Trademark Registration in Liechtenstein
We prepare and coordinate your Liechtenstein trademark filing; a licensed Liechtenstein patent attorney or lawyer files and acts for you before the Office.
- Filed with the Office of Economic Affairs
- Office filing fee CHF 400 for up to three classes
- Valid ten years from filing, renewable
- Three-month opposition window after publication
What ABB does and who files
ABB prepares the file and coordinates the dates. A licensed Liechtenstein patent attorney or lawyer, named in the engagement letter, files and acts: advice and representation in trademark matters are reserved under the Patent Attorneys Act (PAG) and the Lawyers Act (RAG). For setting up first, see what a foreign investor needs before a Liechtenstein company can be registered.
Anyone may file, and the Trademark Act ties representation to the applicant's seat. With no domicile, seat or establishment in Liechtenstein, another EEA member state or Switzerland, you act only through a Liechtenstein lawyer or patent attorney. With one in an EEA member state or Switzerland, you need a domestic address for service.
What's included
Preparing the file
We collect the applicant details and the representation of the mark, and pass your description of the goods and services to the licensed representative, who drafts and classifies the list.
Register check results
We collect results from the Office's public register and pass them to the patent attorney or lawyer, who gives the legal assessment.
Filing through the licensed representative
The application goes in through a licensed patent attorney for filings and oppositions, who signs where a representative is designated.
Opposition, appeal and change of representative
The licensed partner acts in opposition and appeal; we coordinate the papers. Court actions go to our IP disputes service.
A renewal diary
We diarise the renewal window and the use period. The owner or the representative files the renewal; the Office's reminder carries no liability.
Madrid and EUIPO routes explained
We explain the routes: a Madrid request from a Liechtenstein applicant goes through the Office, while an EUIPO filing is a separate EU route.
Who it is for
Owners outside the EEA and Switzerland
No domicile, seat or establishment in Liechtenstein, another EEA member state or Switzerland: you act through a Liechtenstein lawyer or patent attorney.
Owners in the EEA or Switzerland
Domicile, seat or establishment in an EEA member state or Switzerland: you need a domestic agent for service who receives the Office's documents.
Owners whose agent will file
A mark that your agent or representative files in its own name without your consent is excluded from protection, unless the agent justifies the act; you may oppose (Art. 3(1)(d), 31a(2)(c)).
Founders entering Liechtenstein
Founders who move to Liechtenstein can file in their own name; a first filing abroad gives six months of priority.
How the process works
Clearance, if you want one
An optional check in the Office's Online Trademark and Design Register, which holds marks actively registered and published. The Office itself does not search for earlier marks.
Choose the representation
Your seat decides it: a Liechtenstein lawyer or patent attorney, or a domestic address for service. A power of attorney is signed where one is needed.
Prepare the application
We collect the applicant details, the mark as it will appear and your description of the goods and services; the licensed representative drafts the list and settles the classes and priority.
File and pay
The application is filed with the Office, electronically if wished; the statutory fees are paid in advance in Swiss francs.
Examination
The Office examines absolute grounds, formal defects and payment of fees. A refusal can be appealed to the Government within 30 days. No examination time is published.
Opposition window
After the registration is published, an earlier owner has three months to oppose; the mark owner then has one month to reply, and the licensed partner acts.
Certificate
Once the registration is published, the Office issues the confirmation of registration. Protection runs ten years from the filing date.
Maintain the mark
Renew in the last twelve months before expiry, and use the mark: after five uninterrupted years without genuine use, and without proper reasons, you can no longer enforce it.
Steps of a national trademark filing
Clearance in the Online Register, optional
Who acts: Client, ABB
Choose representation by seat, power of attorney
Who acts: Client, licensed representative
Prepare the application: applicant, mark, goods and services
Who acts: ABB collects the description; licensed representative drafts the list and settles classes
File and pay in Swiss francs, in advance
Who acts: Licensed representative or applicant
Examination: absolute grounds, formal defects, fees
No examination time is published. Appeal within 30 days
Who acts: Office of Economic Affairs
Opposition window: three months after publication of the registration, reply one month
Who acts: Office, licensed representative
Confirmation of registration, issued once the registration is published
Who acts: Office of Economic Affairs
Renew in the last twelve months; five years of non-use bar enforcement
ABB diarises
Who acts: Owner or representative
Order of steps for a national trademark filing (Trademark Act).
Not sure which route fits your brand?
Tell us the mark, the goods and where you are based. Pricing on request.
Documents you will need
The Office describes a valid filing and the filing date on its own page.
