Marks Rules, 2017, regardless of what happens to your application afterward. If your mark is rejected during examination, if you decide to withdraw it, or if you abandon it for any reason — even the same day you filed — the ₹4,500 or ₹9,000 you paid is not returned.
This is exactly why a preliminary trademark search before filing matters, even though it isn't part of the government fee and doesn't guarantee approval on its own. A search reduces the chance of filing a mark that's likely to be rejected or opposed, which is the only way to protect the fee you've already committed, since there's no refund path if things don't go your way. Our step-by-step registration guide covers where a search fits into the filing sequence.
No Further Discounts Beyond the Individual/Startup/MSME Rate
₹4,500 already is the reduced rate — it's the concession the Trade Marks Rules, 2017 extend to individuals, sole proprietors, DPIIT-recognised startups, and MSMEs, specifically to lower the cost of filing for smaller applicants compared to the ₹9,000 rate charged to companies and other entities. There is no scheme that reduces this further, and no waiver that brings it down to zero for any applicant category. If an offer implies a government fee lower than ₹4,500, or a full waiver of it, that claim is not describing the actual statutory fee.
The Fee Across Common Scenarios
To make this concrete, here's how the government fee applies across a few situations founders commonly ask about:
| Scenario | Government Fee Payable |
|---|---|
| Individual filing one wordmark, one class | ₹4,500 |
| Individual filing a wordmark and a device mark, one class each | ₹4,500 × 2 = ₹9,000 |
| Company filing one wordmark across two classes | ₹9,000 × 2 = ₹18,000 |
| Startup's application rejected at examination stage | ₹4,500 already paid, not refunded |
| Applicant withdraws application before examination begins | ₹4,500 already paid, not refunded |
Swipe to see all columns
The pattern across all of these is the same: the fee is tied to the application itself — one mark, one class — not to the outcome. Multiply it for every combination of mark and class you're filing, and treat it as committed the moment you pay it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Know Your Exact Government Fee Before You File
See the precise government fee for your applicant type, mark type, and number of classes before you commit to a payment that can't be refunded.