# What happens after you file a China trademark?

What happens after a China trademark filing: formal and substantive examination, the three-month opposition window, and the registration certificate.

Canonical URL: https://ginbing.com/docs/china-trademark/after-you-file
Markdown URL: https://ginbing.com/docs/china-trademark/after-you-file/index.md

## TLDR

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

## Guide

China trademark registration usually takes about 7 to 9 months. Timing is set by CNIPA.

## 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](/docs/china-trademark/timeline). The 7 to 9 month figure is an estimate for a smooth application, not a deadline.

See the [China trademark registration](/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 a three-month opposition window. If no opposition succeeds, CNIPA issues the registration certificate, valid for ten years from the registration date and renewable through a separate CNIPA procedure.

> **Warning:** 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](/docs/china-trademark/official-notices) for how notices are delivered and flagged.