- Applicant name or firm and address
- Signed power of attorney, where a representative must be appointed
- The mark as it will appear in the register
- The list of goods and services
- A priority document, if the first filing is within six months
- Supporting documents not older than one year
- The owner's consent, where an agent or representative files
- The statutory fees in Swiss francs, paid in advance
Liechtenstein requirements: fees and time limits
Official fees only, from the 2026 text of the fee ordinance, paid in advance in Swiss francs. The fees of ABB and the partner are on request.
Official fees
Official fees of the Office of Economic Affairs for trademarks, in CHF (fee ordinance, 2026 text).
| item | amount (CHF) | source |
|---|---|---|
| National filing, up to three classes | 400 | Fee ordinance, Annex 1(a) |
| Each class after the third | 50 | Annex 1(b) |
| Accelerated examination | 300 | Annex 1(d) |
| Renewal, up to three classes | 400 | Annex 2(a) |
| Late renewal, additional fee | 100 | Annex 2(c) |
| Opposition proceedings | 800 | Annex 4(c) |
| Revocation or invalidity proceedings | 800 | Annex 4(d) |
| Change of representative | 100 | Annex 3(b) |
| Division of a registration | 400 | Annex 4(a) |
| Register extract, per mark | 35 | Annex 7(b) |
| Madrid request from a Liechtenstein applicant, besides the WIPO fees | 200 | Annex 5(a) |
Source: fee ordinance on gesetze.li, amounts as in its 2026 text.
The life of a registration
Filing
Publication
Opposition window: three months after publication (Art. 31a(3))
Term: ten years from the filing date (Art. 10(1))
Renewal window: last twelve months before expiry, up to six months late with an additional fee (Art. 10(3))
Non-use (Art. 12(1)): five uninterrupted years after the opposition period ends, or after an opposition is decided or withdrawn.
Time limits
Time limits fixed by the Trademark Act (MSchG, consolidated text).
| event | period | source |
|---|---|---|
| Opposition | three months after publication | MSchG Art. 31a(3) |
| Mark owner's reply to an opposition | one month | Art. 31a(5) |
| Opponent's answer | two months | Art. 31a(6) |
| Settlement time on joint request | at least two months | Art. 31a(7) |
| Appeal to the Government | 30 days from service | Art. 33(1) |
| Paris priority | six months from the first filing | Art. 7(1) |
| Term of protection | ten years from the filing date | Art. 10(1) |
| Renewal | last twelve months before expiry; at the latest six months after, with an additional fee | Art. 10(3) |
| Non-use | five uninterrupted years without genuine use, from the unused end of the opposition period or, if opposed, from the day the decision ending the opposition is final or the opposition is withdrawn | Art. 12(1) |
| Further processing | request within two months of learning of the missed limit, at the latest six months after it; never for the renewal deadline | Art. 38(2), 38(4)(c) |
| Conversion of a cancelled international registration | three months | Art. 44(1)(a) |
Source: Trademark Act (MSchG) on gesetze.li.
Problems we solve
Who really files
The Act splits applicants by seat, and the reserved acts sit with a licensed patent attorney or lawyer. We prepare and coordinate, so each role is clear from the start.
The Office does not look for earlier marks
It examines absolute grounds only; conflicts arrive by opposition within three months of publication. A register check before filing lowers that risk, without removing it.
An EUIPO filing is another route
The Office describes an EUIPO filing as protection in the EU member states. A Liechtenstein registration comes from a national filing or a Madrid designation.
Duties after registration
Renewal falls in the last twelve months before expiry, and use in the EEA or Switzerland keeps the mark enforceable. We diarise both.
A mark filed by your agent or representative
Filed without your consent, it is excluded unless the agent justifies the act, and you may oppose. Nominee holding is a separate mandate on our nominee services page.
Ready to prepare your Liechtenstein filing?
Send us the mark and the goods list, and we will plan the filing with the licensed representative.
Why work with ABB
Jonas Wolfinger, Schaan; works in German, English and Portuguese. He prepares the trademark file that a licensed patent attorney or lawyer then files.
From our practice
The goods and services list is settled before the mark is filed. the renewal window goes into the diary on the day of registration. every figure on this page comes from the Act, the fee ordinance or the Office's own pages.
Frequently asked questions
Must a foreign applicant use a Liechtenstein lawyer or patent attorney?
It depends on the seat. With no domicile, seat or establishment in Liechtenstein, another EEA member state or Switzerland, the applicant acts only through a lawyer or patent attorney established in Liechtenstein or admitted there for temporary practice. Otherwise a domestic address for service is enough. ABB prepares the file and coordinates.
