South Africa trademark search
PlannedCIPC
How to search and register a trademark in South Africa, from official sources. Signa has no records covering South Africa yet.
Search
Search the CIPC register
IPOnline Trade Marks Basic (Free) Non-Log in Search is Companies and Intellectual Property Commission's own search tool.
- Search by
- application number, verbal mark (keywords or name), Nice class
- Languages
- English
- Free
- Yes
- Account required
- No
- Limits
- The free non-login search shows current data only and needs a captcha; history, document disclosure and the AI image search need a CIPC customer account, and a fuller special search (form TM2) costs R190 per class.
How to search
- Open the Trade Marks Search on CIPC's IPOnline portal and choose 'Non-Log in Search' (the 'Log in Search' adds history, documents and image search for account holders).
- Enter an application number or the verbal mark.
- Tick the Nice classes to search, or Select All Classes.
- Type the captcha and click Search; sort the results by similarity, application, mark or class.
- Results show the mark, application or registration number, status, owner and classes, and a search report can be downloaded and printed.
Register
Register a trademark in South Africa
What CIPC requires, as the official sources below state it.
- How to file
- National application at CIPC (online through IPOnline or on form TM1)
- Several classes in one application
- No
- Classification
- Nice Classification
- Application fee
- ZAR 590 for each class (a separate application is filed for each class)
- Fees as of
- 2026-11-12 (ZAR)
- Opposition
- 3 months from advertisement of the application, or such further time as the registrar may allow (pre-registration)
- Term
- 10 years from the filing date, renewable for 10 years at a time
- Non-use
- Open to cancellation after 5 years without use
Good to know
- Every application or notice of opposition must give a full address for service within South Africa, not a post box or private bag number (section 66 of the Trade Marks Act 194 of 1993).
- CIPC requires one application per class: an application listing goods or services from different classes is returned unprocessed.
- A mark is registered as of the date the application was lodged, which is deemed the date of registration; registration lasts 10 years and can be renewed for further 10-year periods (sections 29 and 37).
International
Madrid Protocol and regional systems
South Africa is not a member of the Madrid Protocol, so an international registration through WIPO cannot designate it.
Signa
What Signa holds for South Africa
CIPC records are not covered by Signa yet. Signa has no records covering South Africa yet.
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Sources
Where these facts come from
Checked 2026-11-12.