What happens after you file a China trademark?

DocsLast updated August 9, 2026

TLDR

After filing, CNIPA examines, publishes, and either registers the mark or raises issues. Ginbing tracks notices, but CNIPA controls timing.

A straightforward China trademark application has recently taken about seven months through examination and publication. CNIPA controls the schedule.

On this page

Timeline at a glance

After complete materials, payment, confirmation, and filing authorization, Ginbing prepares and submits the filing. CNIPA then works through formal examination, substantive examination, publication, and registration.

For the time question rather than the procedural detail, read how long a China trademark takes. The estimate for a straightforward application is not a deadline.

See the China trademark registration page for the current price and how to start a filing.

Examination

CNIPA first checks the application is complete and properly formatted; if accepted, it assigns an application number and issues the filing receipt. It then examines the mark for registrability, including distinctiveness and conflicts with earlier marks, which can end in approval for publication, partial refusal, or full refusal.

Publication and registration

If the mark passes examination, CNIPA publishes it for opposition. The law in force through December 31, 2026 provides a three-month opposition period. The revised Trademark Law effective January 1, 2027 states a two-month period; for an application reaching publication around that transition, confirm the applicable rule then. If no opposition succeeds, CNIPA issues the registration certificate, valid for ten years from the registration date. Read how renewal works after registration.

Do not use the registered trademark symbol before registration. In China, using that symbol before a certificate issues can be treated as passing an unregistered mark off as registered.

If CNIPA raises an objection

A correction, refusal, or opposition can interrupt the path to registration. Ginbing posts the original and an English translation, and flags the deadline when the notice carries one. Read CNIPA official notices for how notices are delivered and flagged, and responding to a CNIPA refusal for the decision and deadline after a partial or full refusal.

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