Trademark Registration in Colombia

To register a trademark in Colombia, you file an application with the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC), the Colombian trademark office; the SIC checks it, publishes it so that third parties can oppose, and then grants or refuses the registration.

Trademark registration in Colombia at a glance

The procedure in six steps

1. Search: check the SIC register for identical and similar earlier marks, including pending applications. It is optional, but the filing fee is not refunded once the procedure has started (Decision 486, Article 277).
2. Filing: the application is filed with the SIC in Spanish, online through SIPI or on paper, with the goods or services, their Nice classes and the fee per class (Articles 7 and 151).
3. Formal examination: if something is missing, the applicant has sixty days to complete it, or the application is deemed abandoned (Article 144).
4. Publication and opposition: the SIC publishes the application in the Industrial Property Gazette, and anyone with a legitimate interest can oppose within thirty business days (Articles 145 and 146).
5. Examination and decision: the SIC decides on registrability, and on any opposition, by resolution; a refusal can be challenged within ten days of notification (Article 150 of Decision 486 and Article 76 of Law 1437 of 2011).
6. Registration: the registration lasts ten years from the grant and can be renewed for successive ten-year periods (Article 152).

Each step is explained in detail below, in SIC trademark filing in Colombia, step by step.

We are trademark attorneys in Colombia: our founding partner has more than 20 years of practice and has led the registration and defense of more than 3,000 trademarks before the SIC. We act as your attorneys of record from the trademark search to the registration certificate, and we report to you in English.

Colombia is a member of the Andean Community, together with Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, and applies its common industrial property regime, Decision 486. Quotations of Andean and Colombian rules on this page are reproduced in Spanish from the official texts, followed in brackets by our unofficial English translation.

Trademark attorneys in Colombia: who handles your case

Your trademark is handled by Andrés Felipe López Gutiérrez, founding partner of ADALET LEGAL S.A.S., a Colombian law firm. He is a lawyer with more than 20 years of practice and has led the registration and defense of more than 3,000 trademarks before the SIC.

• Lawyer.
• Specialist in Commercial Law (Especialista en Derecho Comercial), Universidad del Rosario.
• Specialist in Public Management and Administrative Institutions (Especialista en Gestión Pública e Instituciones Administrativas), Universidad de los Andes.

His trademark practice covers registrability studies and clearance searches, filings with the SIC, oppositions and responses to oppositions, appeals against refusals, non-use cancellations, renewals, assignments, coexistence agreements, portfolio watch and the Madrid Protocol. You deal with him directly, and he is responsible for the legal content of the trademark guides on this site. Full profile, in Spanish: Andrés Felipe López Gutiérrez, trademark and commercial lawyer.

What it costs to register a trademark in Colombia

The official fee is set each year by the SIC. For 2026 it is about USD 425 for one class filed online, under SIC Resolution 6167 of January 30, 2026, plus about USD 212 for each additional class in the same application. Article 277 of Decision 486 provides: «Una vez iniciados los trámites ante la oficina nacional competente, las tasas no serán reembolsables.» [Once proceedings have started before the competent national office, the fees shall not be refundable.] Renewal, ten years later, costs about USD 232 for one class at 2026 rates.

Our professional fees are separate from the official fee and depend on the number of classes and on whether the case needs more than a clean filing. We quote a flat fee in writing before you instruct us, with no hourly billing.

SIC official fees for trademarks, 2026

Your first trademark in Colombia for a product

If you are about to sell a product in Colombia, file the trademark before the launch. Article 154 of Decision 486 provides: «El derecho al uso exclusivo de una marca se adquirirá por el registro de la misma ante la respectiva oficina nacional competente.» [The right to the exclusive use of a mark shall be acquired by its registration with the respective competent national office.] Selling the product under the brand does not by itself give you that right.

