How to Register a Trademark in Turkey: 2026 Step-by-Step Guide

The short answer to how to register a trademark in Turkey is this: you choose a distinctive name, search for similar marks, draft a goods and services list based on the Nice classes, and file the application with TÜRKPATENT (Turkish Patent and Trademark Office) through EPATS or through a trademark attorney. The file then passes a formal examination, an examination on absolute grounds, publication in the Official Trademark Bulletin and a two-month opposition period; once the registration fee is paid, the mark is entered in the register and protected for 10 years from the filing date.

Below you will find each of the nine steps in order: what to do and why, the official 2026 fees, the deadlines that bind you, and the guide that covers each topic in depth. Applications that face no opposition or refusal are usually registered within 6–12 months; most of the decisions that delay a file or sink it, however, are made before the application is ever filed.

Short Answer: How to Register a Trademark in Turkey in 9 Steps

For anyone asking how to register a trademark in Turkey, here is the nine-step summary:

1. Choose the name: Pick a distinctive sign that does not describe the product (Articles 4 and 5 of Industrial Property Law No. 6769, known as the SMK).
2. Search: Check for identical and similar marks in terms of spelling, pronunciation and meaning.
3. Classes and list: Determine the Nice classes and the goods and services you want to protect.
4. Applicant: Decide whether the mark will be registered in your personal name or in your company's name.
5. Documents: Prepare the mark representation, your identity or company details and any additional documents.
6. Filing: File through EPATS or through an attorney; in 2026 the application fee for the first class is TRY 2,820.
7. Examination and publication: An application that passes the formal and absolute-grounds examinations is published in the Bulletin, and a two-month opposition period follows.
8. Registration: Pay the TRY 7,010 registration fee within two months of the Office's notification; the mark is then entered in the register.
9. After registration: Start using the mark within five years, monitor the Bulletin and renew protection every 10 years.

What Is Trademark Registration and What Does It Give You?

Trademark registration means recording a sign in the TÜRKPATENT register for specific goods and services and granting its owner an exclusive right that can be enforced against others. Article 7(1) SMK puts it in a single sentence: "Trademark protection is obtained through registration."

The owner of a registered mark can prohibit uses that create a likelihood of confusion, the marketing of counterfeit goods, and the use of the sign as a domain name or trade name (Art. 7(2)–(3)). Criminal proceedings for trademark infringement are also available only if the mark is registered in Turkey (Art. 30(5)). Protection is limited to the registered goods and services, which is why almost every step below is about building that scope correctly.

Step 1: Choose a Registrable Trademark Name

A registrable trademark is a sign that is distinctive and capable of being represented in the register (Art. 4 SMK); words, personal names, letters, numbers, shapes, colors, sounds and the shape of goods or their packaging can all qualify on that condition.

Article 5(1) SMK lists the signs the Office refuses of its own motion (ex officio). The ones you are most likely to run into when choosing a name are:

• Descriptive names: Terms that directly state the kind, quality, quantity, intended purpose or geographical origin of the goods (Art. 5(1)(c)).
• Non-distinctive names: Ordinary laudatory words or signs too simple to indicate a commercial origin (Art. 5(1)(b)).
• The sector's common vocabulary: Terms in general use in the trade or that identify a professional group (Art. 5(1)(d)).
• Misleading names: Terms that could mislead the public about the nature or origin of the goods (Art. 5(1)(f)).

For a coffee shop, for instance, "Fresh Coffee" is descriptive, whereas an invented or arbitrary name with no link to the product, such as "Nordika", is strong both for registration and for enforcement (both names are examples). Signs proven to have acquired distinctiveness through use before the filing date cannot be refused on these grounds (Art. 5(2)), but that is an exception, not a plan for a new brand. We explain how to filter out names that are attractive for marketing but weak in law in our guide on how to choose a brand name.

Step 2: Run a Trademark Search and Similarity Check

A trademark search means finding out, before you file, whether an identical or similar earlier mark stands in the way of the name you have chosen. There are two distinct risks: an earlier mark that is identical or indistinguishably similar for identical or same-type goods and services is an ex officio ground for refusal (Art. 5(1)(ç)), while similarity that creates a likelihood of confusion sinks the application if the earlier right holder files an opposition (Art. 6(1)).

That is why you need to search not only the exact spelling but also variations that sound, look or mean something similar. Being in the same class is not in itself a presumption of similarity, and being in a different class is not a presumption of dissimilarity (Art. 11(4)); related goods and services cross class lines. For a first screening, Webx's free trademark registration search tool lists trademark records with their application number, owner, status and classes; the absence of an exact match, however, is no guarantee of registration.

You will find how to read the results and which variations to try, step by step, in our article on how to do a trademark search. For a name you intend to invest in seriously, consider going beyond a free screening to a similarity search report that interprets the results in terms of opposition risk.

