Reviewed by ThaiLawOnline, a licensed Thai law firm practising in Thailand since 2006. Thai lawyer of record: Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., Thai Bar Licence 3149/2556.
Last updated on September 5, 2026
A trademark in Thailand is a mark used, or to be used, in connection with goods to show that the goods bearing the owner’s mark are different from goods bearing someone else’s. That is the definition in section 4 of the Trademark Act B.E. 2534, and it is worth starting there because the Act is broader than most guides suggest. A trademark for a product helps consumers identify it. It shows that the product is different or unique from others. A trademark in Thailand can be any picture, icon, symbol, word(s) or letter(s), including a specific font type, as defined in the registration of a trademark. Trademarks can be very important for companies in Thailand.
Trademark protection usually follows company registration, covered in our guide to setting up a business in Thailand.
This can be either a single image or word(s) or a combination of both. An example of a trademark that is solely an icon is Nike brand sports apparel. For a trademark that uses only words, think of Sony electronics. An example of a trademark with both an image and words is Nestle food products.
Table of Contents
What is a trademark in Thailand
In Thailand, a trademark is any mark or symbol used to distinguish one person’s goods or services from another’s. Section 4 defines a mark generously: a photograph, drawing, invented device, brand, name, word, statement, letter, numeral, signature, combination of colours, shape or configuration of an object, sound, or any one or more of these together. Sound marks and three dimensional shapes really are registrable in Thailand, which surprises people, and colour combinations are on the same list.
Term and renewal, which is where deadlines get missed. Under section 53 a registration lasts ten years from the date of registration under section 42, and time spent in court proceedings under section 38 does not count toward that term. Under section 54 the owner renews by filing with the registrar and paying the renewal fee within the three months before the expiry date. Diarise that window, but note that missing it is not fatal: paragraph two of section 54 allows renewal for a further six months after expiry on payment of the renewal fee plus a surcharge of 20 per cent of it, and the mark counts as still registered in the meantime. Registering a trademark gives you the exclusive right to use it in Thailand and helps protect your brand from being copied or misused. Whether you’re launching a new product, building a business, or expanding into the Thai market, securing your trademark is one of the smartest legal steps you can take.
Trademark Basics in Thailand
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| What is a trademark? | A trademark is a sign or logo used to identify goods or services and distinguish them from others. |
| Who can register a trademark in Thailand? | Both Thai and foreign individuals or companies can register trademarks through the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP). |
| Where to register? | At the Department of Intellectual Property in Bangkok or online via ipthailand.go.th. |
| How long does it take? | On average, the process takes 12-18 months, depending on objections and revisions. |
| How long is a trademark valid? | 10 years from the registration date, renewable for additional 10-year periods. |
| Do I need a lawyer? | A lawyer is not required, though one helps with classification and with objections or rejections. An applicant who has no office in Thailand does, however, have to appoint an agent here under section 10. |
| Can I trademark a logo and a name? | Yes, you can register both separately or together depending on your strategy. |
Importance of a Trademark in Thailand
Trademarks are important in that they allow consumers to easily identify the manufacturer of any given product. The trademark ensures that product being purchased has the qualities and standards a consumer associates with the manufacturer. To put it another, how many people actually know how to manufacture a television? Not very many.
So, how would someone with no knowledge of how a television is produced, be able to make a decision about the quality of one? By the trademark. Since manufacturers cannot be at every mall or store worldwide, a trademark acts as a “quality control representative.” It helps assure customers about the quality and standards of their products anytime and anywhere. It’s important in business law in Thailand.
Why Register a Trademark in Thailand?
In business, a trademark is not legally protected unless it is registered with a commercial authority. This means other companies can use the unregistered trademark for their products. They might even misuse it to harm the original business. This happens when the business in Thailand has not registered the trademark as its own property. Registering the trademark for your business gives you full legal protection against product fraud. It also provides your business in Thailand with public visibility that consumers can recognize. You can learn more about this here.
Where to Register a Trademark?
The owner of a trademark can apply to register it in Thailand. They can do this at the Registration Application Service Group. This group is on the 3rd floor of the Department of Intellectual Property. This department is part of the Ministry of Commerce. They can also apply at any Provincial Department of Business Development. You can apply for trademark registration by mail or online at www.ipthailand.go.th. Please review the DIP website before starting the online application.
The Filing Process
Before submitting a trademark application, the applicant must check how similar their trademark is to existing ones. They should also consider trademarks that are waiting for approval. Any trademark submitted for registration cannot too closely resemble any other trademarks, otherwise the application will be rejected.
A trademark shows that a company is unique. To see if your Thai trademark is different, check the Department of Intellectual Property website (www.ipthailand.go.th). Searching the register, which covers the trademark gazette and the marks already registered as well as those still pending, is charged at 200 THB per hour, any part of an hour counting as a whole one. That is item (18) of the fee schedule prescribed by the Ministerial Regulation on Trademark Fees B.E. 2559, published in the Royal Gazette on 28 July 2016 (vol. 133, part 63 Kor, page 15), which also repealed the earlier regulations under which that fee was 100 THB. Once you are sure your trademark must be unique, the full application process for registration of a trademark can be started:
1. Application Form Kor. 01, download and print this from the Department of Intellectual Property website. Please attach the required documents, including the trademark design and company profile, to the form. Submit this to the trademark registrar and pay the application fee. That fee is 1,000 THB for each item of goods or services where you claim between one and five items in a class, or a flat 9,000 THB for that class where you claim more than five. Budget for the second fee as well: when the registrar accepts the mark you pay a registration fee of 600 THB per item, or 5,400 THB for a class of more than five items. Both rates are set by the Ministerial Regulation on Trademark Fees B.E. 2559 and replaced the pre-2016 rates of 500 and 300 THB per item.
