A trademark application does not become a registered trademark the day you file it. Five stages sit in between, and each one can add time.
Filing and examination
Everything starts with an application on portal.iponigeria.com, under the class that matches your goods or services. Once filed, the Trademarks Registry's examiners check it against the existing register and the Trademarks Registry's own rules.
Examination is where a clash with an existing mark, or a problem with the mark itself, usually surfaces first, even if your own search came back clear beforehand.
Acceptance and publication in the journal
A mark that passes examination is accepted, then published in the Trade Marks Journal. Publication is a public notice, not the end of the process.
Anyone who believes the mark should not be registered, often a competitor, gets to see it here and respond.
The opposition window
Once published, a mark sits open to opposition for 3 months. Filing an opposition costs the objecting party a fee of its own, which keeps the window from being used casually.
Most marks pass this stage with no objection filed. When one is filed, the case moves into a dispute the applicant has to answer. Our guide to a trademark opposition covers that path.
Paying for the certificate
Once the opposition window closes without a successful challenge, the mark is ready for registration. The certificate itself costs ₦11,750, paid at this final stage rather than at filing.
This is a separate charge from the application fee you paid at the start. Our trademark registration cost guide sets out both fees together.
How long the whole process usually takes
From filing to a registered mark in hand, the Trademarks Registry's own guidance puts the range at 12 to 18 months. That range assumes no objection at examination and no opposition at publication.
Either one pushes the timeline out further, sometimes by months, depending on how the dispute is resolved. Build the longer end of that range into any plan that depends on having a registered mark by a set date.
Common mistakes
- Treating acceptance as registration. A mark can still be opposed after acceptance, right through publication.
- Assuming publication means the process is nearly done. The opposition window alone can run for 3 months.
- Forgetting the certificate fee is a separate, later payment. Budget for it at the start, even though it is paid at the end.
- Planning a launch date around the fastest possible timeline. 12 to 18 months is the Trademarks Registry's typical range, not a fixed date.
If you have not filed yet, our guide to filing an application covers the step before this one. For the wider set of filings a small business handles, see the SME regulators hub.