What Is the Madrid System and Why Does It Matter for UAE Businesses?
The Madrid System is an international framework, administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), that allows a trademark owner to seek protection in multiple countries through a single application and a single set of fees, rather than filing separate national applications in each country. For UAE businesses looking to expand internationally, and for foreign businesses looking to enter the UAE market, the Madrid System significantly reduces the administrative burden and cost of building an international trademark portfolio.
The UAE has been a member of the Madrid System since 28 December 2021, following its accession to the Madrid Protocol. This gives UAE-based trademark owners access to international registration through the system, and gives foreign trademark owners a straightforward route to extending protection into the UAE market.
When Did the UAE Join the Madrid Protocol?
The UAE submitted its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol to WIPO on 28 September 2021, and the Protocol entered into force for the UAE on 28 December 2021. The UAE joined as the third Gulf Cooperation Council member to accede to the Madrid System, following Bahrain and Oman. Qatar later joined in 2024, and Saudi Arabia is included among the jurisdictions expected to accede in the coming years, which points toward continued expansion of the Madrid System’s footprint across the GCC region.
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How Does the Madrid System Work?
A trademark owner files a single international application through their national or regional intellectual property office, known as the office of origin, based on an existing or pending trademark registration in that jurisdiction. The applicant designates the specific member countries where they want protection, and WIPO examines the application for formal requirements before forwarding it to each designated country’s trademark office for substantive examination under that country’s own trademark law.
As of early 2026, the Madrid System includes 116 members covering 132 countries, representing more than 80% of global trade. This means a single Madrid application can, in principle, extend trademark protection across the large majority of the world’s major markets, though each designated country retains the right to examine and potentially refuse protection under its own domestic trademark standards.
Who Can Use the Madrid System to Register a Trademark?
An international application under the Madrid System can be filed by a natural person or a legal entity that has a genuine industrial or commercial establishment, residence, or nationality connected to a Madrid Union member. This means UAE-based businesses and individuals with a qualifying connection to the UAE can use the system to seek protection abroad, based on an underlying UAE trademark application or registration.
Protection obtained through an international registration only extends to member countries of the Madrid Union. A business seeking protection in a country that has not joined the Madrid System still needs to pursue a separate national trademark application in that jurisdiction.
What Are the Benefits of Using the Madrid System for UAE Trademark Owners?
The core benefit of the Madrid System is administrative simplification. A single application, filed in one language and covering one set of fees, can seek protection across multiple designated countries, rather than requiring separate applications, separate local agents, and separate fee structures in each jurisdiction.
This simplification extends beyond the initial filing. When the ten-year protection period expires, renewal across all designated countries can be completed through a single electronic filing rather than country-by-country renewal. Changes such as a name change, ownership transfer, or address update can similarly be recorded across all designated countries through a single request, at a lower administrative cost than managing each jurisdiction separately.
How Is UAE Businesses’ Use of the Madrid System Trending?
UAE-based trademark holders have become increasingly active users of the Madrid System since accession. According to WIPO’s 2025 statistics, the UAE rose from fifth to third place globally in the number of subsequent designations received, recording close to 2,000 designations and year-on-year growth of nearly 8%. This places the UAE among the most actively designated Madrid member countries worldwide, reflecting growing international interest in the UAE as a market for trademark protection alongside UAE businesses’ own use of the system to expand abroad.
How Does Madrid System Registration Interact With UAE Trademark Law?
Trademark protection in the UAE, whether sought through a domestic filing or through the Madrid System, remains governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021 on Trademarks. A Madrid System designation covering the UAE is examined against the same domestic standards that apply to a nationally filed UAE trademark application, meaning the international filing route changes the administrative process, not the underlying substantive requirements a mark needs to meet for UAE protection.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When did the UAE join the Madrid System?
How many countries does the Madrid System currently cover?
Can a UAE business use the Madrid System to protect a trademark abroad?
Does Madrid System registration replace UAE trademark law requirements?
Need Expert Advice?
Contact the team at Farahat & Co. for professional support and expert insights for businesses operating in the UAE.
How Farahat & Co. Can Help
Farahat & Co. assists UAE and international businesses with trademark registration, including applications filed through the Madrid System and domestic UAE trademark filings under Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2021.
Contact Farahat & Co. today to discuss your international trademark registration requirements.
