Filing a trademark application in Turkey is now entirely digital. The days of paper petitions, courier deliveries or visiting the Office in person are over — every step runs through TÜRKPATENT's EPATS portal. Used correctly, the system lets you complete a filing in minutes; used incorrectly, it produces mistakes that can take months to fix — or sometimes can't be fixed at all. This guide walks through the process not screen by screen, but decision by decision: what to choose at each step, and why.
What Is EPATS, and What Is It For?
EPATS is the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office's electronic filing and case-tracking system. All applications for trademarks, patents, utility models, designs and geographical indications are filed through this portal. Beyond filing, the following processes also run through it:
- Tracking case status and viewing correspondence from the Office
- Opposing marks published in the bulletin
- Appealing refusal decisions
- Notifying changes of address, name or legal form
- Requests to record assignments, licences and pledges
- Renewal transactions and fee payments
In other words, EPATS is not just an application form — it's the official case file system that manages your trademark for its entire life.
What to Do Before You File
There are three pieces of preparation to complete before you open EPATS. Most applications that skip this preparation get refused.
1) Similarity search
If an identical or indistinguishably similar mark already exists on the register, your application will be refused on absolute grounds and the filing fee you paid will not be refunded. The search needs to cover not just identical spelling, but similar spelling, similar pronunciation and similar-meaning variations too. We explain the method in How to Do a Trademark Search.
2) Deciding on classes and scope
Trademark protection is limited to the goods and services it's registered for. Once an application is submitted, you cannot expand its scope — you can only narrow it. This one-way rule makes the class decision the most critical step in the whole process. See our articles on Trademark Classes and The Full List of the 45 Nice Classes for the underlying logic.
3) Preparing the trademark specimen
Will you file a word mark, a device mark, or a combination of word and device? This choice directly determines the scope of your protection. We cover the option of filing without a logo in Trademark Registration Without a Logo.
The Step-by-Step Filing Process
Step 1 — Logging in
You log into EPATS using e-Devlet identity verification. On first login, your user profile is created, and whether you're applying as an individual or a legal entity is determined at this point.
Step 2 — Applicant details
Ownership information is entered here, for whoever the trademark will be registered to. This decision matters more than people assume: a trademark can be registered in the name of an individual just as easily as a company. If you don't have a company yet, you can file as an individual and assign the mark later — see Registering a Trademark Without a Company.
More than one person can file jointly; in that case, joint ownership of the mark arises, and transactions such as assignment require the approval of all the right holders.
Step 3 — Trademark details and specimen
You select the type of mark; if it's a word mark, you type the text; if it includes a device, you upload the image. Points to watch with the image:
- Use a high-resolution, clear file with no margins.
- In a colour application, the colours become part of the scope of protection; a black-and-white application generally provides more flexible protection.
- Don't include auxiliary text in the specimen that falls outside the registration's scope — address, phone number, slogans and the like.
Step 4 — Goods and services list
Classes are selected under the Nice Classification and sub-groups are specified. Choosing from the Office's ready-made list is the safest route for acceptability; typing free text raises the likelihood of receiving a deficiency notice.
Step 5 — Supporting documents
A priority document, letter of consent or power of attorney, where applicable, is uploaded at this stage.
Step 6 — Signature and submission
The application is signed with an e-signature or mobile signature and submitted. This is the moment your filing date is created — priority in relation to the mark is determined by this date.
Step 7 — Fee payment
The file isn't processed until the filing fee is paid. Once payment is made, your application number becomes final. See our article Trademark Registration Fees in Turkey 2026 for current figures.
What Happens After You File?
- Formal examination: The file is checked for missing documents.
- Absolute-grounds examination: The Office examines the application of its own motion for distinctiveness and identical earlier marks.
- Publication in the bulletin: An application found acceptable is published in the Official Trademark Bulletin and opened to third-party opposition for two months.
- Assessment if an opposition is filed: Views are obtained and a decision is issued.
- Registration: If there is no opposition, or it is rejected, the registration certificate fee is paid and the certificate is issued.
We cover the full timeline in How Long Does Trademark Registration Take?
Don't Miss EPATS Notifications
The most critical — and most neglected — aspect of the system is its notification mechanism. The Office sends deficiency notices, refusal decisions and opposition notifications electronically. The deadlines attached to these notifications are strict, and missing one is usually impossible to remedy.
Practical safeguards:
- Keep the email address and phone number on your EPATS profile current; notify the Office of any change of address.
- Check your file at least every two weeks — more often around the time of bulletin publication.
- Update your registry information after a company transfer, or a change of name or legal form. Notification sent to an outdated name is still considered valid.
- If you work with an attorney, remember that notifications go to the attorney; if you change attorneys, make sure the revocation is notified.
What Can — and Can't — Be Changed After Filing
Not everything can be changed once an application has been submitted. Knowing the limits sharpens your focus at the time of filing:
| Action | Possible? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Adding a class/scope | No | Requires a new application, with a new priority date |
| Narrowing the scope | Yes | Partial disclaimer; used to reduce opposition risk |
| Changing the trademark specimen | No | The mark is examined as filed |
| Changing the applicant | Yes | Through assignment; requires registry recordal |
| Updating address/name | Yes | Through a registry change request |
| Withdrawing the application | Yes | The fee paid is not refunded |
That first row on its own sums up why preparation before filing matters so much: the scope decision cannot be undone.
The 6 Most Common EPATS Mistakes
- Filing without a search. A refused application's fee is not refunded.
- Choosing the wrong owner. If you plan to incorporate later, factor in the cost of assignment from the start.
- Keeping the scope too narrow. Classes can't be added afterward; a new application is required, with a new priority date.
- Uploading a low-resolution logo. The image on the registration certificate becomes the reference point in infringement litigation.
- Not tracking correspondence from the Office. An application can lapse if EPATS notifications aren't answered in time.
- Neglecting to monitor the bulletin. You can only stop applications similar to your own mark through opposition, and only during the publication window.
Should You File It Yourself, or Use an Attorney?
People resident in Turkey can file an application themselves — using an attorney is not mandatory. But filling in the system's form and constructing an application that can actually be registered are two different things. Interpreting the search results, drafting the scope wording, anticipating opposition risk, and responding correctly to notifications throughout the process all require expertise.
The position is different for people not resident in Turkey: transactions before the Office can only be carried out through a trademark attorney registered with the Office. For entrepreneurs living abroad and foreign companies, this isn't a choice — it's a requirement. We go into detail on this in What Is a Trademark Attorney?
When deciding, ask yourself this: is your trademark one of your business's core assets, or an experimental side project? In the first case, professional support makes sense; in the second, at least a professional preliminary search does. Either way, filing without research is the most expensive option of all — because a refusal costs you both the fee and the time, and puts every visual asset carrying the mark at risk.
Secure Your Application with Webx
At Webx, we manage the whole process end to end — from trademark search to EPATS filing, from bulletin monitoring to the registration certificate. We track every piece of correspondence along the way; you only see the results.
Explore our trademark registration service or request a free preliminary search.