Logo Registration in the UAE: How to Trademark a Logo and What It Costs

A logo is registered in the UAE as a trademark (a "device" or "figurative" mark) with the Ministry of Economy & Tourism. Registration protects the visual design against identical and confusingly similar logos for the goods and services in the classes you choose, across all seven emirates, for ten years.

Logo mark, word mark or both?

	Word mark (name only)	Logo mark (design only)	Combined (name inside the logo)
Protects	The name in any style	The artwork	The combination as filed
Survives a redesign	Yes	No – new logo needs a new filing	No
Stops copycat names	Yes	Only if the logo is copied too	Partly
Cost	AED 6,500 per class	AED 6,500 per class	AED 6,500 per class

Recommendation: file the word mark first; add the logo mark when the design is final and budget allows. A combined mark is a compromise that gives narrower protection than two separate filings.

Colour or black and white?

A black-and-white (or greyscale) logo is treated as covering use in any colour. File in colour only if the colour scheme is a key part of the brand and you always use it. Many owners file black-and-white first.

File format and quality

• JPG or PNG, high resolution, plain background.
• Exactly the artwork you use – MoET will not accept a later "tidied-up" version as the same mark.
• If the logo contains Arabic and English text, both are examined; descriptive words may need a disclaimer.

What cannot be registered as a logo

Designs that merely describe the goods, national flags and emblems, religious symbols, portraits of people without consent, and anything identical or confusingly similar to an earlier mark or a well-known mark. Purely decorative shapes with no distinctiveness are refused unless you prove acquired distinctiveness through use.

Cost

AED 6,500 per class in official fees (750 + 750 + 5,000), plus an agent fee. Name and logo filed separately in one class: AED 13,000 official. Cost guide →

Steps

1. Finalise the artwork and export a clean file.
2. Search the register for similar devices (professional search recommended – the official inquiry is text-based). How →
3. Choose classes. Class list →
4. File online, pay AED 750, examination, publication, opposition, registration – four to six months. Step-by-step →

Logo vs. copyright

A logo with artistic content is also protected by copyright automatically, and can be deposited with MoET's copyright office as evidence. Copyright stops copying of the artwork; the trademark stops use of a similar sign in trade even if not copied. Serious brands rely on the trademark. Copyright vs trademark →

Changing the logo later

Minor updates that keep the distinctive character may still be covered by the registration and count as use; a material redesign needs a new application. Keep the old registration alive until the new one is registered.

Frequently asked questions

Can I register a logo without a company? Yes – UAE residents can file as individuals; foreign individuals file through a registered agent.

Does a logo registration protect the brand name inside it? Only as part of the combined design. To protect the name on its own, file a word mark.

Can I use ® on my logo? Only after registration, and only for the registered classes.

Send us the logo file and what you sell for a free preliminary search and quote – contact us.