Trademark Registration in Georgia: Sakpatenti Guide

You built a brand in Georgia, but the name isn't legally yours until it's registered. Georgia runs a first-to-file system, so a competitor can claim your mark before you do, and Sakpatenti only checks for conflicts after you file. This guide walks you through trademark registration in Georgia from start to finish: the real fees, the Nice classes, the timelines, and the Madrid route if you want protection beyond the border.

Quick Summary:

• Sakpatenti (the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia) registers trademarks, and filings are made in Georgian.

• Standard government cost is about $420 for one class, and filing electronically cuts every fee by 20%.

• Standard registration takes up to around 12 months; the accelerated track finishes in 10 working days.

• Protection lasts 10 years and renews indefinitely in 10-year periods.

• The process runs: preliminary search, filing, formal examination (1 month), substantive examination (6 months), publication, a 3-month opposition window, then registration.

• Applicants without a Georgian address must appoint a local representative.

• The Madrid Protocol covers many countries from a single application, and Sakpatenti skips the formal examination on incoming Madrid designations.

What Sakpatenti is and why a trademark matters here

Sakpatenti is Georgia's intellectual property registry. It examines applications, maintains the national trademark register, and issues the certificates that give your brand legal protection. If you want exclusive rights to a name, logo, or slogan in Georgia, this is the body you go through.

A trademark under Georgian law is a sign, or combination of signs, that can be represented graphically and distinguishes the goods or services of one business from another. That covers brand names, logos, and certain slogans, as long as the mark is distinctive enough to set you apart.

Here is the part that catches people out. Georgia is first-to-file, not first-to-use. Rights belong to whoever registers the mark first, even if you've been trading under that name for years. If someone else files before you, they can hold the registration and you're left negotiating or rebranding.

There's a second reason to register early and then keep using the mark. A registered trademark that sits unused for five consecutive years becomes vulnerable to cancellation. Registration secures the name; consistent use keeps it enforceable. Before any of this, it helps to settle the business structure in Georgia that will actually own the mark.

Before you file: run a preliminary trademark search

Sakpatenti does not screen for conflicts before you file. It checks earlier marks during the substantive examination, which happens months into the process and after you've already paid. A preliminary search is the only way to spot a clash early and avoid throwing money at an application that gets refused.

Start with Sakpatenti's free official trademark database. You can search existing registrations and applications to see whether something similar is already on file in your classes. It's a fast first filter and it costs nothing.

Know the limits, though. A quick self-search tends to catch only exact or obvious matches. It can miss phonetically similar names, marks that conflict once transliterated into Georgian script, and pending applications that aren't fully indexed yet. Two names that look different in English can read as confusingly close in Georgian.

That last point matters more than most guides admit. Filings here are in Georgian, so a foreign brand name gets transliterated, and the transliteration is what gets compared against existing marks. A name that's clear in Latin letters can collide with an earlier Georgian-script registration you'd never find searching in English. A thorough search checks both the original spelling and likely Georgian renderings.

Who can apply, and the rule for foreigners

Any individual or company can apply to register a trademark in Georgia. You don't need to be a citizen or a resident to own a Georgian mark.

The catch for foreigners is representation. If you don't have a residence or registered address in Georgia, you must appoint a local representative to act for you before Sakpatenti. That representative is usually a registered trademark attorney, or a person based at a Georgian address who can handle correspondence.

You authorize that representative with a signed power of attorney. The good news is that Georgia doesn't require it to be notarized, which keeps the paperwork light compared with many countries. A plain signed authorization is enough to get your representative filing on your behalf.

One more practical point: applications are filed in Georgian. Many foreigners are already set up here, so if you register an LLC in Georgia or handle remote business registration from abroad, the same local-representation logic applies to your trademark.

The Nice classification of goods and services

Georgia uses the Nice Classification, the international system that sorts goods and services into numbered classes. When you file, you list exactly what your mark covers and assign each item to its class. Your protection only extends to the classes you register.

This drives your cost directly, because fees are charged per class. One class covers one band of goods or services; every additional class adds to the bill. So the number of classes you choose is the single biggest lever on what registration costs you.

The practical rule is to file the classes you actually use, plus any you have a genuine near-term plan to use. Over-filing across classes you'll never trade in wastes money and can expose those registrations to non-use cancellation later. Under-filing leaves gaps a competitor can move into.

Think about where your business genuinely operates. A clothing brand and a software company sit in completely different classes, and a café that also sells branded merchandise may straddle two. Map your real offering first, then file accordingly. It's worth getting this right alongside the decision to open an LLC, since the entity and the brand should cover the same activities.