What is an address for service, and which applicants need only that?
An address for service means an agent for service: a person or firm established in Liechtenstein that you appoint to receive the Office's documents. An applicant with domicile, seat or establishment in an EEA member state or Switzerland needs only that, not a representative (Trademark Act, Art. 39(2)). The licensed representative confirms how it is provided.
Can I register a Liechtenstein trademark without living or having a company in Liechtenstein?
Yes. Anyone may file a trademark application (Trademark Act, Art. 29(1)), and domicile is not a condition of filing. The representation rule of Art. 39 applies to the proceedings: depending on your seat, you act through a Liechtenstein lawyer or patent attorney, or name a domestic address for service.
Does an EU trade mark protect me in Liechtenstein?
The Office of Economic Affairs describes an EUIPO filing as protection in the EU member states. It names a national filing and a Madrid designation as the routes to a Liechtenstein registration. The licensed representative confirms the position for your mark before you rely on an EU trade mark alone.
If I hold a Swiss or an international registration, do I still need a national Liechtenstein one?
An international registration with effect for Liechtenstein has the same effect as a national filing and registration (Art. 43(1)). Use of the mark in Switzerland counts as use (Art. 11(4)). The single protection territory with Switzerland covers patents only, so a Swiss trademark registration alone is not treated here as a Liechtenstein one.
Does the Office look for earlier conflicting marks, and what happens when an owner objects?
No. The Office examines absolute grounds, not similarity with earlier marks. The owner of an earlier mark can oppose within three months of publication, and the opposition fee is CHF 800. The mark owner then has one month to reply, and the licensed partner acts in the proceedings.
How long does a Liechtenstein registration take?
The Trademark Act fixes no examination period, and the Office publishes none, so no timeline is promised here. The periods the law does fix are the three-month opposition window after publication and the 30-day appeal against a refusal. Planning and pricing for your filing are given on request.
What does the Office charge, and how many classes does the basic fee cover?
The filing fee is CHF 400 and covers up to three classes; each class after the third costs CHF 50, under the 2026 text of the fee ordinance. Fees are paid in advance in Swiss francs. The fees of ABB and the licensed partner are quoted on request.
How long does protection last, and when must it be renewed?
Protection lasts ten years from the filing date and can be renewed for ten years at a time on request (Trademark Act, Art. 10(1), (2)). The renewal request falls in the last twelve months before expiry (Art. 10(3)). Renewal takes effect on the expiry of the current term.
What if I miss the renewal date?
A renewal request made up to six months after expiry is still accepted, with an additional fee of CHF 100. Further processing is not available for the renewal deadline (Art. 38(4)(c)). The Office may send a reminder, but a missing reminder carries no liability, so the owner keeps the date.
Must I use the mark, and where does use count?
Yes. After five uninterrupted years without genuine use, and without proper reasons, the mark can no longer be enforced (Art. 12(1)). The five years run from the unused end of the opposition period or, if opposed, from the day the decision ending the opposition is final or the opposition is withdrawn. Use in the EEA or Switzerland counts (Art. 11(4)).
Can an agent or nominee file the mark on my behalf?
A mark filed in an agent's or representative's own name without the owner's consent is excluded, unless the agent justifies the act (Art. 3(1)(d)), and the owner may oppose it. Holding a mark as a nominee is a separate mandate, handled on the nominee services page.
How do I look up the Liechtenstein trademark register?
The register is public: anyone may inspect it, ask for information and order extracts (Art. 36(1)). The Office's Online Trademark and Design Register holds the marks actively registered and published. A register extract costs CHF 35 per mark under the fee ordinance (Annex 7(b)).
Can I designate Liechtenstein in a Madrid registration?
Yes. An international registration with effect for Liechtenstein has the same effect as a filing with the Office (Art. 43(1)). A request from a Liechtenstein applicant goes through the Office and costs CHF 200 besides the WIPO fees. Opposition starts on the first day of the month after publication.
Did the 2026 amendment of the Trademark Act change how I file, oppose or renew?
No. LGBl. 2026 Nr. 148 changes Art. 1a, on person designations, and the customs-assistance part of the Act. The articles on filing, examination, opposition, renewal, non-use and representation are not among the provisions it changes. Customs seizure is covered on the IP disputes page.
Request a trademark filing plan
Tell us the mark, the goods and services and your seat. Pricing on request.
info@business-in-liechtenstein.com · +423 210 0002 · Business Development department · Monday to Friday, 09:30-17:00 (CET/CEST) · Bahnhofstrasse 8, 9495 Schaan