Registering your brand in the United States costs $399 per class in professional fees with us, plus the government filing fee charged by United States Patent and Trademark Office. We handle the whole filing — clearance, classes, the application itself and any examiner objection — and we confirm the exact government fee in writing before anything is filed.
What it costs to file a trademark in the United States
Two fees apply, and it matters which is which. Ours is fixed. The government’s is not ours to set and we never mark it up.
- Our professional fee — $399 per class. Flat, quoted upfront, covering clearance, class and goods drafting, filing and prosecution.
- USPTO official fee — about $350 per class. Paid to the office, passed through at cost.
Official fees are approximate and current as at September 2026; every register reviews them periodically, so we reconfirm the figure at the point of filing rather than asking you to rely on a number published on a web page.
What is different about filing in the United States
The USPTO is one of the very few registers that examines relative grounds for you — the examiner searches earlier marks and refuses a confusingly similar application without anyone needing to oppose it. It is also the strictest on evidence: a specimen showing the mark actually used in commerce is required, mock-ups are refused, and a rejected specimen is one of the most common causes of delay.
How the US filing process runs
- Clearance. We check the US register for earlier marks that would block or narrow yours, before you spend a filing fee.
- Classes and specification. Goods and services drafted to the Nice classification — too narrow and you leave gaps, too broad and you invite refusal.
- Filing. Filed as a national trademark at USPTO.
- Examination. Examination usually begins around 8 months after filing — we respond to any objection as part of the fee.
- Opposition. 30 days from publication. We monitor the window and advise if anything is filed.
Use requirement at filing: yes — USPTO requires the mark to be in genuine commercial use, evidenced by an acceptable specimen, or filed on an intent-to-use basis with the specimen supplied later.
Keeping a US registration alive
A declaration of continued use is due between the 5th and 6th year, then again with each 10-year renewal. Miss it and the registration is cancelled — no reminder is sent.
Madrid Protocol or a direct US filing?
United States has been a Madrid Protocol member since 2003, so the mark can also be reached by designating it from an existing home registration instead of filing directly.
Which is cheaper depends entirely on how many countries you need. For one or two territories, direct national filings usually win. Past roughly three, a single Madrid application generally costs less and is far easier to renew, because everything moves on one date instead of several. We cost both routes before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to register a trademark in the United States?
Our professional fee is $399 per class. USPTO charges about $350 per class on top, which we pass through at cost. For a single-class filing that is the whole cost; additional classes are charged per class by both us and the office.
How long does US trademark registration take?
Examination usually begins around 8 months after filing, and the opposition period runs for 30 days from publication. Where no objection and no opposition arise, registration follows on from there; an examiner objection or an opposition extends the timeline materially. We give you a current estimate at filing rather than a generic one.
Do I need to be based in the United States to file?
No. Foreign applicants can register in the United States. What you may need is a local address for service, which we provide as part of the filing, so being outside the United States is not an obstacle.
Is a clearance search really necessary?
Filing fees are not refundable. A refusal based on an earlier confusingly similar mark costs you the fee and the months spent waiting for it. If you would rather test the ground first, our standalone trademark clearance search starts at $120 and the findings feed straight into the filing.
File your US trademark from $399
Send us the mark and the goods or services it covers using the form below. We reply within one business day with the class recommendation, the exact USPTO fee and the total before anything is filed.