Trademark Registration in France: Complete 2026 Guide

France is one of the largest economies in the EU and one of the most brand-conscious markets in the world, which makes trademark registration in France a natural early move for any company selling into Europe. The process runs entirely through the INPI — the Institut national de la propriété industrielle — and it is faster and cheaper than most people expect: a single class costs EUR 190 to file online, and a clean application can register in four to six months. The catch is knowing what the INPI examines, what it deliberately does not, and where the deadlines sit. This 2026 guide takes you from search to registration and on to renewal, with the current fees and rules.

How Trademark Registration in France Works

Trademark registration in France is handled by the INPI, the national industrial property office, and is filed electronically through the INPI’s online portal. A French registration protects your mark across the whole territory of France for the goods and services you claim, giving you the exclusive right to use the mark and to stop others from using a confusingly similar sign in the same field.

You have three routes into France, and choosing the right one matters. File nationally at the INPI for France alone; file an EU trademark at the EUIPO in Alicante to cover all 27 EU member states including France in one right; or use the Madrid System to designate France within an international registration. This guide covers the national INPI route, which is the right choice when France is your priority market or your only European one.

Before You File: Clear the Mark

The single most valuable step in trademark registration in France happens before you file: a clearance search. The INPI does not check your application against earlier trademarks for you (more on that below), so an application that collides with a prior French, EU or internationally-protected mark can sail through examination and then be knocked out by an opposition. A search saves you the filing fee, the wait, and the far larger cost of rebranding later.

• Search identical and similar marks on the INPI and EUIPO databases, plus international marks designating France.
• Confirm your goods and services and slot them into the correct Nice classes — the classification decides both scope and cost.
• Check that the mark is distinctive for those goods and not merely descriptive, generic or deceptive.

A professional clearance and filing strategy that treats France, the EU and Madrid as one decision usually beats filing blind in a single office.

2026 INPI Fees You Should Budget For

French filing fees are per class, and they are modest by international standards:

• EUR 190 to file electronically for the first class of goods or services.
• EUR 40 for each additional class.
• Renewal is charged on the same per-class basis every ten years.

Because the base fee covers a single class, resist the temptation to over-claim. Every extra class adds cost and widens the target for opposition and for later non-use challenges. Claim the classes you genuinely trade in, plus those you have a concrete plan to enter. Always confirm the current schedule on the INPI’s own site before filing, as fees are revised from time to time.

The 7 Steps From Filing to Registration

1. Run a clearance search and finalise your list of goods and services by Nice class.
2. File the application online through the INPI portal and pay the EUR 190 base fee (plus EUR 40 per extra class).
3. The INPI examines the application on formal requirements and absolute grounds — distinctiveness, descriptiveness and deceptiveness.
4. The application is published in the BOPI (Bulletin officiel de la propriété industrielle), usually within about six weeks of filing.
5. A two-month opposition window opens from publication, during which owners of earlier rights can object.
6. If there is no objection or opposition, the INPI registers the mark and issues the registration certificate.
7. Docket the ten-year renewal and monitor the market for infringers and later conflicting applications.

Start to finish, expect roughly four to six months where nothing goes wrong. An office objection or an opposition adds months, which is exactly why the pre-filing search earns its keep.

What the INPI Examines — and What It Does Not

This is the point most applicants get wrong. The INPI examines your application on absolute grounds — is the sign distinctive, is it merely descriptive of the goods, is it deceptive or contrary to public order? It does not examine relative grounds; that is, the INPI will not refuse your mark just because an earlier identical or similar trademark already exists.

Policing earlier rights is left to their owners, through the opposition system. That design has two consequences. First, a search is on you, not the office. Second, once your own mark is registered you should monitor the BOPI so you can oppose later applications that encroach on it — protection you paid for is only as strong as your willingness to enforce it.

If the INPI does raise an objection, you typically have a set period to respond — commonly one month for formal shortcomings and two months for substantive ones — by amending the application or arguing your case.

The Two-Month Opposition Window

Once your application is published in the BOPI, the owner of an earlier mark has two months to file an opposition at the INPI, with a further month to submit the full statement of grounds. Opposition is an administrative procedure decided by the INPI, not a court case, and it is the main way conflicts get resolved in the French system.

The mirror image matters just as much: after your mark registers, you can use the same two-month window to oppose someone else’s later application. Trademark monitoring turns your registration from a defensive certificate into an active asset. If a dispute goes beyond opposition, French trademark litigation is heard by a small number of specialised judicial courts (tribunaux judiciaires), while the INPI itself now handles many invalidity and revocation actions.

Keeping the Mark Alive: Use and Renewal

A French trademark lasts ten years from the filing date and can be renewed indefinitely for further ten-year periods. The renewal request can be filed in the twelve months before expiry, and there is a six-month grace period afterwards with a surcharge — but do not rely on it, because a lapsed mark can be picked off by a competitor.

Registration is not the finish line — use is. A French trademark that has not been genuinely used for the goods and services it covers for a continuous period of five years becomes vulnerable to revocation for non-use on a third party’s request. Keep dated evidence of use (invoices, packaging, advertising) for every class you hold, and prune classes you never actually enter.

Register and Protect Your Trademark in France

PerspireIP runs French trademark registration end to end — clearance search, Nice classification, INPI filing, opposition strategy, and renewal docketing — and coordinates it with your EU and Madrid filings so your brand is protected without gaps or wasted fees. Talk to our trademark team to get your French application filed right the first time.

Frequently Asked Questions