For international brands

Register your trademark in Kosovo from abroad

If you own a brand outside Kosovo and plan to sell, distribute, franchise or simply protect it here, your existing registration does not travel with you. Kosovo requires its own national trademark — and it can be obtained entirely remotely through a licensed local agent.

Why foreign brand owners file in Kosovo

The EUTM does not cover Kosovo

An EU trade mark, a UK mark or a US registration gives you no rights in Kosovo. Protection is strictly territorial: only a mark registered before the Kosovo Industrial Property Agency (API) is enforceable here.

Kosovo is first-to-file

Rights belong to whoever files first, not to whoever used the name first. Local resellers, distributors and squatters regularly register well-known foreign names before the brand owner does.

Customs cannot stop counterfeits without it

Kosovo Customs can only detain infringing goods at the border for rights recorded on the basis of a registered national mark. No registration, no border enforcement.

Distribution and franchising need it

Licensing, franchising or appointing an exclusive distributor in Kosovo requires a registered mark to license. It is also what lets you terminate a distributor without losing your name.

The remote filing process, step by step

1. Free availability search

We search the API register plus identical and confusingly similar earlier marks, and report conflicts before you spend anything.

2. Power of attorney

Foreign applicants must act through a licensed local agent. A simple signed power of attorney is enough — no notarisation, no legalisation, no travel.

3. Filing within 48 hours

We classify your goods and services under the Nice classification and file with API within 48 hours of receiving your authorisation. Your priority date starts that day.

4. Examination and publication

API examines formalities and absolute grounds, then publishes the mark for a 3-month opposition window. We monitor and respond to any office action.

5. Certificate and enforcement

You receive a registration certificate valid 10 years, renewable indefinitely, plus the option to record it with Kosovo Customs.

What you need to send us

• Applicant name, legal form and registered address as they should appear.
• The mark itself: the word, or the logo file in high resolution.
• The goods and services you sell, in plain words — we do the Nice classification.
• Your earlier filing details if you want to claim Paris Convention priority.
• A signed power of attorney (we send the template; a scan is enough).

Frequently asked questions

Can a foreign company register a trademark in Kosovo without a local entity?

Yes. You do not need a company, branch or address in Kosovo. Foreign applicants file through a licensed industrial property agent, who acts as the address for service before API.

Does my EU trademark protect my brand in Kosovo?

No. Kosovo is not an EU member and is not covered by the EUTM system. You need a separate national registration in Kosovo.

Can I claim priority from my earlier foreign application?

Yes. Under the Paris Convention you can claim priority within 6 months of your first filing elsewhere, keeping the earlier date in Kosovo.

Someone in Kosovo already registered my brand. What now?

Depending on the facts you can file a cancellation or invalidity action based on bad faith or well-known mark status, negotiate an assignment, or oppose a pending application. We assess the register first and tell you which route is realistic.

How do I pay from abroad?

By international bank transfer. We issue an invoice covering the official API fees and our representation fee — one payment, no hidden costs.

How long does the whole process take?

Filing happens within 48 hours; registration typically completes in 12–18 months. Your rights count from the filing date, so protection effectively starts immediately.

Lexo më tej

Çfarë përfshin një markë tregtareElementet vizuale e tekstuale, identifikimi i burimit dhe mbrojtja ligjore.Si ta mbroj markën tregtareUdhëzues hap pas hapi: kërkimi, klasat, aplikimi dhe rinovimi.Mbroje brendinEmri, logoja, domain-i dhe rrjetet sociale — çfarë mbrohet realisht.Ku ta mbrojmë markën në KosovëInstitucionet, procedura zyrtare dhe territoret e mbrojtjes.Klasat e NicësZgjedhja e klasave përcakton sa gjerë të mbron marka.Rinovimi i markësAfatet 10-vjeçare, periudha e mëshirës dhe si të mos e humbësh emrin.Kundërshtimi i markësSi bllokohet një markë e ngjashme brenda afatit 3-mujor.Marka për dyqane onlineE-commerce, domain dhe rrjete sociale — çka mbrohet me markë.Ndërmarrje të reja — korrik 20261,583 biznese të reja: pse marka është hapi i radhës.Masat doganore për markatSi ndalohen mallrat e falsifikuara në kufi me Doganën e Kosovës.Mbrojtja e markës në DoganëShërbimet tona në bashkëpunim me Doganën e Kosovës.Mbrojtja e markësÇka mbron marka e regjistruar dhe si vepron pronari ndaj shkeljeve.Mbrojtja e markës në PrishtinëAgjenci e licencuar në Prishtinë — konsultim dhe përfaqësim pranë API-së.Regjistrimi i markësHapat, afatet dhe kostoja e regjistrimit të markës tregtare.Masat doganoreNdalimi i mallrave të falsifikuara në kufi — përmbledhje e shkurtër.Mbrojtja e markës në KosovëTë gjitha instrumentet e mbrojtjes: regjistrimi, monitorimi, dogana, gjykata.Regjistrimi i markës në KosovëProcedura e plotë pranë API-së — kërkimi, aplikimi, publikimi, certifikata.Keqpërdorimi i markësKopjime, falsifikime dhe llogari të rreme — si ndalen hap pas hapi.Certifiko markën tëndeCertifikata e API-së: çfarë të drejtash jep, sa zgjat dhe sa kushton.Refuzimi i aplikimit të markësPse refuzohet një aplikim dhe si ta kthesh dosjen në regjistrim.

Protect your brand in Kosovo

Start with a free availability search. If the name is clear, we file within 48 hours — no travel required.

Start the free search