Step 3: Define Your Nice Classes and Goods and Services List

The goods and services list is the scope that determines which products and services your mark will protect, and it cannot be broadened after filing. The goods and services in an application are grouped according to the Nice classification of 45 classes (Art. 11(3)), and the application fee is calculated by the number of classes selected.

The list tolerates mistakes in neither direction. Draft it too narrowly and the business line you open two years later is left unprotected, and extending the scope requires a new application. Draft it too broadly and you attract oppositions from owners you never compete with; items not used within five years of registration also become vulnerable to revocation (Art. 9). If the list contains general or vague terms, the Office gives you two months to clarify them and deletes any term left unexplained (Article 9(3) of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Industrial Property Law).

We show how to build a selective list from the sub-groups of the Office's classification communiqué, and how retail services in Class 35 are treated, through a sample list in our guide on drafting the goods and services list.

Step 4: Decide Who the Applicant Is: Individual or Company?

A trademark should be registered in the name of whoever needs to hold it as the business develops. Turkish citizens, persons domiciled or having a business establishment in Turkey, and foreign nationals entitled under the Paris Convention or the World Trade Organization framework may apply (Art. 3); setting up a company is not a prerequisite.

The decision can be changed later, but not for free: moving a mark held by an individual to a company requires a written assignment agreement certified by a notary (Art. 148(4)) and, under TÜRKPATENT's 2026 fee schedule, an assignment recordal fee of TRY 5,960 (item 02.01.06). Company ownership usually makes more sense for businesses with several partners or with plans for investment or franchising; personal ownership often fits a sole proprietorship or a mark built on the founder's own name. We work through the scenarios with a decision table in our guide on registering a trademark in your personal or company name.

Step 5: Prepare the Mark Representation and Documents

The mandatory elements of an application are listed in Article 11(1) SMK: an application form with the applicant's identity details, a representation of the mark, a list of goods and services, and proof that the application fee has been paid. If one of these core elements is missing, the filing date moves to the moment the deficiency is remedied (Art. 15(2)). In practice, you will need:

• Identity or company details: For an individual, the Turkish national ID number and address; for a company, the full trade name, tax number and address.
• Mark representation: For a word mark, the text itself; for a logo or combined mark, a single, clear, high-resolution image.
• Power of attorney: If you file through an attorney; the Office may ask for the original or a certified copy where it deems necessary (Art. 160(5)).
• Priority document: If you rely on an earlier filing abroad; it must be submitted within three months of the filing date (Art. 13(1)).
• Letter of consent: To overcome the Art. 5(1)(ç) obstacle with the notarized consent of the owner of a similar earlier mark (Art. 5(3)).

Each application covers a single mark (Art. 11(2)), and the representation cannot be changed after filing. If a designer drew your logo, filing without a written assignment of the copyright leaves the door open to opposition and invalidation under Art. 6(6); the details are in our guide to logo registration. For a complete checklist by applicant type, see documents required for trademark registration.

Step 6: File the Application and Pay the Application Fee

Applications are filed through EPATS, TÜRKPATENT's electronic filing and case-tracking system. Applicants resident in Turkey can log in with e-Devlet (the Turkish government's e-government gateway) identity verification and file on their own, or have a trademark attorney registered with the Office do it for them (Art. 160(1)). Application fees are paid at the time of filing; under TÜRKPATENT's 2026 trademark fee schedule:

• Single-class trademark application fee (item 02.01.01): TRY 2,820
• Additional class fee for the second class (02.01.02): TRY 2,820
• Additional class fee for the third and each subsequent class (02.01.28): TRY 3,150
• Third and each subsequent class selected among the goods classes under group 5 of Class 35 (02.01.34): TRY 450

Current amounts should be checked against the TÜRKPATENT fee schedule, which is updated every year; attorney fees are not included in these figures. The registration fee is not paid at this stage; it is requested in step eight if the file progresses favorably.

The moment of filing matters: if there is no formal deficiency, the application is secured as of the date, hour and minute it was received (Art. 15), and you have priority over similar applications filed after yours. The EPATS screens and the signing and payment sequence are covered in our EPATS trademark application guide; total cost calculations by number of classes are in trademark registration fees in Turkey for 2026.

Step 7: Examination, Bulletin Publication and the Opposition Period

After filing, the application passes in turn through a formal examination, an examination on absolute grounds, publication in the Official Trademark Bulletin and a two-month opposition period. The Office's own examination times are not fixed in days by law; what binds you are the response deadlines whose expiry costs you rights. We describe what to expect at each stage in our guide on what happens after filing a trademark application.

Formal examination

The Office checks whether the application meets the requirements on entitlement to apply and on content (Arts. 3 and 11); the registrability of the mark is not assessed at this stage. If there is a deficiency, you are given two months to remedy it, and an application not remedied in time is removed from processing (Art. 15).

Examination on absolute grounds

The Office examines the mark ex officio against the grounds in Article 5 and may refuse the application for some of the goods and services or in full (Art. 16(1)). A refusal can be appealed in writing, with reasons, within two months of notification; these appeals are decided by the Re-examination and Evaluation Board (YİDK) (Arts. 20–21).

