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New Tariffs and a New Principle for Calculating Fees for Trademark Registration in Kazakhstan (from 1 January 2026)
Starting from 1 January 2026, amendments to the procedure for calculating and paying official fees related to the registration of intellectual property objects have entered into force in the Republic of Kazakhstan1.
1. Changes in the Amounts of Official Fees
As a result of the adoption of the relevant order, the official fee rates have been updated, including fees for:
- filing trademark registration applications;
- conducting formal and substantive examination of applications;
- execution, publication, and issuance of protection documents;
- other works and services in the field of legal protection of intellectual property objects.
In addition to the revision of tariff amounts, the level of official payments has also slightly increased due to the increase of the VAT rate to 16% (previously 14%).
2. Key Innovation: Changes to the Approach for Listing Goods and Services
The most significant changes concern the list of goods and services for trademark registration and directly affect applications filed under the multi-class system of the Nice Classification (NCL).
Starting from 1 January 2026, the following will be introduced:
- Limitation on the Number of Goods and/or Services per NCL Class. No more than 10 items of goods and/or services are allowed in a single applied class.
- Additional Official Fee. An additional official fee must be paid for each item of goods or services exceeding 10 in a single NCL class.
3. Features of Multi-class Applications
Trademark registration in the Republic of Kazakhstan is carried out under the multi-class system of the Nice Classification (NCL), where a single application can cover multiple classes of goods and/or services.
Starting from 1 January 2026, the following procedure for calculating official fees applies under this system:
- Each NCL class is treated as an independent calculation unit for the purpose of determining the number of goods and services;
- The limit of 10 items of goods and/or services applies separately to each applied class, not to the entire application as a whole;
- If the limit is exceeded in a single class:
- an additional official fee must be paid for each item exceeding 10 in that specific class;
- exceeding the limit in one class does not affect the fee calculation for other classes.
Thus, in a multi-class application, it is possible to apply simultaneously:
- the base fee — for each NCL class;
- the additional fee — for each class in which more than 10 items of goods and/or services are declared. (Examples of calculations are provided below.)
4. Recommendations
It is recommended to take the new fees and limits into account when:
- planning the filing of trademark registration applications in the Republic of Kazakhstan;
- expanding the portfolio of intellectual property assets;
- preparing and adjusting the lists of goods and services under the NCL.
Examples of Fee Calculations:
Example № 1. Single NCL Class, Within Limit
A legal entity files a trademark registration application in 1 NCL class listing 8 goods.
Calculation as of 01.01.2026:
- Base fee for application filing and examination (up to 3 classes) — KZT 117,812.50;
- No excess over the limit (8 ≤ 10), no additional fee applies.
Total payable: KZT 117,812.50
For comparison: prior to 01.01.2026, the fee for a similar application was KZT 113,750.00, i.e., an increase of KZT 4,062.50 (≈ +3.57%), which is solely due to the rise in the base fee.
Example № 2. Two NCL Classes, Exceeding the Limit in One Class
An individual files a multi-class application covering 2 NCL classes:
- Class 1 — 12 goods;
- Class 2 — 9 goods.
Calculation as of 01.01.2026:
- Base fee for application filing and examination (up to 3 classes) — KZT 82,468.75;
- Excess in Class 1: 12 − 10 = 2 goods;
- Additional fee: 2 × 1,365.00 = KZT 2,730;
- No excess in Class 2, no additional fee applied.
Total payable: KZT 85,198.75
Prior to 01.01.2026, no additional fee was charged for the number of goods in a single class. Therefore, the increase in this case is due both to the rise in the base fee and the introduction of the new calculation mechanism for each NCL class.
The above examples are not exhaustive and may vary depending on the applicant's status (legal entity, individual, small business representative, etc.).
Footnote
1 Approved by Order No. 614 dated 31 December 2025 "On the Approval of Fees for Works and Services Provided by the RSE 'National Institute of Intellectual Property' of the Committee on Intellectual Property Rights of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan."
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
