When to register a trademark in Turkey: the critical order before your product launches
When to register a trademark in Turkey has a clear answer in 2026: before the product hits the shelf or the packaging goes to print. Under Industrial Property Law No. 6769, the trademark right is acquired by registration, and 10-year protection starts from the filing date. Your filing day, not your first sale, sets your place in line.
For a clean file, the road from application to certificate usually takes 6 to 12 months. So the calendar runs backwards from launch: name and availability check, then filing, then packaging and ads.
What does the rule say in 2026: is the right born from use or from filing?
The rule puts filing and registration first. The trademark right is acquired by registration, protection starts on the filing date and renews every 10 years. Years of a sign over your door do not, alone, give you an exclusive right. You can use a name first and file later, but if someone files before you, the job gets longer and costlier.
How many months from application to registration certificate?
For a complete file with no opposition, it usually takes 6 to 12 months. Formal examination, substantive examination, publication in the Official Trademark Bulletin, a 2-month opposition period and the registration fee come in order. An opposition stretches the calendar. So plan the launch around the filing date, not the certificate.
| Stage | What happens? | Approximate time |
|---|---|---|
| Filing | Filing date assigned | Day 0 |
| Formal examination | Documents, fees, class list checked | First few weeks |
| Substantive examination | Grounds for refusal reviewed | Depends on workload |
| Bulletin publication | Published in the bulletin | After examination |
| Opposition to publication | Third parties may object | 2 months |
| Registration | Fee paid, mark registered | After opposition period |
How do you build the calendar backwards from launch?
Count back from launch day and pull the application forward by at least a few months. Write down the day the product goes on sale, then place packaging, identity, filing and naming backwards from it. Do not hang the shop sign before you have the keys: first make sure the name stays yours, then spend on print and ads.
- 6 months before launch: naming decision and a preliminary availability search for 3 candidates.
- Same week: reserve the domain and social media handles.
- 5 to 6 months before launch: file the application with the right Nice classes.
- 1 to 2 months after filing: logo, colours, typeface and brand website.
- 1 to 2 months before launch: a small first print run for packaging and labels.
- Once the opposition period passes cleanly: large print runs and ad budget.
What is the difference between filing early and filing late?
The difference is who holds the place in line. The early filer clears the road before investing around the name. The late filer risks the name belonging to someone else after paying for signage, packaging, the site and ads. The table compares both paths for the same product.
| Situation | File first, launch later | Launch first, file later |
|---|---|---|
| If the name clashes | You change the name before printing | Packaging, signage and site are redone |
| If someone files before you | The filing date is yours, so is the place in line | You must prove earlier use with documents |
| Ad and content investment | Builds up under your own name | May end up working for someone else’s name |
| Total cost | Official fees plus any attorney fee | Same fees, plus possible reprints and legal costs |
Why does the end of 2026 matter on the calendar?
Because two dates sit side by side. The TÜRKPATENT fee schedule is renewed each year; the 2026 schedule, published in the Official Gazette of 31 December 2025, has applied since 1 January 2026. The 2027 schedule is not announced yet. Filing before year end means paying the 2026 filing fee.
If you do not have a product yet, is it too early to file?
No, filing without a product is possible and often sensible. You do not need to have started selling. The law does expect the mark to be used within 5 years after registration, so take the name for a product or service you are really preparing, not to keep it on a shelf.
What it means for you
Here is what it means for you: the right time to register is between the day you choose the name and the day you first pay for print. The filing date is the protection date. The certificate comes 6 to 12 months later, but the place in line is yours on filing day. Securing the name before the till rings is the cheapest insurance.
- If you have picked a name: run the availability check this month.
- If the check is clean: file before ordering packaging.
- If launch is close: leave the big print run until the opposition period ends.
Quick Summary
- The trademark right is acquired by registration; protection starts on the filing date.
- Protection lasts 10 years and renews in 10-year terms.
- For a clean file, the certificate usually arrives within 6 to 12 months.
- A 2-month opposition period runs after bulletin publication.
- Build the calendar back from launch: name, check, filing, identity, print.
- A registered mark unused for 5 years becomes open to cancellation.
Short Glossary
Filing date: The filing date is the date used to set the start of trademark protection and the priority between applications.
Official Trademark Bulletin: The Official Trademark Bulletin is the official publication used to open examined applications to third-party opposition.
Opposition to publication: Opposition to publication is the route used within 2 months to stop the registration of an application published in the bulletin.
Next Step
Launch date set? Let us build the calendar backwards. Apply to the Build Your Digital Brand campaign and start with naming, positioning and an availability check.
Frequently Asked Questions
Source: Turkish Patent and Trademark Office — Trademarks
Sık Sorulan Sorular
Earlier use can support an opposition, but the burden of proof is yours: invoices, packaging, dates. Objecting after the horse has bolted costs time and money.
Yes. A registered mark left without genuine use for 5 years becomes open to a cancellation request. File when you will really use the name, not to keep it in a drawer.
Examination, publication and the 2-month opposition period come from the law. In 30 days you can, at most, file.
You can. Once the filing date is assigned, your place is secured and selling is not blocked. Since an opposition could force a name change, keep print runs small until the opposition period ends.
At the very start, because it is the cheapest insurance. We unpack its layers in what is a trademark availability search.
The Nice Classification splits goods and services into 45 classes, and protection only covers the ones you choose. Cosmetics sit in class 3; plan retail services early if you will sell from your own site.
Six ways to lose a name are listed in why an unregistered brand is a risk.
After the filing date. A logo decorates a name; it does not protect it. See identity or brand.
The Build Your Digital Brand campaign has 12 brand slots and a 1 November 2026 deadline. Consulting starts with payment, covering positioning, naming and the TÜRKPATENT preliminary search. To plan around your launch, see the Build Your Digital Brand campaign page.
No. The package is TRY 36,000 + VAT; with 20 percent VAT that is TRY 43,200, but check the current rate on the invoice. The trademark application is a separate special offer handled with a trademark attorney.
The name comes first: it is proposed during campaign consulting, then checked. The full route is in the building a digital brand guide.
After you have your filing date, not before, not even with suppliers. A word once spoken no longer belongs to the speaker; nor does a name.
It is urgent for cosmetics, food and clothing producers about to order packaging. For salons or consultancies, the same order comes before the sign and website.
For clinics, dentistry or law firms, check your professional and ministry or bar rules before building the name.
No. The campaign’s TÜRKPATENT preliminary search and availability check show whether the name clashes with records; they are not a legal opinion. Filing is a separate special offer with a trademark attorney.
For a complete file with no opposition, it usually takes 6 to 12 months. There is a 2-month opposition period after bulletin publication; if an opposition is filed, it takes longer.
Yes. You do not need to have started selling to apply. However, a registered mark that goes without genuine use for 5 years becomes open to a cancellation request.
Updated: October 2026