Can You Amend a Trademark Application After Filing in Turkey?

Amending a trademark application is possible only on points that do not touch the core of the application. The representation of the mark (word or logo) cannot be changed after filing, and the list of goods and services cannot be broadened; both require a new application. On the other hand, the list can be narrowed, spelling mistakes and obvious clerical errors can be corrected (Industrial Property Law No. 6769, SMK Art. 11/6), the application can be divided or assigned until registration, and the applicant's name, company type, address and attorney details can be updated.

Below, we take each type of change in turn, with its legal basis, the route before TÜRKPATENT (Turkish Patent and Trademark Office) and its fee under the 2026 schedule, and then pull them all together in a single decision table at the end.

What Can and Cannot Be Changed After Filing?

The rule is simple: the core that fixes the filing date is frozen, while the information around it can be updated. Under SMK Art. 15 and Article 8 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Industrial Property Law (the Regulation), the filing date is fixed at the moment the form containing the applicant's identity details, the representation of the mark, the list of goods and services and proof of payment of the application fee all reach the Office in full. Because the date is tied to this content, broadening the mark or the list later would amount to filing a new application with an old date, and it would trample on the rights of third parties who filed in the meantime.

An amendment to a trademark application refers to any correction, update or change of scope made to the information in the file after the application has been filed. These fall into two groups:

• Cannot be changed: the representation of the mark; adding new items to the list of goods and services; adding a priority claim afterwards.
• Can be changed: narrowing the list; correcting spelling mistakes and obvious clerical errors; division; assignment of the application; changes of name, company type and address; change of attorney.

Why Can't the Representation of the Mark Be Changed?

The representation of the mark is the very sign for which protection is sought; changing it means bringing a different trademark into the application. Article 21/2 of the Regulation says so expressly: correction requests that involve a change to the representation of the mark or to the list of goods and services are not accepted.

Does a small touch-up to a logo count as a change?

For the application, yes. Adjusting a color shade, slimming down a letter or removing a slogan from beneath the logo also changes the representation and cannot be done by way of correction. Using the trademark after registration with variations that do not alter its distinctive character is a separate matter related to the obligation to use; we explain it in what happens to a trademark registration when the logo changes.

If you genuinely need a different representation, the route is a new application, which receives its own filing date. In that case, rather than withdrawing the old application straight away, it is often safer to keep it until you see how the new one progresses: the old application keeps its original date for its own representation, and if the two signs share the same word, it may also help against similar applications filed in the interim. When to close the old file is a decision that depends on how similar the two signs are and on the registration fee that would be payable.

If the image you filed is not sufficiently clear and intelligible, the Office issues a deficiency notice and grants time to file a corrected representation; in that case the filing date moves to the moment the deficiency is remedied. The details of that process are in our guide to the formal deficiency notice.

The List of Goods and Services: Narrowing Yes, Broadening No

After filing, the list changes in one direction only: it gets narrower. Adding items to the list, choosing a different class or expanding a subgroup is not possible; any area left out requires a new application.

An example (fictitious): you filed for KAHVEVA only for coffee products in Class 30; a few months later you decided to sell branded mugs and thermoses. Because these products belong to Class 21, they cannot be added to the existing application; a separate application is needed, and that application takes the date on which you file it.

Technically, narrowing is a partial withdrawal of the application: the goods and services to be removed are listed with their class numbers in the request, and the application continues with the remaining scope. We explain the procedure and its strategic use in whether a trademark application can be withdrawn. For the consequences of choosing too few or the wrong classes, see our guide to what happens if you choose the wrong trademark class.

Classification corrections by the Office

Under SMK Art. 11/3, the Office may make the necessary corrections to the classes and class numbers of the goods and services in an application. Article 9 of the Regulation sets the framework for this power:

• If the list contains a general term or an expression that needs clarification, the applicant is given two months to clarify it; if no clarification arrives, those expressions are deleted from the list.
• If the list has not been drawn up in line with the principles of the Nice classification, the Office may, where it deems necessary, request the classification list arrangement fee (item 02.01.15, TRY 1,240); if it is not paid within two months, the application is removed from processing.

These corrections move items to the right place; they do not broaden protection. To build the list correctly from the start, read our guide on drafting the goods and services list.

How Are Spelling Mistakes and Obvious Clerical Errors Corrected?

A spelling mistake or obvious clerical error is an error in how information was written, where the information itself is correct and anyone reading the file can see that it is a mistake. Under SMK Art. 11/6, such errors that do not involve a change to the representation of the mark or to the list of goods and services are corrected at the applicant's request.

Article 21 of the Regulation lists the errors that can be corrected as errors in the applicant's name or address, spelling mistakes and clerical errors. The request is made on a form that states the application or registration number, the error and the correction to be made. The 2026 fee schedule has no separate item for a correction request.

Correct the error as soon as you notice it. An error corrected before publication appears in the Bulletin with the right information, whereas a misspelled company name or address can spark identity disputes in oppositions, in the service of notifications and, later on, in procedures such as assignment. The Regulation provides that the same correction can also be requested in the register after registration, but there is no reason to wait.

A single question is enough to tell whether a request is a correction or an amendment: would someone reading the corrected file think the sign or the scope has changed? If so, the request is not a correction but an amendment, and it will not be accepted. A one-letter typo in a company name is a correction; replacing the company's name with a different one falls under one of the recordal procedures described below.