The official from the DIP will review the registration application, documents, and fees. They will make sure everything is correct and complete. Once the official is satisfied with all the documents submitted, they will issue a Registration Request Number.
3. The official will provide a receipt that coincides to the registration request number. The applicant must keep this receipt until the trademark registrar has made the decision to register the trademark. This is a lengthy process; the earliest time-frame for registration approval is 1 year, and at the most 2 years. It is very important; DO NOT LOSE THE RECEIPT.
Trademark Protection
In Thailand a registered trademark runs for 10 years and can be renewed for further 10-year terms. Section 53 measures the term from the date of registration, and section 42 deems the date the application was filed to be the date of registration, so in practice the ten years run from your filing date. Renewal is filed in the three months before the expiry date, under section 54 paragraph one. Missing that window does not forfeit the mark. Paragraph two of the same section, as substituted by the Trademark Act (No. 3) B.E. 2559, gives the owner a further six months from expiry to renew on payment of the renewal fee plus a surcharge of 20 per cent of that fee, and paragraph three treats the mark as still registered throughout. The renewal fee itself is 2,000 THB per item, or 18,000 THB for a class of more than five items. The older rule, that renewal had to be filed within 90 days before expiry and that nothing was available afterwards, was the law until 2016 and is not the law now. One last point: a Thai registration protects the mark in Thailand only. Thailand has been a party to the Madrid Protocol since 7 November 2017, the day the Ministerial Regulation on the Registration of Trademarks under the Madrid Protocol B.E. 2560 took effect, so a Thai application or registration can serve as the basis of an international application filed through the Department, which charges 2,000 THB for preparing and forwarding one.
FAQs about Trademark in Thailand
What is the process for thailand trademark registration?
The Thai trademark registration process involves filing a trademark application in thailand with the Department of Intellectual Property. The application must also be completed in thai language and include a power of attorney if filed by an agent.
What documents are required for a thailand trademark application?
Required documents include a copy of the trademark, a list of goods or services classified under thailand trademark classes, the applicant’s details, and a power of attorney. The application must also be completed in thai language.
How does the nice classification system apply to thailand trademark classes?
Thailand follows the Nice Classification for goods and services. Since the Trademark Act (No. 3) B.E. 2559 repealed the second paragraph of section 9, a single application may now cover goods or services in more than one class; before 2016 each class needed its own application. Fees are still calculated class by class, so a multi-class filing saves paperwork rather than money.
Can a foreign company register a trademark in Thailand?
Yes. The application is made in Thai, and under section 10 a foreign applicant that has no office in Thailand must act through an agent who does, so in practice a local agent files the application and receives the correspondence.
What should a trademark owner do if their trademark is similar to a trademark already been registered?
If a trademark is similar to a trademark that has already been registered, the owner may face objections. Under section 36 the applicant has 60 days from receiving the copy of the opposition to file a counter statement setting out the grounds relied on, and an applicant who does not is treated as having abandoned the application.
What happens after the publication of a trademark application in the trademark gazette?
Section 35 allows any person who claims a better right, or who says the mark is not registrable, to file an opposition within 60 days of the date of publication, stating the grounds. That period was 90 days until the Trademark Act (No. 3) B.E. 2559 shortened it. If no opposition is filed within the 60 days, the registrar proceeds to registration.
What constitutes trademark infringement in Thailand?
Trademark infringement in Thailand occurs when a mark is used without the authorization of the trademark owner in a manner that is likely to confuse or deceive consumers. Legal services may be required to address such issues.
Is it necessary for a trademark applicant to have an address in Thailand?
Not necessarily the applicant. Section 10 requires the applicant or the agent to have an office or address in Thailand at which the registrar can make contact. A foreign applicant with no office here meets section 10 by appointing a local agent, whose Thai address then serves for all correspondence on the application.
Can computer program names be trademarked in Thailand?
Yes, names of computer programs can be trademarked in Thailand, provided they meet the criteria for trademark registration. They must be distinct and not included in other classes that are already trademarked.
Last reviewed: 4 September 2026. The operative law on this page was read against the Trademark Act B.E. 2534 as amended by the Trademark Act (No. 3) B.E. 2559, and against the Ministerial Regulation on Trademark Fees B.E. 2559, published in the Royal Gazette on 28 July 2016 (vol. 133, part 63 Kor, page 15). Six statements were the pre-2016 law and have been corrected: the application fee, given as 500 THB per item, which is now 1,000 THB per item or 9,000 THB for a class of more than five items; the register search fee, given as 100 THB, which is now 200 THB an hour; the renewal window, given as 90 days before expiry, which section 54 now sets at three months; the statement that failing to renew forfeits the mark, when paragraph two of section 54 allows renewal for a further six months after expiry on payment of the fee plus a surcharge of 20 per cent; the answer that an applicant must have a Thai address, when section 10 is satisfied by the agent having one; and the absence of any mention of multi-class filing, which became possible when the 2016 Act repealed the second paragraph of section 9. Four things were missing and have been added: the registration fee of 600 THB per item payable when the mark is accepted, the 60 day opposition period under section 35, the 60 day counter statement under section 36, and Thailand’s membership of the Madrid Protocol since 7 November 2017. Checked and found correct: the section 4 definition of a mark, including sound marks, which the 2016 Act added to it; and the ten year term, which section 53 measures from the date of registration and section 42 deems to be the filing date. Not verified from a primary source and left as written: the address, floor and provincial filing options given for the Department of Intellectual Property, because the Department website answers every request with a bot challenge page; the application form designation; and the 12 to 18 month and one to two year processing estimates, which are practice rather than law.
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