Saudi Arabia to join Madrid Protocol in October 2026

Saudi Arabia is set to join the Madrid System on 8 October 2026, following its deposit of the instrument of accession on 8 July 2026. This move will allow Indian brand owners to protect their trademarks in Saudi Arabia through a centralized international application process managed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Under this new arrangement, Indian applicants with an existing trademark registration or application can designate Saudi Arabia in a new international application or add it to an existing registration. Saudi Arabia will charge an individual fee of CHF 1,397 per class in addition to WIPO’s basic fees. Notably, Saudi Arabia has declared an 18-month period for notifying provisional refusals, which is longer than the standard one-year period.

The Madrid Protocol provides Indian businesses, including startups and exporters, a streamlined method to seek trademark protection across multiple member countries via a single application. While the system offers efficiency in managing renewals and changes, the international registration remains dependent on the Indian basic mark for the first five years; if the Indian mark fails, the international protection may also end.