The goods are listed by class. Under Article 151, «los Países Miembros utilizarán la Clasificación Internacional de Productos y Servicios para el Registro de las Marcas, establecida por el Arreglo de Niza del 15 de junio de 1957, con sus modificaciones vigentes» [the Member Countries shall use the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Registration of Marks, established by the Nice Agreement of June 15, 1957, as currently amended], and those classes «no determinarán la similitud ni la disimilitud de los productos o servicios indicados expresamente» [shall not determine the similarity or dissimilarity of the goods or services expressly indicated], so an earlier mark filed in another class can still conflict with yours. One application can cover several classes: the SIC fee schedule charges a fee «por cada clase adicional en una misma solicitud» [for each additional class in the same application] (Resolution 6167 of 2026, item 1.1.2.1.2).

If you will sell through a local distributor, note Article 136, literal d. It bars the registration of a sign whose use in trade would unduly affect a third party right, in particular a sign identical or similar to a distinctive sign of a third party, where in the circumstances its use could cause a risk of confusion or association, «cuando el solicitante sea o haya sido un representante, un distribuidor o una persona expresamente autorizada por el titular del signo protegido en el País Miembro o en el extranjero» [when the applicant is or has been a representative, a distributor or a person expressly authorized by the owner of the protected sign in the Member Country or abroad]. Filing in your own name before you appoint the distributor spares you from having to prove that relationship later.

Trademark search before filing

A trademark search in Colombia comes before the filing. We search the SIC register for identical and similar marks in the classes of your goods or services and in related ones, and tell you plainly whether the mark is worth filing and in which form. The SIC also offers an official background search, about USD 9 per sign for the first class at 2026 rates. Since the filing fee is not refunded, this is where money is saved. How the SIC database works, and what an identical-match search misses, is explained in Colombia trademark search.

SIC trademark filing in Colombia, step by step

1. Filing the application

The application is filed with the SIC online, through SIPI, its industrial property platform, or on paper; the official fees are lower online. Under Article 7, the request «deberá presentarse en idioma castellano» [shall be submitted in the Spanish language], and under Article 8 documents in another language must come with «una traducción simple» [a simple translation], although the office may waive translations when it considers it appropriate. We draft the list of goods or services with their Nice classes and file in your name.

2. Formal examination

The SIC checks the formal requirements. If something is missing, Article 144 gives the applicant sixty days to complete it, «dentro del plazo de sesenta días siguientes a la fecha de notificación» [within sixty days following the date of notification]; if it is not completed, «la solicitud se considerará abandonada y perderá su prelación» [the application shall be deemed abandoned and shall lose its precedence].

3. Publication and opposition

Once the formal requirements are met, the application is published in the Industrial Property Gazette, which the SIC describes as its official medium for making known the applications filed and the titles granted. Article 146 provides: «Dentro del plazo de treinta días siguientes a la fecha de la publicación, quien tenga legítimo interés, podrá presentar, por una sola vez, oposición fundamentada que pueda desvirtuar el registro de la marca.» [Within thirty days following the date of publication, whoever has a legitimate interest may file, only once, a reasoned opposition capable of defeating the registration of the mark.] At the request of a party, the office grants «por una sola vez un plazo adicional de treinta días para presentar las pruebas que sustenten la oposición» [only once, an additional term of thirty days to submit the evidence supporting the opposition]. Terms subject to publication «se contarán a partir del día siguiente a aquel en que se realice la notificación o publicación del acto de que se trate» [shall be counted from the day following that on which the notification or publication of the act concerned takes place] (Article 4), and «cuando los plazos se señalen por días, se entenderá que éstos son hábiles» [where terms are set in days, they shall be understood to be business days] (Article 5).

If your application is opposed, Article 148 requires the office to notify you so that, «dentro de los treinta días siguientes haga valer sus argumentaciones y presente pruebas, si lo estima conveniente» [within the following thirty days, you put forward your arguments and submit evidence, if you consider it appropriate], and on request it grants «por una sola vez, un plazo adicional de treinta días para presentar las pruebas que sustenten la contestación» [only once, an additional term of thirty days to submit the evidence supporting the answer]. We handle both sides of that proceeding; see trademark oppositions and appeals in Colombia and, for oppositions based on marks from other Andean countries, Andean trademark opposition in Colombia.