One detail people miss: while the application itself is in Georgian, you'll also need an English translation of the goods and services list. Sakpatenti works with both, so prepare your specification carefully in each language.

The Sakpatenti registration process, step by step

Here is the full path from application to certificate, with the official timeline at each stage. You can follow the same sequence on Sakpatenti's official procedure page.

Step 1 - File the application

You submit your application to Sakpatenti, either online or on paper, in Georgian. The filing needs the mark itself (the wording or image), the applicant's details, and the list of goods and services organized by Nice class. If you're abroad, your appointed representative files for you. Pay the formal examination fee within one month of filing to keep the application on track.

Step 2 - Formal examination (1 month)

Sakpatenti first checks that your application is complete and meets the formal legal requirements: the right documents, a proper goods list, correct applicant details, and the fee paid. This formal examination is completed within one month of filing. It's a paperwork and compliance check, not yet a judgment on whether your mark can be registered.

Step 3 - Substantive examination (6 months)

Now Sakpatenti assesses the mark itself, within six months of the formal examination. It reviews absolute grounds, which cover marks that are descriptive, generic, deceptive, offensive, or that misuse state emblems. It also reviews relative grounds, meaning conflicts with earlier trademarks, well-known marks, or protected geographical indications. If the mark clears both, Sakpatenti issues a decision to register.

Step 4 - Publication and the opposition window

Within one month of the registration decision, Sakpatenti publishes your application data in the Official Bulletin of Industrial Property. That publication opens a three-month window in which any interested party can file an opposition at the Chamber of Appeals. This is the stage where a competitor who believes your mark conflicts with theirs gets to object.

Step 5 - Registration and certificate

If no opposition succeeds, Sakpatenti enters your mark in the trademark register, issues the registration certificate, and publishes the registration. Your protection runs from the registration date. The mark is now legally yours in the classes you filed.

Official Sakpatenti fees (and how to pay 20% less)

Here's what the government actually charges. Sakpatenti lists its fees in US dollars, paid in the Georgian lari equivalent to the State Treasury. For a standard trademark in a single class, the fees stack up like this: formal examination $90, substantive examination $120, publication $60, and registration with the certificate and first 10-year term $150. That's $420 for one class.

Now the part competitors skip. File your application electronically and Sakpatenti applies a 20% reduction to every fee, including the certificate. That turns the $420 one-class total into roughly $336, with no extra effort beyond filing online. You can confirm the full schedule on the official Sakpatenti fee schedule.

A few extras to budget for. Each additional class adds $50 to the formal examination fee (or $40 e-filed). Collective and certification marks run on a higher schedule, with a $310 substantive examination and a $550 registration fee. And if you're claiming convention priority from an earlier foreign filing, that request carries a separate $30 fee.

Getting the class strategy and the Georgian-language filing right is where foreigners most often slip, and a refused application means lost fees. If you'd rather not navigate the transliteration and classification traps alone, talk to our team for a free consultation before you file.

Need it fast? The accelerated procedure

If you can't wait up to a year, Sakpatenti offers an accelerated track that completes the application proceedings in 10 working days. It runs the same examinations, just on a compressed schedule, which is useful when a deal, a financing round, or a product launch hinges on having the registration in hand.

Speed costs more. Under the accelerated procedure, the formal examination fee rises to $200 for the first class ($100 each additional), and the substantive examination jumps to $300 for the first class ($100 each additional). You're paying a premium over the standard $90 and $120, so reserve this track for when the timing genuinely matters.

How long protection lasts and how to renew

A Georgian trademark is protected for 10 years from the registration date. There's no cap on how long you can hold it, because the registration renews indefinitely in consecutive 10-year periods. Register once, renew on schedule, and the mark stays yours for as long as you want it.

You request renewal in the tenth year of each term. If you miss the deadline, there's a six-month grace period after expiry to put it right before the registration lapses. Renewal fees are $300 for the first class plus $50 for each additional class.

Tie this back to the non-use rule. Renewing keeps the registration alive on paper, but a mark you stop using for five consecutive years is exposed to cancellation regardless. Keep using the trademark, and keep evidence that you do, so the registration stays enforceable as well as current.

Protecting your brand abroad: the Madrid Protocol

If your brand reaches beyond Georgia, you have two routes. The first is national-only: register through Sakpatenti and you're protected in Georgia. The second is the Madrid Protocol, an international system that lets you file one application through WIPO and designate multiple member countries at once, built on top of a Georgian base application or registration.

Georgia is a Madrid member, which works in both directions. Outbound, you use your Georgian filing as the foundation and extend it to other member countries through a single international application, instead of filing separately in each one. That's far less paperwork and usually far less cost once you're targeting several markets.

