How to Register a Trademark in Paraguay (DINAPI): Steps, Timeline and the 2026 Fee Exemption

To register a trademark in Paraguay you file one application per Nice class with the Dirección Nacional de Propiedad Intelectual (DINAPI), always through a registered local IP agent. DINAPI publishes the application right after a formal check, allows 60 business days for oppositions, and only then runs the substantive examination, including its own search for earlier conflicting marks. DINAPI says the regular procedure takes eight to twelve months on average, and the registration lasts 10 years. Paraguay is not part of the Madrid System, so foreign owners must register their trademark in Paraguay with a national filing. From Monday 2 November 2026, Paraguayan micro-enterprises with a MIPYMES certificate pay no application fee.

Verified on 30 October 2026 against Trademark Law 1294/1998, its regulatory Decree 22.365/1998, DINAPI Resolutions RG 12/2018, 84/2026, 110/2026, 503/2026 and 530/2026, DINAPI’s own pages and statistics portal, WIPO Lex and the HCCH Apostille status table. Each row below names its source. Fees change often, so this page does not list them.

Paraguay trademark registration at a glance

Question	Answer	Source
Where do you file?	DINAPI. Agents file online through its electronic forms system (SFE) or at the filing desk	DINAPI, "Registro de Marcas"
Do you need a local agent?	Yes, for every applicant: a registered IP agent, who must be a lawyer, acts as sponsor or attorney	Law 1294/1998, arts. 113 and 117
Classes per application	One. Each additional class needs a separate application	Law 1294/1998, art. 7
Classification	Nice Classification, 13th edition (NCL 13-2026), applied since 30 March 2026	Res. DINAPI 84/2026, arts. 1 and 3
Order of the procedure	Formal check, publication, oppositions, and only then the substantive examination	Law 1294/1998, art. 20
Does DINAPI check earlier marks itself?	Yes. The substantive examination includes a search of earlier marks, and DINAPI can refuse an identical or very similar mark even if its owner consents	Law 1294/1998, art. 6; Decree 22.365/1998, arts. 16-17
Opposition period	60 business days from the business day after the last publication	Law 1294/1998, art. 46
DINAPI’s stated timeline	8 to 12 months on average; about 3 months on the Pya’e Porã fast track	Res. DINAPI 110/2026, annex
Madrid Protocol	Paraguay is not a member	WIPO Lex, Madrid Protocol contracting parties (117 members)
Duration	10 years from the grant date, renewable indefinitely	Law 1294/1998, art. 19; DINAPI
Use requirement	A third party can seek cancellation after 5 years without use; use in any country counts	Law 1294/1998, art. 27; Decree 22.365/1998, art. 23

New from 2 November 2026: fee exemption for small Paraguayan businesses

Resolution DINAPI 503/2026, signed on 13 October 2026, applies the fee relief of the MIPYMES law (Law 7444/2025) to DINAPI’s filing fees from 2 November 2026. Trademark applications (fee code A1) are covered, along with industrial designs, geographical indications, software and mediation. The benefit depends on how long ago the business received its MIPYMES certificate (Cédula MIPYMES):

Business category	Years 1 to 3 after the Cédula MIPYMES	From year 4	Source
Micro-enterprise (MIE)	100% exemption from the fee	75% reduction	Res. 503/2026, arts. 2-3 and Annex I
Small enterprise (PE)	No benefit (ordinary fee)	50% reduction	Res. 503/2026, art. 3 and Annex I

The conditions are strict:

• A valid Cédula MIPYMES issued by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (art. 5) and a valid tax compliance certificate (CCT) issued by Paraguay’s tax authority, DNIT (art. 4).
• A maximum of three discounted applications per fiscal year, controlled through the owner’s RUC taxpayer number; further applications pay the ordinary fee (art. 7).
• The discounted filing is made in person on a single day: validation at DINAPI’s administration desk on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays from 07:00 to 10:00, payment at the cashier before 13:00, and filing at the Mesa de Entrada the same day (art. 9 and Annex I, section 4).
• Renewals are not in the list of covered fees.

Because the benefit is tied to Paraguayan registrations (the Cédula MIPYMES, the CCT and the RUC), it is meant for businesses established in Paraguay. A foreign company filing from abroad pays the ordinary fee.

