The list of Madrid Protocol member countries, according to the "Members of the Madrid Union" document published by WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization) with status as of July 8, 2026, comprises 117 contracting parties; WIPO states that these members cover 133 countries in total. Of the contracting parties, 115 are states and two are regional organizations, the European Union and the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI). Turkey is a member too, so an application or registration in Turkey can serve as the basis for protection in any of these contracting parties.
Below you will find a region-by-region table of members, the major markets that remain outside the system, a short answer to the question of where "Madrid" actually is, the 2026 official fees for filing from Turkey, and a strategy for choosing countries.
How Many Countries Are Members of the Madrid Protocol?
WIPO's list dated July 8, 2026 counts 117 members of the Madrid Union, and every one of them is party to the Madrid Protocol. The newest member on the list is Saudi Arabia; the Protocol will enter into force for Saudi Arabia on October 8, 2026. Before that date, an international application designating Saudi Arabia cannot be made; after it, Saudi Arabia can be designated.
A contracting party means a state or intergovernmental organization that has joined the Madrid Protocol and can be selected as a territory where protection is sought in an international application. A designation, in turn, refers to choosing, in the international application or later, the contracting parties to which protection is to be extended.
The difference between "133 countries" and "117 members" comes from the regional offices: the European Union and OAPI each cover several countries through a single designation. Because membership changes over time, check WIPO's current list of members before filing; the table in this article is based on the list dated July 8, 2026.
Members that have joined since 2019
The Madrid list grows by a few members every year. Based on the dates on which the Protocol entered into force as shown in WIPO's list, these are all of the members that have joined the system since 2019:
- 2019: Samoa (March 4), Canada (June 17), Brazil (October 2) and Malaysia (December 27).
- 2021: Trinidad and Tobago (January 12), Pakistan (May 24) and the United Arab Emirates (December 28).
- 2022: Jamaica (March 27), Chile (July 4) and Cabo Verde (July 6).
- 2023: Belize (February 24) and Mauritius (May 6).
- 2024–2026: Qatar (August 3, 2024), Grenada (March 15, 2026) and Saudi Arabia (October 8, 2026).
These are the dates on which the Protocol entered into force for each country. There can be a gap of several months between a country depositing its instrument of accession with WIPO and becoming available for designation; as the Saudi Arabian example shows, it is worth checking the entry-into-force date before designating a country whose accession has just been announced.
Where Is Madrid? Where Does the System Get Its Name?
Madrid is the capital of Spain, and the system takes its name from the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, adopted in Madrid in 1891. The text applied today is the Madrid Protocol, which was also adopted in Madrid, in 1989. The system is not run from Spain, however: international applications are examined, recorded and notified to the designated countries by the International Bureau of WIPO in Geneva.
Spain itself is a member, but seeking protection in Spain does not require a "Madrid application"; a direct application to the Spanish national office or a European Union trade mark are also options. The term "Madrid Protocol" does not refer to a country but to the international registration system that lets you reach many countries through a single application. We explain how the system works in general in our article on international trademark registration and the Madrid Protocol.
The Madrid Agreement versus the Madrid Protocol
According to WIPO's list, 55 of the 117 members are party to both the Agreement and the Protocol; the rest are party to the Protocol only. Since every member is party to the Protocol, international applications are in practice handled under the Protocol's rules. Turkey is one of the countries that joined the Protocol directly, without being party to the Agreement.
Madrid Protocol Member Countries by Region
The table below groups all 117 contracting parties on WIPO's list of July 8, 2026 by region. The regional grouping is our own, added for ease of reading; WIPO's list itself is alphabetical.
| Region | Madrid contracting parties | Count |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | European Union (27 member states through a single designation); plus, as separate contracting parties, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden | 27 |
| Europe (outside the EU) | Turkey, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Belarus, Russian Federation | 17 |
| Caucasus, Central Asia and neighbors | Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Afghanistan | 10 |
| Middle East and the Gulf | United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia (from October 8, 2026), Israel, Iran, Syria | 8 |
| North Africa | Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan | 5 |
| Asia-Pacific | China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao), Japan, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam, Philippines, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Brunei Darussalam, Bhutan, Australia, New Zealand, Samoa | 19 |
| The Americas | United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago | 12 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | OAPI, Botswana, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Cabo Verde, Zambia, Zimbabwe | 19 |
The table has two practical consequences. First, the main targets of Turkish exporters, namely the EU, the United Kingdom, the United States, most of the Gulf, Central Asia and North Africa, are all inside the system. Second, Malta is the only EU member state that does not appear on the list as a separate contracting party, which means protection in Malta is obtained through the EU designation.
The picture in the Gulf has changed quickly in recent years: Bahrain has been a member since 2005, Oman since 2007, the United Arab Emirates since 2021 and Qatar since 2024, with Saudi Arabia joining on October 8, 2026. Kuwait, however, does not appear on the list, so it is not currently possible to cover the entire Gulf with a single Madrid application. Latin America shows a similar pattern: Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Chile are inside the system, while Argentina and Peru remain outside.
The European Union and Benelux: regional designations
Designating the European Union means requesting a European Union trade mark (EUTM) through Madrid, and a single decision covers all 27 member states; a refusal based on one member state can affect the entire EU designation. Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, for their part, are treated as a single country for Madrid purposes; the three are protected together as Benelux, not separately. The particular advantages and risks of an EU trade mark are covered in our European Union trademark guide, and the single-country alternative in our article on trademark registration in Germany.
OAPI: one designation for West and Central Africa
OAPI is the regional organization that covers West and Central African countries, including Cameroon, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire, under a single trademark system. These countries do not appear individually on the Madrid list; protection is obtained only by designating OAPI, and it covers all OAPI member states together.