Bulletin publication and the two-month opposition period

An application that is not refused is published in the Official Trademark Bulletin. Within two months of publication, interested parties may argue in writing, with reasons, that the application should not be registered under Article 5 or 6 (Art. 18). Publication is not registration; for the applicant, this is a period of waiting and monitoring.

If an opposition is filed

The Office notifies you of the opposition and gives you one month to submit your response (Regulation, Art. 28(4)). If the earlier mark relied on had been registered for at least five years on your filing date, you can ask the opponent to prove use (Art. 19(2)). Any party adversely affected by the decision may appeal within two months; the YİDK decision is the Office's final decision.

Step 8: Pay the Registration Fee and Get Your Mark on the Register

If there is no opposition, or all oppositions have been finally rejected, the Office notifies you to pay the registration fee. Under TÜRKPATENT's 2026 fee schedule, the trademark registration fee (item 02.01.03) is TRY 7,010, and proof of payment must be submitted within the two-month period set by the Office (Regulation, Art. 12). If the payment falls short, a one-month additional period is granted.

Once the fee is paid, the mark is registered, entered in the register and the registration is published in the Bulletin (Art. 22(1)); the registration certificate is also issued at this stage. The rights the mark confers against third parties take effect from the date the registration is published (Art. 7(4)). If the fee is not paid in time, the application is removed from processing even if every earlier stage went well, fees already paid are not returned and the priority secured by the filing date is lost. The numbers behind this scenario are in our article on an unpaid trademark registration fee.

Step 9: After Registration: Use, Monitoring and Renewal

Registration is the beginning of protection, not the end: a trademark right survives through use, monitoring and timely renewal.

Use

A mark that has not been put to genuine use within five years of registration without a valid reason, or whose use has been suspended for an uninterrupted period of five years, can be revoked on request (Arts. 9 and 26); since 10 January 2024 these revocation requests have been filed with TÜRKPATENT. Use the mark without altering its distinctive character, for the goods and services it covers, and keep dated evidence of that use.

Monitoring

Other parties' similar applications are published in the Bulletin too, and you also have only two months to oppose them (Art. 18). An owner who does not watch the Bulletin and misses that window can usually obtain a result only through an invalidation action in court once the similar mark has been registered.

Renewal

The term of protection is 10 years from the filing date and is renewed in 10-year periods (Art. 23(1)). Renewal is made within the six months before the term expires; if that window is missed, it can still be made within a six-month grace period after expiry against an additional fee (Art. 23(2)). Under the 2026 fee schedule, the renewal fee is TRY 8,730 for up to two classes (item 02.01.23).

Steps, Timing, Cost and Responsibility at a Glance

The table below shows all nine steps at a glance. Official amounts are taken from TÜRKPATENT's 2026 fee schedule; the timing column separates deadlines fixed by law from periods that depend on the Office's workload.

On these figures, the official total for a two-class application is TRY 2,820 + TRY 2,820 + TRY 7,010 = TRY 12,650, and TRY 9,830 for a single-class application. In terms of timing, applications that face no opposition or refusal are usually registered within 6–12 months; a deficiency notice, a refusal or an opposition can add months to the calendar. You will find detailed timelines by scenario in our guide on how long trademark registration takes.

Should You File Yourself or Through an Attorney?

If you are resident in Turkey, you can file the application yourself; using an attorney is a choice (Art. 160(1)). If you live abroad, you can only be represented before TÜRKPATENT by a trademark or patent attorney, and acts performed without one are deemed not to have been performed (Art. 160(3)). The decision should turn on the risk profile of the file more than on cost:

Whichever route you choose, the costliest mistakes are made in decisions taken before filing (name, list, owner) and in deadlines missed afterward. We have gathered them all, with their symptoms and remedies, in our guide to trademark registration mistakes.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways

• The answer to how to register a trademark in Turkey is nine steps; the first five are completed before filing and largely determine the outcome.
• Descriptive names are refused ex officio, while similar earlier marks can be refused both ex officio and on opposition, which is why the search comes before filing.
• The goods and services list cannot be broadened after filing, and the application fee rises with the number of classes.
• In 2026 the official total for a two-class application is TRY 12,650; the TRY 7,010 registration fee is requested only after the opposition stage closes and must be paid within two months.
• Applications that face no opposition or refusal are usually registered within 6–12 months; protection lasts 10 years from the filing date and is kept alive through use, monitoring and renewal.

Shall we prepare your trademark for registration together?

Working with trademark attorneys authorized before TÜRKPATENT, Webx handles every step of trademark registration in a single file: preliminary search and similarity assessment, class and list strategy, the EPATS filing, timely responses to Office notifications and tracking of the registration fee. Send us your brand name and line of business, and we will clarify the registrability risk and the right scope for you before you file.