Trademark Registration in Romania (OSIM)
Trademark registration in Romania is handled by OSIM — the State Office for Inventions and Trademarks (Oficiul de Stat pentru Invenții și Mărci). A Romanian trademark gives you the exclusive right to use a name, logo or other sign in Romania for the goods and services it covers, and the ability to stop others from using something confusingly similar. Protection lasts ten years from the filing date and can be renewed indefinitely.
Registering the company name at the Trade Register does not protect it as a trademark. These are two separate registers with two separate effects, and the confusion between them is the single most common reason businesses find out too late that their brand is not protected.
Romanian, EU or international trademark?
There are three ways to protect a brand in Romania. Which one is right depends on where you sell now and where you expect to sell in the next few years. The official fees below are indicative 2026 figures for an individual mark, excluding professional fees.
| Route | Territory | Official fees (indicative) | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romanian trademark OSIM | Romania only | About €200 (1,016 lei) for a word mark in one class; €50 (254 lei) for each additional class | 6–8 months |
| EU trade mark EUIPO | All 27 EU member states, as a single right | €850 for one class, €50 for the second, €150 for each class from the third | 5–6 months |
| International registration WIPO, Madrid System | The countries you designate, Romania and the EU included | Basic fee CHF 653 (CHF 903 for a mark in colour), plus a fee for each designated country | 12–18 months |
- Romanian trademark (OSIM) — the cheapest route and fully sufficient if your market is Romania. It can also serve as the starting point for wider protection later
- EU trade mark (EUIPO) — one application, one fee, protection in every member state. The drawback is that it is all or nothing: an earlier conflicting right in a single member state can block the whole application
- International registration (WIPO) — a bundle of national or regional rights obtained through one filing, based on an existing Romanian or EU application or registration. For its first five years it depends on that base mark, and each designated office has 12 or 18 months to refuse protection — hence the longer timeline
A useful sequence for many businesses is to file in Romania first and extend later. Under the Paris Convention, an EU or international application filed within six months of the Romanian filing can claim its priority date — so the cheaper national filing secures your place in the queue while you decide.
OSIM official fees in 2026
OSIM charges in lei for Romanian citizens and for entities governed by Romanian law — including a Romanian SRL (societate cu răspundere limitată — a Romanian limited liability company, similar to an LLC, Ltd or GmbH) owned by foreigners — and in euro for all other applicants. The main fees for an individual mark are:
- Filing: 51 lei / €10
- Publication: 152 lei / €30 for a black-and-white mark; 508 lei / €100 for a mark in colour
- Examination, first class: 559 lei / €110 for a word mark; 711 lei / €140 for a black-and-white figurative mark; 1,117 lei / €220 for a figurative mark in colour — payable at filing or within 30 days
- Each additional class: 254 lei / €50
- Registration certificate: 254 lei / €50, payable once the registration procedure is complete
- Renewal every ten years: from 864 lei / €170 for a word mark in one class; 50% more if paid in the six-month grace period after expiry
In total, a word mark in one class costs about 1,016 lei or €200 in official fees, and a colour logo in one class about 1,930 lei or €380.
How long trademark registration in Romania takes
- Availability searchChecking existing Romanian, EU and international registrations for identical or similar marks in the classes you need. This is where a filing is saved or lost.
- Choosing the classesProtection is granted per class of goods and services. Too few leaves gaps; too many raises the cost without adding value.
- Filing and publicationThe application, with the representation of the mark and the list of goods and services, is filed online; OSIM publishes it within 7 days of assigning the filing date.
- Opposition periodFor two months after publication, the owners of earlier rights may oppose the application.
- ExaminationOSIM examines the application on substance within six months of publication.
- Registration certificateIf no obstacle arises, the mark is registered and the certificate issued once its fee is paid. Protection runs for ten years from the filing date and is renewable.
Realistically, expect six to eight months from filing to certificate when nothing goes wrong. An opposition or an objection from the examiner can add several months. OSIM does not offer an expedited examination procedure for trademarks.
Choosing the Nice classes
Goods and services are grouped under the Nice Classification: 45 classes, 34 for goods and 11 for services. Applications filed since 1 January 2026 follow the 2026 version of the 13th edition (NCL 13-2026), which moved several products between classes — smart devices, for example, are now classified by their main function rather than automatically in class 9. Typical choices include class 9 for downloadable software, 42 for software as a service, 25 for clothing, 35 for retail and advertising services and 43 for restaurants. The list should match what you sell now and what you realistically plan to sell.
Before you file
- A search is not optional — filing blind risks the fee and, worse, an opposition after you have started using the brand
- Descriptive names are hard to register — a mark that simply describes the product is usually refused
- Protection is territorial — a Romanian registration protects you in Romania; for the whole EU you need an EU trade mark
- Classes define the scope — protection covers only the goods and services you claimed
- Use it or risk losing it — a mark not genuinely used for five consecutive years can be challenged
Foreign applicants
You do not need a Romanian company to own a Romanian trademark: individuals and foreign companies can apply. Applicants with their domicile or seat in the European Union can deal with OSIM directly. Applicants from outside the EU must act through an authorised Romanian industrial property attorney (consilier în proprietate industrială) — we tell you at the outset whether this applies to you and what it involves. The same principle applies at EUIPO, where applicants without a domicile or seat in the European Economic Area must be represented.
To get started, send us the sign itself (the word, or the logo as an image file), the name and country of the future owner, a short description of the goods and services, and the countries where you sell or plan to sell. That is enough for the availability search and for a clear recommendation on the route and the classes.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Romanian company to register a trademark in Romania?
No. A trademark can be held by an individual or by a foreign company. Applicants without a domicile or seat in the European Union must, however, be represented by an authorised Romanian industrial property attorney.
How long does trademark registration at OSIM take?
Usually six to eight months from filing to certificate, if there is no opposition: publication within 7 days of the filing date, a two-month opposition period and examination within six months of publication. The timeline is OSIM’s, not ours.
How much does a Romanian trademark cost?
In official OSIM fees, about 1,016 lei (€200 for applicants who pay in euro) for a word mark in one class, plus 254 lei (€50) for each additional class. A colour logo costs more because of the higher publication and examination fees. Professional fees are separate.
Romanian trademark or EU trade mark?
It depends on where you trade. A national mark is cheaper and sufficient if your market is Romania; an EU trade mark covers the whole Union but is refused entirely if it conflicts with an earlier right in any single member state. Filing in Romania first and claiming priority for an EU application within six months combines the two.
Does registering my company name protect my brand?
No. The Trade Register only prevents another company from registering an identical name. Protection against similar names and logos used for the same goods or services comes only from a registered trademark.
How do I keep the trademark in force?
Renew it every ten years — the renewal can be filed in the six months before expiry, or in the six months after it with a 50% surcharge — and use it genuinely for the goods and services registered.
Protect your brand in Romania
Tell us the name or logo you want to register and in which field — we start with the availability search. Call 0745.450.450 or write to us.