Major Markets Outside the Madrid System
The Madrid System is extensive but not universal. The markets below do not appear on WIPO's list of July 8, 2026; protection there requires a separate national application in each country:
| Market | Status | Route to protection |
|---|---|---|
| Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon | Not on the Madrid list | A national application in each country |
| Libya | Not on the Madrid list | National application |
| South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Angola | Not on the Madrid list | A national application in each country |
| Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia | Not on the Madrid list | A national application in each country |
| Hong Kong, Macao | China's Madrid membership does not apply to them | Separate application |
| Taiwan | Not on the Madrid list | Separate application |
| Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal | Not on the Madrid list | A national application in each country |
In these markets, filings follow the country's own rules and are usually handled through a local agent; deadlines, language and document requirements vary from country to country. If a non-Madrid country is party to the Paris Convention, priority can also be claimed in a national application filed there within six months of the Turkish filing, which ties markets outside Madrid to the same priority date. The country's Paris Convention membership should be checked separately against WIPO sources.
Combining Madrid and national filings in a single portfolio is entirely possible: a mark can be protected through Madrid in the EU, the United States and part of the Gulf, and through national applications in Kuwait or South Africa.
Filing a Madrid Application from Turkey: Prerequisites and 2026 Fees
A Madrid application from Turkey is based on a mark that is pending or registered with TÜRKPATENT (the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office). Under Article 25 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Industrial Property Law, the request form, WIPO's official form completed in English and proof of payment of the handling fee are filed together. Under TÜRKPATENT's 2026 trademark fee schedule, the Office's items are:
| Procedure (fee code) | 2026 fee |
|---|---|
| Forwarding an international application to WIPO (02.01.19) | TRY 3,850 |
| Forwarding an international application with Turkish wording to WIPO (02.01.35) | TRY 3,350 |
| Forwarding a subsequent designation or other requests (02.01.20) | TRY 1,630 |
| Replacement and transformation (02.01.21) | TRY 1,630 |
These amounts are only TÜRKPATENT's handling fees. WIPO's fees, which are the main cost item, are paid separately in Swiss francs: a fee for each designated contracting party is added to the basic fee. According to WIPO's list, many contracting parties, including Turkey, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan and India, charge an individual fee rather than a standard share, so the choice of countries directly drives the total. The current amount should be calculated with WIPO's fee calculator. Because the TÜRKPATENT schedule is updated every year, check the current amount before filing; official fees do not include attorney fees.
What Membership Does and Does Not Give You
A country's membership of Madrid means that your application will reach it through a single filing; it does not mean the mark will be registered there. Each designated contracting party examines the mark under its own law and may refuse protection.
Refusal period: 12 months or 18 months?
Under the Protocol's general rule, a contracting party notifies a refusal within one year. According to WIPO's list, Turkey, the United States, China, the United Kingdom and India have declared an 18-month period and stated that refusals based on an opposition may be notified even after that period; the European Union and Japan are also among the contracting parties that have declared an 18-month period. The practical consequence is that in some markets it can take up to a year and a half before protection is settled. For the particular examination rules of the United States and China, see our articles on US trademark registration and trademark registration in China.
Five-year dependency
An international registration depends on the basic application or registration in the country of origin for five years from its registration date. If the Turkish basic application is refused, canceled or narrowed in that period, protection in every designated country falls to the same extent. The way to reduce this risk is to put the Turkish application that will serve as the Madrid basis through a solid trademark search and similarity assessment beforehand.
Which Countries Should You Choose? A Step-by-Step Strategy
Madrid's greatest benefit is flexibility: you can add countries in the application or later, in line with your budget and growth plan. The sequence we recommend:
- Prioritize markets: Put first the countries where you sell, where you manufacture and where the risk of counterfeiting is high.
- Search each market: Check the registers of the target countries for identical or similar marks; the coverage of the databases is explained in our guide to international trademark search databases.
- Check Madrid membership: Plan a separate budget for national filings in markets that are not on the list.
- Weigh the regional option: If several EU countries are targeted, an EU designation may be the better fit; if only one is targeted, a national designation may be.
- Use the priority period: Claim priority in an international application filed within six months of the Turkish filing to keep the Turkish filing date; details in our article on priority rights.
- Calculate the fees: Use WIPO's calculator to see how countries that charge individual fees affect the total cost.
- Expand later: Add countries through subsequent designations as you enter new markets.
The same logic applies in reverse: Turkey is also a contracting party that foreign companies can designate in their Madrid applications. What foreign applicants targeting Turkey need to watch out for is gathered in our guide to trademark registration in Turkey for foreign companies. For the United Kingdom, which has to be designated separately since Brexit, see our article on trademark registration in the UK.
Conclusion
Key takeaways:
- According to WIPO's list of July 8, 2026, the Madrid Union has 117 contracting parties, which WIPO says cover 133 countries.
- The Protocol enters into force for Saudi Arabia on October 8, 2026; Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon are not on the list.
- South Africa, Nigeria, Argentina, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao require separate applications.
- For an application from Turkey, TÜRKPATENT's handling fee is TRY 3,850 in 2026; WIPO fees are paid separately in Swiss francs.
- Membership is not a guarantee of registration: each country carries out its own examination, and the basic mark remains decisive for five years.
Shall we work out together where you need protection?
Send us your target markets and your Turkish application or registration number through our contact page, and we will map out your protection, separating countries inside and outside the Madrid System. Through our international trademark registration service, we handle country selection, the WIPO application and any provisional refusals from designated countries in one place.
