Why it matters
If a country requires a local agent, your home lawyer cannot file there directly; they will work with a correspondent in that country, which adds cost. On TrademarksHub you can post one request and reach firms in each country directly. See how to hire safely.
140 countries and regional offices
| Country / office | Local agent? | Rules for foreign owners |
|---|---|---|
| Required | Foreign individuals and companies without a habitual residence or business establishment in China must appoint a legally established Chinese trademark agency. | |
| Required | Foreign-domiciled applicants and registrants must be represented by a U.S.-licensed attorney. | |
| Required | Persons permanently residing outside Russia and foreign legal entities must act before Rospatent through a patent attorney registered with Rospatent, unless an international treaty provides otherwise (Civil Code Art. 1247). Only Russian citizens resident in Russia can be registered patent attorneys. | |
| Required | Applicants must give a postal address for service in India and an email address (Rule 17); foreign applicants in practice act through a registered Indian trade mark agent or advocate. | |
| Required | Applicants domiciled abroad must appoint and maintain a duly qualified representative (procurador) domiciled in Brazil with powers to receive service (LPI art. 217). | |
| Required | Applicants with no domicile, principal place of business or real and effective establishment in the European Economic Area may file an application themselves, but must be represented by a professional representative for all other proceedings before EUIPO. | |
| Required | Applicants domiciled abroad must file through a trademark attorney authorised to practise before TÜRKPATENT (this does not apply to Madrid designations). Foreign nationals may apply under the Paris Convention, the WTO Agreement or reciprocity. | |
| Not required (local address needed) | A local representative is not mandatory, but every applicant must give an address for service in the UK, Gibraltar or the Channel Islands (the IPO also accepts the Isle of Man). Without a valid address for service the application may be treated as withdrawn. If a representative is appointed, their address is used as the address for service. | |
| Required | Applicants with no address or place of business in Korea must file through a Korean patent attorney (patent administrator); otherwise the application is returned without an application number. | |
| Required | Overseas residents cannot file directly with the JPO; they must appoint a representative domiciled in Japan (normally a Japanese patent attorney). | |
| Required | Foreign applicants usually file through an Iranian representative holding a power of attorney; no official statement of the agent requirement under the 2024 Act was found. | |
| Required | Applicants must give an address for notifications within Mexico and an email address (LFPPI art. 17); in practice foreign owners file through a Mexican representative. | |
| Required | Applicants without a residence, principal place of business or establishment in Germany must appoint a patent attorney or lawyer as domestic representative; lawyers or patent attorneys from the EU, EEA or Switzerland who are authorised to act before the Office qualify. | |
| Required | Representation is mandatory for applicants who are neither domiciled nor established in France, the EU or the EEA (and where there are several applicants). Applicants from outside these areas who are not nationals of a WTO or Paris Union state must show that their country protects French trade marks. | |
| Required | Applicants residing or domiciled outside Indonesia must file through a registered Indonesian Intellectual Property Consultant. | |
| Not required | A Canadian trademark agent is not mandatory, but an owner without an office or place of business in Canada can appoint a representative for service in Canada to receive correspondence from CIPO. | |
| Local address needed | Applicants must have an address for service in Australia or New Zealand; foreign owners normally appoint a local trade marks attorney or agent. | |
| Required | Foreign individuals without permanent residence in Vietnam, and foreign organisations or individuals without a production or business establishment in Vietnam, must file through a lawful representative in Vietnam (an IP representation service). | |
| Local address needed | Applicants without a domicile or seat in Spain who act for themselves must designate a postal address in Spain (or in the EEA, or another technical means of notification) for notifications under Article 29.4 of the Trademark Act. | |
| Local address needed | Foreign owners may register marks but must establish a legal domicile in Argentina and pay fees through national platforms, so in practice a locally based representative may be needed. A lawyer or registered industrial property agent is required to answer objections raised at the substantive examination stage. | |
| Required | Foreign owners must file through a registration agent recorded in the UAE trademark agents register. | |
