UK Trademark Renewal: UKIPO Deadlines, Costs, and How to Avoid Expiry

UK Trademark Renewal: UKIPO Deadlines, Costs, and How to Avoid Expiry

A UK trademark registration is valid for 10 years from the filing date. To maintain your rights, you must renew before each expiry deadline. Missing the deadline can result in losing your trademark protection entirely.

This guide covers UK trademark renewal deadlines, costs, grace periods, and best practices for maintaining your registration.

Pro tip: Not sure when your trademark expires? Request a free trademark check and we'll review your registration status.

UK Trademark Validity and Renewal Timeline

10-Year Validity Period

UK trademarks are registered for 10 years from the filing date (not the registration date). This is the same as most major jurisdictions including the EU, India, and China.

Renewal Window

• Earliest renewal: 6 months before the expiry date
• Expiry date: The 10th anniversary of the filing date
• Grace period: 6 months after the expiry date (with late fee)

UKIPO Reminders

The UKIPO sends renewal reminders approximately 6 months before expiry and again at 1 month before. However, failure to receive a reminder does not excuse non-renewal — it is the trademark owner's responsibility to track deadlines.

Renewal Costs

Example: Renewing a mark in 3 classes:

• On time: GBP 200 + GBP 50 + GBP 50 = GBP 300
• During grace period: GBP 300 + GBP 50 = GBP 350

The GTC advantage: Our trademark renewal service tracks all your deadlines and handles the renewal process, ensuring you never risk losing your UK trademark protection.

How to Renew a UK Trademark

Online Renewal

The fastest and most convenient method. Renew through the GOV.UK trademark renewal service.

Steps:

1. Enter your trademark registration number
2. Confirm the classes you want to renew
3. Pay the renewal fee
4. Receive confirmation from the UKIPO

By Post

Send a completed Form TM11 with payment to the UKIPO. Processing takes longer than online renewal.

Through the Madrid Protocol

If your UK designation is part of an international registration via the Madrid Protocol, renewal is handled centrally through WIPO.

• Renew through your national IP office or directly with WIPO
• WIPO notifies the UKIPO of the renewal
• Different fee structure applies (WIPO fees + designation fees)

The Grace Period

If you miss the expiry date, you have a 6-month grace period to renew with a late fee (GBP 50 surcharge).

Important: During the grace period:

• Your trademark is still on the register
• But your rights may be weakened — third parties who begin use during this period may have a defence
• If you don't renew by the end of the grace period, your mark is removed from the register

Restoration After Removal

If your mark is removed for non-renewal, restoration is extremely difficult and only available in exceptional circumstances. The UKIPO may allow restoration within 6 months of removal if you can demonstrate that:

• The failure to renew was unintentional
• There are no third-party interests that would be prejudiced

This is not guaranteed — prevention is always better than cure.

Partial Renewal

You can choose to renew for only some of your registered classes. This is useful if:

• You no longer use the mark for certain goods/services
• You want to reduce renewal costs
• Maintaining certain classes is no longer strategically valuable

Warning: Once you drop a class at renewal, you cannot add it back without filing a new application.

Voluntary Surrender

If you no longer need your UK trademark, you can voluntarily surrender it by filing Form TM22 with the UKIPO. Surrender can be:

• Total — removing the entire registration
• Partial — removing specific goods/services from the registration

Reasons for voluntary surrender:

• Business no longer operating
• Brand has been rebranded
• Mark is no longer used and you don't want to maintain it
• Settlement of a dispute requiring surrender

Non-Use Vulnerability

Even if you renew your trademark, it can be challenged for non-use under Section 46 TMA 1994 if:

• The mark has not been genuinely used in the UK
• For the goods/services for which it is registered
• Within a continuous 5-year period

Genuine use means real commercial use — not token use solely to maintain the registration. If successfully challenged, your mark can be revoked.

Best practice: Keep records of use (invoices, advertisements, product photos, website screenshots) to defend against non-use challenges.

Renewal Best Practices

1. Track your deadlines — set calendar reminders at 12 months, 6 months, and 3 months before expiry
2. Renew early — don't wait until the last minute. Renew as soon as the 6-month advance window opens
3. Keep your address current — ensure the UKIPO has your correct correspondence address to receive reminders
4. Review your portfolio — at renewal time, assess whether all classes are still needed
5. Maintain records of use — protect against non-use challenges
6. Consider international renewals — if you have marks in multiple jurisdictions, coordinate renewal dates. See our guides on EU trademark renewal and India trademark renewal

Comparable UK Trademarks (Post-Brexit)

If you received a comparable UK trademark (automatically cloned from an EUTM on January 1, 2021), its renewal date is the same as the original EUTM. However:

• You must renew it separately with the UKIPO
• The renewal fee is the standard UK fee (GBP 200 + GBP 50 per additional class)
• It is not automatically renewed when you renew the EUTM with the EUIPO

For more on managing post-Brexit trademark portfolios, read our Post-Brexit trademark strategy guide.

Never Miss a Renewal Deadline

Losing a trademark through missed renewal is one of the most preventable — yet most common — IP management failures. Let us handle it for you.

Start with a free trademark check →