4. Examination and decision

When those terms have expired, or if no opposition was filed, the SIC examines whether the mark can be registered; where oppositions were filed, it rules on them and on the grant or refusal of the registration «mediante resolución» [by resolution] (Article 150). A refusal can be challenged: Article 76 of Law 1437 of 2011, the Colombian administrative procedure code, requires the «recursos de reposición y apelación» [requests for reconsideration and appeal] to be filed in writing «dentro de los diez (10) días siguientes» [within the ten days following] notification, and under Article 62 of Law 4 of 1913, in terms set in days «se entienden suprimidos los feriados y de vacantes, a menos de expresarse lo contrario» [holidays and non-working days are understood to be excluded, unless otherwise stated].

5. Registration and renewal

Article 152 provides: «El registro de una marca tendrá una duración de diez años contados a partir de la fecha de su concesión y podrá renovarse por períodos sucesivos de diez años.» [The registration of a mark shall last ten years from the date of its grant and may be renewed for successive periods of ten years.] Under Article 153, the owner or anyone with a legitimate interest requests renewal «dentro de los seis meses anteriores a la expiración del registro» [within the six months before the registration expires], or within «un plazo de gracia de seis meses» [a grace period of six months] counted from expiry, paying the surcharge where national rules allow it; «Durante el plazo referido, el registro de marca mantendrá su plena vigencia.» [During that period, the trademark registration shall remain fully in force.] The same article adds: «A efectos de la renovación no se exigirá prueba de uso de la marca» [For renewal purposes, no proof of use of the mark shall be required]. We keep track of the date for you.

How long it takes

In our experience before the SIC, an application with no opposition and nothing unusual is usually decided in six to ten months. With an opposition, it tends to take around twelve or thirteen months. If the mark is refused, the appeal alone can take about eleven months to be decided. These are practice figures, not legal deadlines.

Registering from abroad

You do not need a Colombian company or residence to own a trademark in Colombia. The application states «la nacionalidad o domicilio del solicitante» [the nationality or domicile of the applicant] (Article 139, literal c), and foreign companies and individuals file in their own name. Foreign owners usually act through a Colombian attorney appointed by power of attorney; how to sign one outside Colombia is explained in power of attorney for Colombia. We file in Spanish and report every step to you in English.

If you filed the same mark first in another country, you may be able to keep that filing date. Under Article 9, the first trademark application validly filed in another Andean country, or before an authority with which Colombia is bound by a treaty establishing an analogous priority right, gives the applicant a priority right to apply in Colombia for the same subject matter within «seis meses para los registros de diseños industriales y de marcas» [six months for industrial design and trademark registrations], which the article sets as «plazos improrrogables» [non-extendable terms] counted from the filing date of the earlier application. According to WIPO, Colombia and the United States are both parties to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, so a first application filed in the United States can serve as the basis. Article 10 requires a declaration with the date, the office and, when known, the number of the earlier application, a copy of it certified by that office and a certificate of its filing date, filed with the application or, «a más tardar» [at the latest], within «nueve meses» [nine months] of the earlier filing; the SIC charges the priority claim per class. Article 11 adds: «El incumplimiento de los plazos, de la presentación de los documentos o del pago de la tasa, acarreará la pérdida de la prioridad invocada.» [Failure to meet the terms, to submit the documents or to pay the fee shall entail the loss of the priority claimed.]

If you already hold an international registration, Colombia can also be designated through the Madrid Protocol. Which route suits you depends on your classes, your budget and how much control you want over the application; we explain the trade-offs in Madrid Protocol or national filing in Colombia. If a designation of Colombia has already been refused, see provisional refusal in Colombia.

Owners whose first filing is in one of these countries or regions have their own guide:

• For brands whose first filing is in India, both routes, with the Indian application as the basis of a priority claim or as the basic mark, are set out in trademark registration in Colombia from India.
• Brands first filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) will find the designation of Colombia from China, the Chinese priority and the apostille of Chinese documents in trademark registration in Colombia from China.
• Owners of an EU trade mark, or of a national mark registered in Germany, France, Italy, the Benelux countries or another member state, will find the EUIPO and national-office routes to Colombia, the European priority and the apostille of European documents in trademark registration in Colombia from the European Union.
• UK businesses whose first filing is with the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO), including owners of comparable UK trade marks created from EU marks after Brexit, will find the IPO route to Colombia, the UK priority claim and the apostille of UK documents in trademark registration in Colombia from the United Kingdom.
• Canadian owners, for whom CIPO has been an Office of origin since June 17, 2019, will find the CIPO route, the Canadian priority claim and the federal or provincial apostille in trademark registration in Colombia from Canada.
• Korean owners will find the Madrid route through MOIP (KIPO), the transliteration of Hangul marks and the Korean apostille in trademark registration in Colombia from Korea.

