Quick answer
Trademarks in OAPI (Central & West Africa) are registered with the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI); the official filing and publication fee is XAF/XOF 360,000 for one class, and third parties can oppose within 3 months from publication. A registration lasts 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed. OAPI (Central & West Africa) can be designated through the Madrid System.
Checked against official sources on 11 October 2026 · see sources
- Office
- OAPI
- Official fee
- XAF/XOF 360,000
- Madrid Protocol
- Member since 2015
- Opposition
- 3 months from publication (reduced from 6 month…
- Protection
- 10 years from filing date
- Multi-class filing
- Allowed
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The trademark office and official links
Trademarks in OAPI (Central & West Africa) are registered by the African Intellectual Property Organization (Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle, Yaoundé, Cameroon) (OAPI).
- Trademark office: African Intellectual Property Organization (Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle, Yaoundé, Cameroon) (OAPI)
- Trademark search: official trademark database
- Law: Bangui Agreement (as revised at Bamako, 2015), Annex III on Marks for Products or Services
- Law: Règlement portant révision de la grille des taxes relatives aux marques, aux dessins et modèles industriels et aux indications géographiques (Resolution No. 61/39 of 10 December 2021)
Official fees in OAPI (Central & West Africa)
| Official fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Filing and publication, first class | XAF/XOF 360,000 |
| Each additional class | XAF/XOF 75,000 |
| Renewal, first class | XAF/XOF 500,000 |
| Renewal, each additional class | XAF/XOF 100,000 |
| Late renewal surcharge | XAF/XOF 130,000 |
| Opposition | XAF/XOF 170,000 |
| Prior-mark search (word, figurative, combined, sound or audiovisual mark) Optional | XAF/XOF 95,000 |
Amounts in XAF/XOF (CFA franc). Official office fees only (schedule as of 2022-01). Official fee schedule. Professional fees of a local firm are extra — compare fixed-fee packages.
How to register a trademark in OAPI (Central & West Africa)
- Run an optional prior-mark search with OAPI, which the Organization recommends before filing.
- File one application with OAPI in Yaoundé, through the national liaison structure in any member state or electronically, listing the Nice classes and attaching proof of payment of the fees.
- OAPI examines formalities and absolute grounds only; it does not check for conflicts with earlier marks.
- The accepted application is published and third parties have three months to oppose, including on the basis of prior use.
- If there is no opposition or it fails, the mark is registered and republished to notify third parties, with protection in all member states.
Examination, publication and opposition
- Examination: OAPI examines formalities and absolute grounds only; there is no ex officio examination of relative grounds (earlier marks). No official examination time is stated.
- Publication: OAPI official bulletin (BOPI); marks are published for opposition after examination and republished on registration
- Opposition period: 3 months from publication (reduced from 6 months by the reforms in force since January 2022)
Protection, renewal and use
- Term: 10 years from the filing date, renewable.
- Use requirement: a registration can be challenged after 5 years of non-use.
- Rights system: first to file.
Filing from abroad
- Language: French or English (OAPI's working languages); priority documents need a certified translation into French or English
Firms on TrademarksHub that cover OAPI (Central & West Africa) can act as your local agent — see firms.
Madrid Protocol
OAPI (Central & West Africa) is a member of the Madrid System (in force since 2015). 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 (45 classes); since the 2022 reforms official fees are charged for each class. One application can cover several classes. Not sure which classes you need? See all 45 classes or classes by business type.
How OAPI (Central & West Africa) compares
- Opposition: 3 months from publication (reduced from 6 months by the reforms in force since January 2022) — compare all countries
- Renewal: every 10 years — compare all countries
Guides: registering in any country · costs by country · Madrid
Members and coverage
- OAPI is a unitary system covering 17 member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo. One registration covers all of them and none has a separate national trade mark register.
- OAPI does not refuse marks because of earlier conflicting marks, so owners must watch publications and oppose within three months.
- A third party can claim ownership of a mark during the opposition period based on prior use; if the claim succeeds, the mark is transferred to that party.
- OAPI joined the Madrid Protocol with effect from 5 March 2015, but practitioners have questioned whether Madrid designations of OAPI are enforceable in member states that have not ratified the accession, so many owners prefer a direct OAPI filing.
- Since January 2022 the filing fee covers only one class, with an additional fee for each further class.