| Required | An applicant without domicile in Saudi Arabia must act through a local trademark agent recorded with the office. | |
| Not required | Under Article 201 of the Industrial Property Code, no one is required to be represented by an authorised agent; an agent may be appointed by power of attorney or letter of engagement, and lawyers registered with the bar may also act. Any requirement for foreign applicants to elect a domicile in Italy was not verified. | |
| Required | Foreign applicants must appoint a Thai agent, who acts as the address for service in Thailand. | |
| Local address needed | An applicant not domiciled and without a real and effective commercial establishment in the Philippines must designate a Philippine resident for service of notices and process. | |
| Required | Persons who are not resident and do not have a principal place of business in Malaysia must act through a registered Malaysian trademark agent (Trademarks Act 2019, s. 95), which also provides the address for service. | |
| Not required (local address needed) | A local agent is not mandatory, but foreign applicants must provide an address for service in Singapore. | |
| Required | Applicants residing abroad must appoint a representative residing in Chile. | |
| Not required | The SIC states that a lawyer is not required: individuals may file directly and a legal entity files through its legal representative. The SIC's guidance has no separate rule for foreign applicants. | |
| Required | Persons residing or located outside Ukraine must act before the office through registered Ukrainian IP representatives (patent attorneys). | |
| Local address needed | An applicant or opponent who does not reside or carry on business in Pakistan must give an address for service in Pakistan (s.126). Acts may be done through an agent registered with the Trade Marks Registry (s.127). | |
| Required | Foreign applicants file through a representative under a legalised power of attorney; nationals of WTO members or countries with reciprocity with Egypt may apply. | |
| Required | Applicants with no domicile or place of business in Taiwan must appoint a trademark agent in Taiwan. | |
| Required | Applicants need an address for service in Hong Kong; foreign owners in practice file through a Hong Kong agent. | |
| Local address needed | Any person or entity may apply, but the address for service must be in South Africa; foreign applicants are in practice represented by a South African trade mark attorney or agent. | |
| Benelux (BOIP) | Required | Anyone may apply, but an applicant or party without a correspondence address in the European Economic Area must appoint a representative or give a correspondence address in the EEA. |
| Required | Foreign applicants act through a patent attorney registered in Kazakhstan. | |
| Required | Applicants with no domicile or establishment in Morocco must elect an address for service with a representative based in Morocco (Article 4 of Law No. 17-97). OMPIC's online filing guide states that a representative (mandataire) is mandatory for companies and foreign applicants. | |
| Required | Applicants without domicile in Qatar must file through a local trademark agent recorded with the Ministry. | |
| Required | The ministry's service pages state that a foreign applicant must have a local agent. | |
| Required | Applicants without domicile in Oman must act through a local trademark agent. | |
| Required | Non-citizen and non-resident owners must file through a Bahrain-resident law firm or agent registered in the Ministry's trademark agents record. Non-resident companies also file an official certificate of their activity from the home country, notarised, attested and translated into Arabic. | |
| Required | Secondary sources state that applications must be filed through a Palestinian trademark agent. | |
| Not required (local address needed) | A local attorney is not mandatory, but the case contact (the applicant or an agent) must have an address for service in New Zealand or Australia. | |
| Required | Applicants with no domicile or registered office in the EU, EEA/EFTA states or Switzerland must act through a Polish patent attorney (rzecznik patentowy) or other qualified representative. | |
| See the rules | Foreign applicants may file through a representative, in which case a power of attorney is required; SENADI's 2026 guide refers to specific rules for foreign marks under art. 98 of the COESCCI. A mandatory local agent requirement was not confirmed. | |
| Required | The trademark law itself only requires a power of attorney when filing through a patent attorney; secondary sources report that foreign applicants must act through a patent attorney registered in Uzbekistan. | |
| Required | Applicants without residence or a principal place of business in Kenya must file through a local agent and pay the foreign (USD) fee rates. | |
| Local address needed | Applicants who do not carry on business in Bangladesh must give an address for service in Bangladesh; in practice this is provided through a local trademark agent. Non-resident applicants or opposers may be required to give security for costs in opposition proceedings. | |
