Trademark registration in the Dominican Republic is governed by Law 20-00 on Industrial Property.
The process to register a trademark is as follows:
(1) Preliminary searches are optional to determine if the mark requested is available for registration in the desired class, under the international classification of goods and services. The search may take up to 5 business days. If time is a factor, faster service is available for a higher fee.
(2) If the search results do not preclude the registration of the mark, the applicant may proceed to file a petition to record the mark. Government fees must be paid in full with the filing.
(3) If the application complies with the legal requirements, the National Office of Industrial Property (ONAPI) will allow the petitioner to pay for the publication of an excerpt of the application in its Journal. Third parties have 45 days from the date of publication in the Journal to file an opposition to the application. If the application is not opposed within 45 days, or if the opposition is rejected, the Office will issue the Certificate of Registration, which is valid for 10 years and may be renewed. The whole process, without opposition and including the search, takes approximately 4 to 5 months.
To proceed to file the petition for registration, the applicant must provide the following information and documents:
(1) Full name and address of the applicant.
(2) Power-of-attorney signed by the applicant, authenticated at the nearest Dominican Consulate or apostilled. The original copy of this document should be sent to us, since it is required to be filed jointly with the trademark application.
(3) Description of the goods and services covered by the mark, grouped by classes, according to the international classification of goods and services.
(4) If the application is to be based on a foreign registration, a certified copy of such registration, authenticated at the nearest Dominican Consulate.
(5) If a design is to be filed, 6 samples of the design of at least 6 in. x 6 in. (15 cm. x 15 cm.) in size.
(6) If the applicant is an individual copies of his/her passport’s first page and Identification Card. If the foreign applicants are companies, copies of the company’s incorporation certificate and passport of its signing legal representative (President, Vice President, etc…). (No authentication needed)
(7) Copy of the Trademark’s certificate of registration in the foreign country, even if the registration is not going to be based directly on a foreign registration. (No authentication needed).