There's a procedural detail worth knowing for incoming protection too. When an international registration designates Georgia, Sakpatenti runs only the substantive examination and skips the formal examination entirely. The mark still has to clear the absolute and relative grounds, but it bypasses the formal compliance stage that a national filing goes through.

So which route fits? If you only need one or two markets, filing nationally in each is often simpler and gives you direct control. Once you're looking at several countries, the Madrid Protocol is usually cheaper and easier to manage from one place. Either way, decide your target countries before you file, because Madrid builds on your Georgian base and the classes you registered there.

Fitting your trademark into your Georgia setup

A trademark doesn't sit on its own. It belongs to a business, and that business needs the rest of the scaffolding to function. The mark is owned by your entity, whether that's an LLC or an individual entrepreneur, so the registration should match the company that trades under the brand.

That same entity needs somewhere to receive the revenue your brand earns, which is where a business bank account comes in, and a tax setup to handle what it earns. It's worth understanding how taxes work in Georgia before you scale the brand, and if you're running as a small-business individual entrepreneur, the 1% small business tax regime may apply to the income that brand generates. Get the trademark, the entity, the bank account, and the tax treatment aligned, and your brand sits on solid ground.

Key Takeaways

• Search the Sakpatenti database, and check Georgian-script transliterations, before you spend a cent.

• Map your goods and services to the right Nice classes, and file only the classes you actually use.

• File electronically to take the 20% fee cut automatically.

• Budget about $420 for one class on the standard track, and add classes deliberately.

• If you're abroad, line up a Georgian representative and a signed power of attorney early.

• Diarize the three-month opposition window and your tenth-year renewal date now.

• Decide your target countries before filing through Madrid, since it builds on your Georgian base application.

FAQ

How much does it cost to register a trademark in Georgia?

Standard government fees come to about $420 for a single class: $90 formal examination, $120 substantive examination, $60 publication, and $150 for registration and the certificate. Filing electronically cuts every fee by 20%, bringing the one-class total to roughly $336. Each additional class adds $50 to the formal examination fee.

How long does trademark registration take in Georgia?

The standard process takes up to around 12 months end to end. That breaks down into a one-month formal examination, a six-month substantive examination, publication within one month of the decision, and a three-month opposition window. If you need it faster, the accelerated procedure completes in 10 working days for a higher fee.

Who registers trademarks in Georgia?

Sakpatenti, the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia, is the official body that registers trademarks. It examines applications, maintains the national trademark register, and issues the certificates that grant legal protection. Every national trademark application goes through Sakpatenti.

Can a foreigner register a trademark in Georgia?

Yes. Any individual or company can own a Georgian trademark, regardless of nationality or residence. If you don't have a residence or registered address in Georgia, you must appoint a local representative, usually a trademark attorney, and authorize them with a signed power of attorney. No notarization is required.

Do I have to file in Georgian?

Yes, trademark applications in Georgia are filed in Georgian. You'll also need an English translation of your goods and services list, which Sakpatenti works with alongside the Georgian filing. Because your brand name gets transliterated into Georgian script, it's worth checking how that transliteration reads before you submit.

How long does a Georgian trademark last?

A Georgian trademark is protected for 10 years from the registration date. You can renew it indefinitely in consecutive 10-year periods, so there's no overall limit on how long you hold it. Renewal is requested in the tenth year, with a six-month grace period after expiry.

What is the opposition period in Georgia?

The opposition period is three months from the date your application is published in the Official Bulletin of Industrial Property. During this window, any interested party can file an opposition at the Chamber of Appeals if they believe your mark conflicts with their rights. If no opposition succeeds, the mark proceeds to registration.

Is Georgia first-to-file or first-to-use?

Georgia is a first-to-file country. Rights go to whoever registers the mark first, not whoever used it first in the market, so prior use alone doesn't secure your brand. That's why registering early matters, especially if you've been trading under a name without protecting it.

What is the Madrid Protocol route?

The Madrid Protocol lets you file one application through WIPO and designate multiple member countries, built on your Georgian base application or registration. It's usually cheaper and simpler than filing separately in each country once you're targeting several markets. When an international registration designates Georgia, Sakpatenti runs only the substantive examination.

Can my trademark be cancelled if I don't use it?

Yes. A registered trademark that goes unused for five consecutive years becomes vulnerable to cancellation. Registration secures the name, but consistent use keeps it enforceable, so keep trading under the mark and hold on to evidence that you do. This applies even if you renew the registration on time.

Do I need to use the mark before registering?

No, you don't need to use the mark before you register it in Georgia. Because the system is first-to-file, you can secure a trademark for a brand you plan to launch. Use isn't required to register, but it matters afterward, since five years of non-use exposes the registration to cancellation.