How we work with you

The founding partner handles your case directly. We quote flat fees in advance, and we work both directly for brand owners and as Colombian correspondents for trademark firms abroad; firms can see how we act as their trademark agent in Colombia.

Registration is one part of protecting a brand. We also handle trademark licensing and franchising and act against copying through unfair competition claims. If an earlier mark blocks yours and is not being used, see trademark non-use cancellation in Colombia.

If you live abroad and have other matters in Colombia, such as property, a divorce or an inheritance, see Colombian lawyer for clients abroad.

Frequently asked questions

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

The official SIC fee for 2026 is about USD 425 for one class filed online and about USD 212 for each additional class in the same application. Attorney fees are separate; we quote a flat fee in writing before you instruct us.

How long does trademark registration take in Colombia?

In our practice, six to ten months without opposition, around twelve or thirteen months with an opposition, and about eleven more months if a refusal has to be appealed.

How is a trademark filed with the SIC in Colombia?

The application is filed with the SIC in Spanish, online through SIPI or on paper, listing the goods or services and their Nice classes and paying the official fee per class. The SIC checks the formal requirements and publishes the application in the Industrial Property Gazette, where anyone with a legitimate interest can oppose within thirty business days counted from the day after publication; then it decides whether to grant the registration.

Should I register my trademark in Colombia before launching my first product there?

Yes, ideally before the launch. In Colombia the exclusive right to a mark is acquired by registering it with the SIC, so selling the product under the brand does not by itself give you that right. Filing first, and before you appoint a local distributor, is the simplest way to reduce the risk of someone else registering your brand before you do.

How do I search for a trademark in Colombia before filing?

The SIC register is searched for identical and similar marks in the classes of your goods or services and in related ones, because the Nice classes do not by themselves decide whether goods are similar. The SIC also offers an official background search, about USD 9 per sign for the first class in 2026. We review the results and tell you whether the mark is worth filing.

Can a foreign company or individual register a trademark in Colombia?

Yes. No Colombian company or residence is needed: the application states the nationality or domicile of the applicant, and the foreign owner files in its own name, usually through a Colombian attorney appointed by power of attorney.

How long does a Colombian trademark registration last?

Ten years from the date it is granted, renewable for successive ten-year periods. The owner, or anyone with a legitimate interest, requests renewal within the six months before expiry or within a six-month grace period after it, with a surcharge, and no proof of use is required.

Can a registered trademark be lost for not being used?

Yes. The SIC cancels a registration at the request of an interested person when, without justified reason, the mark has not been used in at least one Andean Community member country, by its owner, a licensee or another authorized person, during the three consecutive years before the action is filed. The action cannot be filed until three years after notification of the decision that ends the registration procedure at the SIC; the registration is not cancelled if the owner proves that non-use was due to force majeure or an act of God, among other causes; and if only some goods or services were not used, the registration is limited to the others.

Can I designate Colombia through the Madrid Protocol instead?

Yes. Both routes are available, and we advise on which one fits your case and act as local counsel if the Colombian designation is objected to.

Contact us

Send us the mark and the goods or services you sell on WhatsApp; we will tell you whether it is worth filing and send you a flat-fee quote the same day.

Related pages

Colombia trademark search · Trademark oppositions and appeals in Colombia · Andean trademark opposition in Colombia · Trademark non-use cancellation in Colombia · Madrid Protocol or national filing in Colombia · Provisional refusal under the Madrid Protocol in Colombia · Colombia trademark agent for foreign IP firms · Power of attorney for Colombia · Registro de marcas en Colombia para extranjeros (Spanish)