# Madrid Protocol or direct CNIPA filing

Compare the Madrid Protocol route designating China against a direct CNIPA national filing: subclasses, the five-year dependency, refusals, and certificates.

Canonical URL: https://ginbing.com/docs/china-trademark/madrid-vs-direct
Markdown URL: https://ginbing.com/docs/china-trademark/madrid-vs-direct/index.md

## TLDR

Madrid can consolidate a multi-country portfolio. A direct CNIPA application stands independently in China and can be prepared specifically for China from the start.

## Guide

You can seek trademark protection in China through a Madrid designation or a direct application to CNIPA. CNIPA examines both routes under China’s rules.

## The short version

A direct filing is the simpler comparison when China is the only target. Madrid may be useful when several member countries are being managed together. Compare the complete fees and filing scope for the actual portfolio rather than assuming one route is always cheaper.

> Whichever route the application travels, CNIPA examines the mark through formal examination, substantive examination, publication, opposition, and registration.

## Direct filing versus a Madrid designation, side by side

|  | Direct CNIPA filing (Ginbing) | Madrid designation of China |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Best when | China is your main or only target | Filing in many countries at once, or you already hold an international registration |
| Goods and services scope | Prepared against China’s goods and services framework from the start; CNIPA still examines the application | Cannot be broader than the basic mark; CNIPA applies China’s classification and examination rules |
| Five-year dependency | None; it stands on its own examination in China | Tied to your home base mark for five years, so a central attack at home can take it down |
| If CNIPA refuses | The filing agency is already in place to receive and translate the refusal notice | A response to a China provisional refusal may require appointing a recorded Chinese agency |
| What you end up holding | A Chinese registration certificate issued by CNIPA | A WIPO statement of grant of protection, not a Chinese certificate |
| Cost for China | [USD 150 per class](/docs/china-trademark/pricing) | WIPO basic fee plus China’s individual fee, other designations, and any Office-of-origin handling fee |

WIPO’s July 2026 schedule lists a CHF 653 basic fee for a black-and-white mark or CHF 903 for color, plus China’s individual fee of CHF 220 for the first class and CHF 110 for each additional class. Fees change, so check the [basic fee schedule](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/madrid-system/fees/sched) and China’s [individual fee](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/madrid-system/fees/ind_taxes) for the current total. A Madrid application also requires a qualifying basic application or registration. Ginbing files direct at USD 150 per class.

## The differences that actually bite

- **Goods and services scope.** A direct application can be prepared for China’s accepted goods, services, and similarity groups from the start. A Madrid designation starts from the list in the basic mark, cannot broaden it, and is still examined by CNIPA under China’s rules. Neither route removes examination risk. See [trademark classes and items](/docs/china-trademark/classes).
- **The five-year tether.** For its first five years a Madrid registration depends on the home base mark. If that mark is refused, withdrawn, or cancelled in the window, the China designation can fall with it, which is called a central attack. A direct Chinese registration has no such tether. The Protocol lets you transform a fallen designation into a direct national filing that keeps its date, but it is a fallback with its own procedural requirements.
- **A local agent either way.** China is generally first-to-file, so either route can encounter an earlier mark and draw a refusal. A direct filing already has a Chinese agency in place. A Madrid holder that responds to a provisional refusal in China may need to appoint one. How Ginbing delivers CNIPA notices is covered in [CNIPA official notices](/docs/china-trademark/official-notices).

## When Madrid still makes sense

Madrid is built to manage many countries as one record: one application, one renewal date, one file to track. If China is one designation among twenty, that consolidation can outweigh everything above. It is a portfolio decision, especially if you already hold an international registration or are filing across many countries.

Ginbing files national applications directly with CNIPA through its own recorded Chinese entity, Ginbing (Suzhou) Trading Co., Ltd. (金并（苏州）贸易有限公司), which you can verify on China’s official agency register at the [CNIPA agency inquiry](https://toas.sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/toas-extra-prod/agencyInformationInquiry). Pricing is [USD 150 per class](/china-trademark-registration), and official notices received are posted with English translations on your account. See [what you need to file](/docs/china-trademark/filing-requirements).