Trademark registration in Curaçao

The trademark office and official links

Trademarks in Curaçao are registered by the Bureau for Intellectual Property of Curaçao (Bureau voor de Intellectuele Eigendom) (BIE).

• Trademark office: Bureau for Intellectual Property of Curaçao (Bureau voor de Intellectuele Eigendom) (BIE)
• Law: Merkenlandsverordening 1995 (Trademarks National Ordinance 1995), as applicable in Curaçao
• Law: Merkenlandsverordening – consolidated text published by the Government of Curaçao

Official fees in Curaçao

Official office fees only (schedule as of 2026-04). Official fee schedule. Professional fees of a local firm are extra — compare fixed-fee packages.

How to register a trademark in Curaçao

1. Optionally request a search from the Bureau for Intellectual Property, which offers a search service on request.
2. Applicants without a seat or domicile in Curaçao appoint a local agent (a local advocate or a person registered with the Bureau as a trademark agent) and sign a power of attorney.
3. File the application with the Bureau, listing the goods and services under the Nice Classification; one application may cover several classes.
4. The Bureau examines the mark on absolute grounds (whether it is a mark and is distinctive) and must notify any intended refusal, with reasons, within two months, giving the applicant a chance to respond.
5. There is no pre-registration opposition procedure; if the mark is not refused, it is registered with effect from the filing date.
6. The registration is listed in the Bureau's periodical publication, and is renewed every 10 years.

Examination, publication and opposition

• Examination: The Bureau examines absolute grounds only (Article 11 of the Merkenlandsverordening 1995) and must give written notice of an intended refusal within two months; refusals can be appealed within six weeks to the Joint Court of Justice.
• Publication: The Bureau's periodical listing registrations and renewals (Article 29)
• Opposition period: No pre-registration opposition; third parties challenge registrations through invalidity actions in court

Protection, renewal and use

• Term: 10 years from the filing date, renewable.
• Late renewal: 6 months after expiry, with an additional fee (Article 20(4))
• Use requirement: a registration can be challenged after 5 years of non-use.
• Rights system: first to file.

Filing from abroad

• Local agent: 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).

Firms on TrademarksHub that cover Curaçao can act as your local agent — see firms.

Madrid Protocol

Curaçao is a member of the Madrid System (in force since 2003). You can designate it in an international application filed through your home office, or file a national application directly. A local firm can advise which route is cheaper for your classes and timeline.

Trademark classes

Nice Classification (Article 17(2) of the Merkenlandsverordening 1995). One application can cover several classes. Not sure which classes you need? See all 45 classes or classes by business type.

How Curaçao compares

• Opposition: No pre-registration opposition; third parties challenge registrations through invalidity actions in court — compare all countries
• Renewal: every 10 years; grace period 6 months after expiry, with an additional fee (Article 20(4)) — compare all countries
• Foreign owners: required — rules in every country

Guides: registering in any country · costs by country · Madrid

Good to know in Curaçao

• Curaçao has its own intellectual property office, so a Benelux trademark registration does not cover Curaçao.
• The Madrid Protocol was extended to the Netherlands Antilles from 28 April 2003 and has continued to apply to Curaçao since the Antilles were dissolved on 10 October 2010, so Curaçao can be designated in an international registration.
• There is no opposition stage: the Bureau examines only absolute grounds, and owners of earlier rights must bring invalidity proceedings in court.
• The registration runs for 10 years from the filing date, which the law treats as the registration date, and can be renewed within six months after expiry with an extra fee.
• Sint Maarten and Aruba have their own intellectual property bureaus, and Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are covered by a separate office.

Questions