| Not required | Any natural or legal person may file, and appointment of a representative is not required according to a 2026 practice guide. Many foreign owners still file through an Official Industrial Property Agent (Agente Oficial da Propriedade Industrial) or lawyer. | |
| Required | Under Chapter 4 of the Trademarks Act, PRV may invite an applicant without a domicile or establishment in Sweden to appoint a representative, and a registration holder without a Swedish domicile or real and effective establishment must have a representative domiciled in Sweden recorded in the register (per the WIPO Lex English translation). | |
| Not required | Foreign applicants are not required to appoint a representative, according to the DKPTO. | |
| Not required | The Trademarks Act makes appointing a representative optional. Applicants abroad can file through Altinn without a Norwegian ID number. An applicant without a Norwegian establishment who is not domiciled in a Paris Convention or WTO state must prove registration in the country of origin. | |
| Required | Applicants without an address in the Czech Republic must be represented by a Czech patent attorney or a lawyer. | |
| Required | Every applicant must appoint a procedural representative with a postal and email address (Art. 22(1)(d)); this is not needed separately if an attorney-at-law is appointed. The Ministry's 2022 filing guidance also required foreign applicants to file a declaration accepting the jurisdiction of the Athens courts. | |
| Required | Applicants with no domicile, registered seat or effective industrial or commercial establishment in the EU or EEA must be represented by an authorised representative (industrial property attorney), except for the act of filing the application itself. | |
| Required | Applicants without residence or seat in the European Economic Area must appoint a representative (patent attorney or attorney-at-law) for proceedings before HIPO. | |
| Required | An address for service within the EEA is required. Only an Irish registered trade mark agent, a solicitor, a barrister, or a person qualified to act before their own national IP office in the EEA can act as legal representative. | |
| Required | Applicants with permanent residence or a place of business outside Belarus must act through a Belarusian patent attorney, unless an international treaty provides otherwise. | |
| Not required | Article 4 of the law allows any natural or legal person, Iraqi or foreign, to apply. The law text read does not require a local agent; agent and power-of-attorney formalities are set by regulations that were not found. | |
| Required | Owners need not reside in Lebanon, but a foreigner registering a trademark must be represented by a person residing in Lebanon (Art. 77 of Resolution 2385/1924). | |
| Required | Applicants domiciled abroad must be represented before INAPI by an appointed representative, unless a reciprocity agreement provides otherwise (Ordinance 03-06, art. 13; Decree 05-277, art. 6). | |
| Required | Applicants with no domicile or head office in Tunisia must act through a local representative (mandataire). | |
| ARIPO (Eastern & Southern Africa) | Required | An applicant who does not reside or have a principal place of business in a Banjul Protocol contracting state must appoint a representative who resides in a contracting state and is qualified to act there (Banjul Protocol, s. 12(1)). |
| Required | An applicant whose ordinary residence or principal place of business is outside Ghana must be represented by a legal practitioner resident and practising in Ghana (section 17, Trade Marks Act 2004). | |
| Required | Foreign applicants must give an address for service within Tanzania, and anyone acting as an agent before the Registrar must be entered on the Register of Trade and Service Mark Agents. | |
| Required | Foreign applicants act through an agent who must be an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda, and must give the Registrar an address for service in Uganda. | |
| Required | Applicants with no domicile or establishment in the Dominican Republic must appoint a representative in the country (Law 20-00, art. 75). | |
| Required | An applicant or owner domiciled or seated outside Costa Rica must be represented by an agent domiciled in Costa Rica (Law No. 7978, art. 82). | |
| Required | Applicants not domiciled in Guatemala must act through a representative domiciled in Guatemala who is an active member of the Guatemalan bar (Article 7 of Decree 57-2000). In urgent cases a lawyer may act as an unofficial agent (gestor oficioso) by posting a guarantee. | |
| Not required | Owners of marks registered abroad may apply themselves, through duly authorised agents, or through a person authorised to register in their name. Filings may be made by the interested party, a registered industrial property agent, or a representative with sufficient power. A mandatory local-agent rule was not found in the texts reviewed. | |
| Required | All filings before the office require the intervention of a registered Industrial Property Agent as sponsor or attorney (Art. 117); the applicant or its attorney must give an address in the capital, Asunción, and legal entities may act only through a registered agent (Art. 5). | |
