UK IPO set to increase fees

The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is the branch of government that deals with UK Intellectual Property (IP) registrations. This includes registrations for patents, trade marks and registered designs. The IPO has recently announced its first major fee adjustment in decades, with an average 25% increase scheduled to take effect on 1 April 2026 – subject to Parliamentary approval.

Why are the fees increasing?

The IPO has not increased its fees for a number of years; the previous fee reviews were in 2018 for patents, 2016 for designs and 1998 for trade marks. The IPO has cited a number of factors for this change, inflation being the key driver.

The IPO are of the view that the 25% average increase will address the inflation increase and allow the IPO to continue investing in its systems, improve service quality and move towards a fully digital IP service.

What is changing?

There are changes proposed for all types of registered trademark service. We have provided below details of the intended fee increases for trade mark applications, but please note fees are also intended to increase for registered designs and patents. Details of which can be found here.

Trade marks

• An application to file a trade mark online in a single class is increasing from £170.00 to £205.00, with the class fee increasing from £50.00 to £60.00 per class.
• The fee to renew a registered trade mark online is increasing from £200.00 to £245.00 with the class fee also increasing from £50.00 to £60.00.
• The late renewal fee is increasing from £50.00 to £60.00.
• Restoring and renewing a registration is increasing from £100.00 to £125.00.
• Filing a notice of opposition is increasing from £100.00 to £125.00 (s5(1) and s5(2) grounds only) and from to £200.00 to £250.00 (other grounds of opposition)

Practical steps to consider

If you are intending to register a trademark, oppose a registration, or address a renewal within the next 6 months, we recommend the following:

• File early – Applications submitted before 31 March 2026 will still benefit from the previous fees. It is important to note that some forms of IP can be renewed ahead of time, patent renewals can be renewed up to 3 months early and trade marks can be renewed up to 6 months early.
• Budget adjustments – update any budgets from 2026 with the new fees.
• Audit trademark portfolios – This will be especially important for business with large trade mark portfolios. If you can renew early, do so!

The IPO has announced that guidance and detailed fee schedules are expected in early 2026. However, these changes are all subject to parliamentary approval.

If you have any questions regarding the changes to the IPO’s fees or wish to make an application to protect your IP, please contact our Commercial Team.