Dividing the Application: What Is Division For?

Division means distributing the goods and services covered by a single application across two or more separate applications. Under SMK Art. 11/5, it can be done at the applicant's request until registration; the fee under the 2026 schedule is TRY 4,190 (item 02.01.22).

Article 17 of the Regulation spells out the consequences of division:

1. Each divided application receives a new application number and is processed independently.
2. The divided applications keep the filing date and any priority right of the original application.
3. Divided applications cannot later be merged again; a division made after publication is published separately.
4. A request is not accepted if it would spread goods and services that are the subject of an opposition to publication, or of an appeal against a refusal, across different applications.
5. Registered trademarks cannot be divided; division is available only at the application stage.

The most common use is to leave the opposed or partially refused scope in one file and push the unproblematic scope forward to registration in the other. We discuss when this option makes sense after a partial refusal in our article on the partial refusal of a trademark application.

When the Applicant Changes: Assignment, Name and Address

Changes concerning the applicant take different routes depending on the question whether the person itself is changing, or only their details.

Assignment of the application

SMK Art. 148/8 states that the provisions on legal transactions, including assignment, also apply to applications. An application can be assigned to another person without waiting for registration; the assignment agreement must be in writing and notarized (Art. 148/4). Unless recorded in the register, the assignment cannot be relied on against third parties acting in good faith; under the 2026 fee schedule, recording an assignment or partial assignment costs TRY 5,960 (item 02.01.06). Assignment at the application stage is common among people who filed in their own name before setting up a company; if the assignment is entered in the register before registration, the procedure continues in the new owner's name. The steps are in our guide on how to assign a trademark in Turkey.

Change of name, company type and address

A change in a company's name or type does not change the owner; it only updates the information in the register. Under Article 128 of the Regulation, this recordal is requested with the Turkish Trade Registry Gazette entry showing the change, and it applies to all applications and registrations recorded in the right holder's name; a change of address works the same way. The 2026 fee schedule has no separate item for a change of name, type or address. For the post-registration perspective, see our article on recording a trademark owner's name change.

Mergers, demergers and inheritance

A change of right holder resulting from structural changes such as a company merger, a demerger or a contribution in kind is recorded under a separate item (item 02.01.07, TRY 4,360). If the applicant dies, the rights arising from the application pass to the heirs; recording the transfer by inheritance costs TRY 5,550 (item 02.01.08).

Change of Attorney and Priority Claims

The attorney can be changed. Under SMK Art. 160/4, where an attorney has been appointed, all procedures before the Office are carried out by the attorney, and notifications served on the attorney count as served on the principal. The new attorney takes over the file by filing their power of attorney; the 2026 fee schedule has no separate item for a change of attorney. Because applicants domiciled abroad can only be represented through an attorney (Art. 160/3), it is especially important for them that a change of attorney leaves no gap in between. Whatever your situation, ask the previous attorney in writing for the file's notification history and any deadlines that are running.

A priority claim, however, cannot be added later. Under SMK Art. 13/1, the applicant states the priority right they wish to rely on together with the application, paying the claim fee; if the priority document is not filed within three months of the filing date, the claim is deemed not to have been made. If deficiencies in the priority claim are not remedied, the result is loss of the priority right (Art. 15/3). If you want to rely on your first application abroad, you must make that decision at the time of filing; details are in our article on the priority right in trademark registration.

Amendment Table: Type, Route and 2026 Fee

The amounts are taken from TÜRKPATENT's 2026 schedule of trademark fees; the schedule is updated every year, so check the current amount before filing. Official fees do not include an attorney's service fee. The phrase "no separate item in the fee schedule" does not mean the step is free in every case; if an amount becomes payable when you file the request, EPATS will display it.

A Checklist to Avoid Needing Amendments in the First Place

The two elements that cannot be changed, the mark and the list, are fixed at the moment of filing. That is why the cheapest amendment is the one you never need. Before you file:

1. File the representation in its final form. If revisions with your design agency are still under way, postpone the filing or consider a separate word mark.
2. Build the list around your business and near-term plans. Knowing that nothing can be added later, but without padding it with items you will not use.
3. Choose the right applicant. Settling the question of individual or company before filing saves the cost of an assignment later.
4. Check identity and address details against official records. Make sure the company name matches its spelling in the trade registry exactly.
5. Decide on priority at the time of filing. If there is a first application abroad filed within the last six months, state it in the application.

Conclusion

What you can change after filing is the periphery of the file; the core, meaning the sign and its scope, is frozen the moment you file. Key takeaways:

• The representation of the mark and additions to the list cannot be changed; both require a new application and a new date.
• The list can be narrowed until registration; that step is a partial withdrawal.
• Spelling mistakes and obvious clerical errors are corrected as long as they do not change the mark or the list (SMK Art. 11/6).
• Division (TRY 4,190) is possible until registration, and the divided files keep the original filing date.
• Assignment requires a notarized agreement and recordal (TRY 5,960); the fee schedule has no separate item for changes of name, type, address or attorney.

Does your application need an amendment?

Send us your application number and the point you want to change through our contact page, and we will work out together whether the request falls under correction, narrowing, division or a new application, and what it will cost. If you are preparing a new filing, our trademark registration service checks the representation and the list as the first step of the process, reducing the need for amendments from the outset.