| See the rules | Foreign natural and legal persons may apply and pay double the national fees; SENAPI's pages do not state whether a local representative is mandatory. | |
| Required | Procedures must be handled by the applicant or by an authorised industrial property agent registered with SAPI; foreign applicants in practice act through a local registered agent. | |
| Required | Applicants whose residence or place of business is abroad must be represented by an agent residing and practising in Cambodia; the Department publishes a list of authorised agents. | |
| Required | Secondary sources state that owners act through a Myanmar trademark representative, appointed by a notarised Appointment of Representative form filed with the IP Department. | |
| Required | Foreign natural and legal persons must file through a patent attorney registered with the Agency, unless an international treaty provides otherwise; foreign persons carrying on business in Azerbaijan are excepted. | |
| Not required | The Trademark Law lets an application be filed by the applicant or a representative and does not expressly require foreign applicants to use a local patent attorney; the application itself must be in Georgian. | |
| See the rules | Foreign persons enjoy the rights under the Law on Trademarks under international treaties or on the basis of reciprocity. Whether a local representative is mandatory was not confirmed. | |
| Required | Applicants without a residence or registered seat in Serbia must act through a representative entered in the Office's List of Representatives or another lawyer admitted in Serbia. | |
| Required | Foreign natural and legal persons must be represented before the Institute by a representative entered in the Institute's register of representatives; for domestic applicants representation is optional. | |
| Required | Persons not established in Bulgaria, another EU member state, an EEA state or Switzerland must act before the Patent Office through a Bulgarian lawyer or a registered industrial property representative. | |
| Required | Persons without permanent residence or registered office in Croatia must appoint a representative (an authorised representative entered in SIPO's register, or an attorney or law firm registered with the Croatian Bar Association), unless an international treaty provides otherwise. | |
| Required | The Trademark Regulations 2020 require the application to state the name, professional address and contact details of the representative or special attorney, with a declaration that they legally represent the applicant. A 2025 law-firm article states that a Cypriot lawyer must act as representative before the Office. | |
| Required | A person with no residence, seat or commercial/industrial enterprise in Estonia must act through an Estonian patent attorney for Patent Office and Board of Appeal proceedings, except for the act of filing the application itself. E-residents without an Estonian enterprise must also appoint a patent attorney. | |
| Required | Applicants with neither a domicile nor a registered office in the European Economic Area must appoint a representative residing in the EEA who is entitled to represent them in all trademark matters. | |
| Required | Since 1 April 2017, new applications must be filed either by the proprietor personally or by a registered Guernsey trade mark agent, who must have a permanent establishment in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. | |
| Required | Regulation No. 850/2020 requires an applicant not domiciled in Iceland to give details of a representative; the detailed appointment rules are in Article 35 of the Trade Marks Act. | |
| Not required | The Jersey IPO states that an IP agent or lawyer is not required to file; any individual or organisation with genuine use or a genuine intention to use the mark may apply. Address-for-service rules for overseas applicants were not confirmed. | |
| See the rules | Foreign persons have the same rights as Latvian persons. The Patent Office may require an address for communication in Latvia; the specific rules on mandatory representation are in Chapter XVII of the Law on Industrial Property Institutions and Procedures, which could not be read. | |
| Required | Persons without a domicile, seat or establishment in Liechtenstein, the EEA or Switzerland can take part in proceedings only through a representative based in Liechtenstein; persons based in the EEA or Switzerland need only a domestic agent for service (Trademark Protection Act, Art. 39). | |
| Required | Under Article 11(2) of the Trademark Law, foreign natural persons not permanently resident in Lithuania or another EU/EEA state, and foreign legal persons without an establishment there, must act through a Lithuanian patent attorney. | |
| Required | Persons without residence, a business or a real industrial or commercial establishment in Moldova must be represented before AGEPI by an authorised Moldovan patent attorney. | |
