Going abroad from Pakistan: a practical guide to Madrid filings

Guide · 30 September 2026 · ALIPA

Since the Madrid Protocol entered into force for Pakistan on 24 May 2021, a Pakistani brand owner can seek trademark protection across the other members of the Madrid System through a single international application (our announcement). It is the simplest route to protection in many markets at once, but it has features that reward some planning.

How a Madrid filing works

1. Start at home. An international application must be based on a Pakistani trademark application or registration, the "basic mark", and is filed through IPO-Pakistan as the office of origin.
2. Choose your markets. The application designates the members where protection is wanted. More can be added later, as the business grows, by a subsequent designation.
3. WIPO examines the formalities, records the international registration, publishes it and notifies each designated office.
4. Each designated office then examines the mark under its own law, as it would a national application, and has a fixed period in which to refuse it: twelve months, or eighteen where that country has declared the longer period.

What to plan for

Dependency on the basic mark. For five years from its date, the international registration depends on the Pakistani basic mark. If the basic mark is refused, withdrawn or cancelled in that period, the international registration falls with it, to the same extent, in every designated country. A basic mark that could be challenged at home puts the whole portfolio at risk, so it is worth clearing it carefully first.

A way back. If that happens, the international registration can be transformed into national applications in the designated countries within three months, keeping its original date.

The specification. An international registration cannot cover more than the basic mark. Draft the Pakistani specification with foreign markets in mind, and precisely: see drafting a specification that survives a challenge.

Refusals are handled locally. If a designated office raises an objection, the response is usually made through a representative in that country, under its law and practice.

One renewal. The international registration is renewed once, with WIPO, every ten years, for all the countries it covers.

When a national filing is better

• The market is not a member of the Madrid System.
• The basic mark is vulnerable, and the five-year dependency is a risk not worth taking.
• The mark or specification needs tailoring to one market, in language, script or the goods covered.

We act as office of origin for Madrid filings from Pakistan, and for foreign owners designating Pakistan. Tell us where you trade and we will map the most efficient route.