Trademark Registration in Saudi Arabia
In a market opening up under Vision 2030, brand protection is a separate and more fundamental step than commercial registration. Applications are filed with SAIP, each class runs as its own file, and foreign applicants are represented through a local agent. Let us work through the class plan and the Arabic-script decision together.
Get your price for Saudi Arabia within 24 hoursA written quote by class and scope · see the fees and official charges ↓A free attorney check and filing for your brand
Share your mark and target goods or services, and we will check the risk of an obstacle in Saudi Arabia, how many separate class filings you need and any likely grounds for refusal free of charge. You decide whether to proceed once you have seen the result.
Application details
Step 1 / 2Two short steps. We do not ask for a passport or power of attorney at this stage.
Who needs a Saudi trademark registration?
For brands entering the largest market in the Gulf, registration is the step to take before any distribution agreement.
Manufacturers exporting to Saudi Arabia
Producers selling through a distributor or agent. A distributor registering the mark in their own name is the most common regional dispute and correcting it requires litigation.
Retail and franchise brands
Brands opening stores in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Concept names and logos are widely copied; registration is the basis of any franchise agreement.
Restaurant and café chains
Food and beverage concepts are imitated quickly in the Saudi market. A service mark application is built on a description of services rather than goods.
E-commerce and marketplace sellers
Brands selling through Amazon.sa, Noon and their own store. Platform brand programmes generally require a registration or filing receipt.
Cosmetics, food and health products
Where SFDA product registration applies, trademark registration and product registration are separate processes; planning them together saves time.
Planning regional expansion
The UAE and Saudi Arabia produce separate rights. If the whole Gulf is the target, the class strategy should be set regionally from the start.
Arabic script: a Latin-script registration is not enough
This is the point most often missed on Saudi files. The Arabic script counts as a separate sign and needs its own protection.
Two separate marks
A Latin-script mark and its Arabic script are legally different signs. Registering one does not automatically protect the other.
Local recognition
Saudi consumers usually know a brand by its Arabic script. If you use Arabic on packaging or signage, that script needs registering too.
Transliteration or translation?
Whether the mark carries into Arabic by sound or by meaning is a strategic decision and it changes the scope of protection.
Cultural review
The Arabic equivalent of a sign may be found religiously or culturally objectionable. That assessment belongs before filing, not after.
The local agent requirement and the power of attorney
Foreign applicants cannot file directly with the authority in Saudi Arabia.
One application per class
As in the UAE, a single multi-class application is not available in Saudi Arabia, and that drives the budget directly.
One class, one filing
If you want protection in three classes, three separate applications are filed, each with its own fee, publication and registration step.
Class choice drives cost
Adding an unnecessary class is far more expensive here than in the EU. The list is kept narrow and written from what you actually sell.
Identical-name search
A check for an identical sign on the SAIP register. It is not enough on its own to base a decision on; similarity is assessed separately.
Relation to product registration
For food, cosmetics and health products, SFDA registration is a separate process. A trademark does not replace product registration, but the two can run in parallel.
Fees and costs that can arise later
In the table below, official fees and service fees sit on separate lines. Because the SAIP tariff changes periodically, we do not publish fixed amounts here.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Türkiye and the Madrid route
The four routes most often compared when entering the Gulf. Click a column heading to open that page.
Documents and information
On a Saudi file, the real work sits in legalising the power of attorney, the Arabic strategy and the class plan.
From filing to registration
Timelines depend on the authority’s current workload and how the file develops; no fixed period is given on this page.
- 1Assessment and strategyWe review the mark and target goods and services, then set how many class filings are needed and whether to file in Arabic script.
- 2Search and list preparationIdentical and similar signs are assessed, cultural refusal risk is reviewed, and the list is drafted to SAIP practice.
- 3Power of attorney and legalisationThe notarised power of attorney is prepared and the Arabic translation and required legalisation completed.
- 4FilingA separate file per class is submitted through the SAIP system; the application numbers issue at this stage.
- 5Examination and publicationThe authority reviews formal requirements and absolute grounds; an accepted application is published in the official bulletin.
- 6Opposition period and registrationThe opposition window runs after publication. If no opposition arrives, or it resolves in your favour, the registration fee is paid and the certificate issues.
After registration: use, watching and renewal
A Saudi registration is also a right that needs managing. The items below are where most losses originate.
Non-use risk
A mark left unused for a continuous statutory period can be the subject of a cancellation action. Evidence of use should be archived from the outset.
Distributor control
A distributor registering the mark in their own name is the most common regional dispute. Ownership must be set out clearly in the agency agreement.
Renewal
Protection is renewed in ten-year periods and renewal is calculated per class. Missing the window puts the right at risk.
Keeping the register current
Changes of name, address and ownership must be recorded. An out-of-date entry can mean missed correspondence.