| See the rules | Online filing and renewal are restricted to persons or agents domiciled in Monaco; others file on paper with the Office. Whether applicants domiciled abroad must appoint a Monaco-based representative could not be verified. | |
| Required | Foreign natural or legal persons must file through a representative with a power of attorney (Ministry of Economic Development guidance). | |
| Required | Foreign natural and legal persons must act before SOIP through a domestic representative registered for industrial property matters (Law on Industrial Property, Art. 22). Foreign persons have equal rights to nationals under international agreements or reciprocity. | |
| See the rules | Where an agent is appointed, it must be enrolled in the register of agents kept by USBM (Law 79/2005, Art. 92(6), as amended by Law 114/2005). Whether non-residents must appoint an agent was not confirmed. | |
| Required | According to the Slovenian government's trademark page, foreign applicants must file through an agent; Slovenian applicants may file themselves or through a registered agent. | |
| Required | Applicants whose habitual residence or main place of business is outside Angola must be represented by an agent (mandatário) before IAPI (Law No. 3/92, art. 67). | |
| Required | Applicants with no residence or place of business in Botswana must be represented by a professional representative in Botswana. | |
| Required | Under the 2025 Code (art. 11), non-residents may file but must appoint a representative (mandatário) in Cabo Verde within one month of being notified, or the application is archived; local applicants may file directly. | |
| Required | Under section 21(2)(e) of the Trade Marks Act, 1981, every application must include an address for service in Eswatini and a power of attorney in favour of a trade mark agent resident and practising in Eswatini. A 2021 EU factsheet describes the agent as required for foreign applicants and optional for local ones. | |
| Required | Applicants whose principal place of business is outside The Gambia must appoint a local agent; for local applicants an agent is optional (per a 2022 EU IP Helpdesk country fiche). | |
| Required | Applicants whose ordinary residence or principal place of business is outside Lesotho must be represented by an agent, who must be a legal practitioner resident and practising in Lesotho (Order, ss. 2 and 35). | |
| Required | Foreign companies must file through a Libyan national agent registered in the Trademark Office's register of trademark agents. Under the 2010 law, foreigners may apply if they have a real centre of activity in a WIPO member state or on a reciprocity basis (Art. 1231). | |
| Not required | The implementing decree does not expressly require foreign applicants to appoint a local agent, but representatives must be approved by and registered with OMAPI; foreign applicants have two months (instead of one) to remedy filing-date deficiencies. | |
| Required | Applicants without residence or a principal place of business in Malawi must be represented by a trademark agent resident in Malawi, who must be a Malawi legal practitioner or admitted before the Institute of Patents and Trademark Agents of Malawi (s. 74). | |
| Required | Applicants whose ordinary residence or principal place of business is outside Mauritius must be represented by a legal practitioner residing and practising in Mauritius or by an approved agent (section 136 of the Industrial Property Act 2019). Foreign individuals residing in Mauritius must provide proof of residence. | |
| See the rules | Acts before the IPI may be carried out personally by the applicant or by a representative qualified as an official industrial property agent. Whether non-residents must use an agent was not confirmed. | |
| Local address needed | Applicants must give an address for service and may act through IP agents or legal representatives; BIPA's pages do not state a specific rule for foreign applicants. Foreign owners can also reach Namibia through the Madrid System or ARIPO. | |
| Required | Foreign companies not registered in Rwanda file through a lawyer registered in Rwanda acting under a notarised power of attorney (RDB requirements, 2020); Law 055/2024 has a provision on industrial property authorised agents (Art. 251) whose text could not be read. | |
| Required | Applicants whose ordinary residence or principal place of business is outside Sierra Leone must be represented by a legal practitioner resident and practising in Sierra Leone (s. 17). | |
| Required | Applicants abroad must file through a recognised agent: a Sudanese lawyer or chartered accountant working in Sudan, or another person approved by the Minister. | |
| Required | Applicants not resident in Syria must appoint a person resident in Syria to carry out the registration procedures. | |
| Required | Applicants not established or domiciled in São Tomé and Príncipe must act through an Industrial Property Agent resident in the country; if no agent is appointed within one year of being notified, the application is deemed abandoned. | |
| Required | Under the Trade Marks Act, 2023, non-resident applicants must appoint a trade mark agent domiciled in Zambia; residents may appoint one optionally. | |
