Trademark registration in Serbia

The trademark office and official links

Trademarks in Serbia are registered by the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia (IPO RS (ZIS)).

• Trademark office: Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia (IPO RS (ZIS))
• Online filing: official e-filing portal
• Trademark search: official trademark database
• Law: Law on Trademarks (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia No. 6/2020)
• Law: Law on Republic Administrative Fees (fees for IP filings and actions; last amended Official Gazette RS 138/2022)

Official fees in Serbia

Official office fees only (schedule as of 2026-10). Official fee schedule. Professional fees of a local firm are extra — compare fixed-fee packages.

How to register a trademark in Serbia

1. Search the e-Trademark Register of the Intellectual Property Office for earlier conflicting marks.
2. File the application (on paper or via eApplication) with a representation of the sign, a list of goods and services in Serbian under the Nice classes, and proof of payment of the application fee.
3. The Office carries out a formal examination and a substantive examination covering both absolute grounds and similarity with earlier marks.
4. If no grounds for refusal are found, the application is published in the Intellectual Property Gazette, which appears twice a month.
5. Third parties may file an opposition within three months of publication; the applicant then has 60 days to respond.
6. After the opposition period ends or any opposition is resolved, the applicant pays the registration fee and the mark is registered and a certificate issued.

Examination, publication and opposition

• Examination: The Intellectual Property Office examines formalities and substance, including absolute grounds and conflicts with earlier marks (relative grounds ex officio). The Office states the procedure typically takes about six months if there are no formal or substantive issues.
• Publication: Intellectual Property Gazette (Glasnik intelektualne svojine), published twice a month
• Opposition period: 3 months from publication in the Intellectual Property Gazette
• Typical timeline: About 6 months if there are no formal or substantive objections (Intellectual Property Office of Serbia)

Protection, renewal and use

• Term: 10 years from the filing date, renewable.
• Late renewal: 6 months after expiry with a 50% fee surcharge; after that a new application is required
• 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 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.
• Power of attorney: A power of attorney is required and must generally be filed in original; copies are accepted only in limited cases. Notarisation or legalisation requirements are not stated on the Office's page.
• Language: Serbian; the goods and services list must be in Serbian and foreign-language documents need a translation by a court interpreter

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

Madrid Protocol

Serbia is a member of the Madrid System (in force since 1998). 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); the list of goods and services must be drawn up in Serbian. One application can cover several classes. Not sure which classes you need? See all 45 classes or classes by business type.

How Serbia compares

• Opposition: 3 months from publication in the Intellectual Property Gazette — compare all countries
• Renewal: every 10 years; grace period 6 months after expiry with a 50% fee surcharge; after that a new application is required — compare all countries
• Foreign owners: required — rules in every country
• Official search: e-reg.zis.gov.rs — all search databases

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

Good to know in Serbia

• The Office examines relative grounds ex officio, so an application can be refused on the basis of an earlier similar mark even if no one opposes it.
• An opposition procedure was introduced by the 2020 Law on Trademarks; appeals against Office decisions were abolished and decisions are challenged before the Administrative Court.
• Application fees cover up to three classes; extra classes and figurative or stylised marks attract additional fees, and natural persons and eApplication filers can receive discounts (shown only on the Serbian-language fee pages).
• The 2020 law moved Serbia to international exhaustion of trademark rights and allows owners to stop infringing goods in transit through Serbia.
• Serbia is not an EU member, so EU trade marks do not cover Serbia; protection requires a national application or a Madrid designation.

Questions