| Local address needed | Applicants who do not reside or carry on business in Zimbabwe must give an address for service in Zimbabwe when required by the Registrar; renewals for proprietors outside Zimbabwe must be filed by an agent. | |
| Not required | The 2009 law does not require a local agent; applicants may file personally or through legal representatives. | |
| Required | Applicants whose residence or principal place of business is outside Bhutan must be represented by a legal practitioner practising in Bhutan or a registered industrial property agent. | |
| Required | Foreign applicants must file through attorneys (a DPRK agency) who present a power of attorney, and must file in Korean (Art. 11, 2008 text); alternatively the DPRK can be designated through the Madrid System. | |
| Required | Foreign individuals and companies must act through a patent attorney registered with the Kyrgyz patent authority (Law No. 70 of 2023, Art. 4(2)). | |
| See the rules | DIP states applicants may file through an IP service provider. A 2025 legal guide states that foreign applicants must file through a licensed IP agent registered with DIP (not confirmed on a DIP page). | |
| Required | Applicants without a Macao Resident Identity Card or Macao company registration must appoint an agent: a lawyer registered with the Macao Lawyers Association, a Macao resident, or a Macao-registered company. | |
| See the rules | Secondary sources report that foreign persons and entities may apply directly without local business registration, and may appoint a local representative; whether a local agent or address for service is mandatory has not been confirmed in published regulations. | |
| Required | Foreign applicants must file a power of attorney and give a correspondence address in Nepal, together with a certified copy of their home-country registration certificate. | |
| Local address needed | Foreign applicants may apply but must designate an address for service in Papua New Guinea; IPOPNG publishes a list of IP agents. | |
| Required | Overseas applicants must be represented by a legal practitioner resident and practising in Samoa (Intellectual Property Act 2011, s 117(1), as summarised by MCIL). | |
| Required | Foreign legal entities and individuals not resident in Tajikistan must deal with the patent office through Tajik patent attorneys authorised by a power of attorney. | |
| Required | Foreign individuals and legal entities must act through patent attorneys registered with Turkmenpatent; a patent attorney must be a citizen of Turkmenistan permanently resident in Turkmenistan. | |
| Required | Applicants resident abroad must appoint a local agent, because an address for service in Antigua and Barbuda is required; residents may file directly or through an agent. | |
| Local address needed | Applicants whose residence or principal place of business is outside Belize must provide an address for service in Belize (Form No. 1) and appoint an agent (Form No. 2). | |
| Not required | No representative is required to file. If an agent or specialised lawyer is used, they must be established in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. | |
| Required | Foreign applicants without a real and effective domicile or industrial or commercial establishment in Cuba must be represented by an Official Industrial Property Agent; those domiciled in Cuba may file directly or through an agent (Decree-Law No. 203, art. 8). | |
| Required | Applicants without a seat or domicile in Curaçao must elect domicile with an agent who has a seat or domicile there: a local advocate or a natural person registered with the Bureau as a trademark agent (Article 15). | |
| Required | Applicants whose ordinary residence or principal place of business is outside Grenada must be represented by an agent or attorney-at-law (Trademarks Act s.22). | |
| Required | Foreign natural or legal persons may apply (Article 85), and the application must identify the applicant's agent (mandatario) and include the mandate document. Secondary sources state that foreign applicants must use a local agent. | |
| Local address needed | National applicants must provide an address for service in Jamaica, typically through a local agent appointed on Form TM4. Holders of international registrations designating Jamaica need not file an address for service unless responding to a refusal or making a direct request to the Registrar (rule 9(9)(a)). | |
| Required | Applicants or owners domiciled abroad must be represented by a lawyer domiciled in Nicaragua (Art. 87 of Law 380 as amended by Law 1024 of 2020). | |
| Not required (local address needed) | Using a representative is optional under the ordinance; if one is used, they must have a residential or business address in Sint Maarten and be recognised by the Bureau. The applicant must give an address for the register. | |
| Local address needed | An address for service in Trinidad and Tobago is required for proceedings before the Controller, so applicants based abroad need a local agent. |
From the official sources listed on each country guide, checked in October 2026. Fees and deadlines change — confirm with the office or a firm before you rely on them.