How to register a trademark in Paraguay, step by step

Step	What happens	Deadline or timing	Source
1. Search	Check DINAPI’s records for identical or similar marks in your class before filing	Before filing	Recommended: DINAPI runs its own search later (Decree 22.365/1998, art. 16)
2. Appoint an agent	Individuals can file under an agent’s sponsorship with a notarised copy of their ID; companies must grant a power of attorney that is registered with DINAPI	Before filing (a power sent by e-mail is valid if the original arrives within 60 business days)	Law 1294/1998, arts. 115-117; DINAPI, "Registro de Marcas"
3. File the application	Name and address of the applicant, the mark (with its image for figurative or mixed marks), and the goods or services of one class. Listing goods is optional if you claim the whole class, and mandatory for services	Rights go to the first to file, by date and hour	Law 1294/1998, arts. 5, 7, 8 and 12
4. Formal examination	DINAPI checks the data, that the name matches the label, and the applicant’s signature and ID	Right after filing	Law 1294/1998, art. 20; DINAPI
5. Publication	Published for 3 consecutive days in a newspaper of the capital, or in REDPI, DINAPI’s digital journal, which links the publication to the file automatically	Ordered immediately after the formal examination	Decree 22.365/1998, arts. 30-31; DINAPI
6. Opposition period	Any third party can file a reasoned opposition. If one is filed, you have 18 business days to answer and the case can open a 40-business-day evidence period	60 business days from the business day after the last publication	Law 1294/1998, arts. 46-47
7. Substantive examination	If nobody opposes, DINAPI searches earlier marks and issues a written opinion. It can refuse the mark or send you an office action (vista)	After the opposition period closes	Law 1294/1998, art. 20; Decree 22.365/1998, arts. 16-17
8. Grant	With no conflicts, DINAPI grants the registration by resolution	8-12 months from filing on average	Decree 22.365/1998, art. 16; Res. DINAPI 110/2026, annex

Two rules catch applicants off guard. First, an application left without any action for 90 days loses its priority (Law 1294/1998, art. 22), so office actions and publication payments need a quick response. Second, Paraguay publishes before it examines: your mark is open to oppositions before DINAPI has said anything about whether it can be registered.

Search before you file

Unlike offices that leave conflicts to third parties, DINAPI refuses on its own an application that is identical or very similar to an earlier registered mark for the same goods or services, even with a letter of consent from that owner (Law 1294/1998, art. 6). The law also bars signs identical or similar to an earlier mark that is registered or applied for when there is a risk of confusion or association (art. 2.f). Because the examination only starts after the 60-business-day opposition period, finding that conflict at the examination stage can cost you several months. A trademark search in Paraguay before filing is the cheapest way to avoid that.

The law also refuses a single colour on its own, generic or descriptive terms, the usual or functional shape of a product, State emblems, and names or photographs of living people without their consent (art. 2).

How long it takes

In the annex to Resolution 110/2026, DINAPI states that the regular procedure takes, on average, between eight and twelve months. An opposition adds its own stages: 18 business days to answer, up to 40 business days of evidence, a first-instance decision by DINAPI’s litigation directorate, a 5-business-day window to appeal, and then court action against the final administrative decision (Law 1294/1998, arts. 47-51 and 129). DINAPI does not publish an average duration for opposed cases.

The Pya’e Porã fast track has been extended. The pilot, launched on 31 March 2026 and due to end on 31 October 2026, now runs until 31 March 2027 and covers two more classes (Resolution DINAPI 530/2026, 23 October 2026). DINAPI’s target is about 3 months.

Pya’e Porã condition	Rule	Source
Classes	1, 3, 5, 10, 29, 30, 31 and 32 (chemicals, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, foods, agricultural products and beverages)	Res. 530/2026, art. 2
Type of mark	Word marks only, covering all goods of the class	Res. 110/2026, annex
Power of attorney	Already registered with DINAPI	Res. 110/2026, annex
Publication	REDPI only, paid within 2 business days of the publication order	Res. 110/2026, annex
Opposition period	Still 60 business days	Res. 110/2026, annex
You leave the fast track if	There is an opposition, an office action, or a conflicting earlier mark	Res. 110/2026, annex
In force until	31 March 2027	Res. 530/2026, art. 1

The fast track does not change what can be registered, and it does not replace sanitary registrations for medicines, cosmetics or food (Res. 530/2026, art. 3).

Filing from abroad: agent, address and power of attorney

Paraguay has no Madrid route, so a foreign owner files nationally through a local agent. What you need:

• A registered IP agent. Every filing before DINAPI requires one (Law 1294/1998, art. 117), and agents must be lawyers enrolled in DINAPI’s register (art. 113). The applicant or the agent must have an address for service in Asunción (art. 5.d).
• A power of attorney. It must be registered in DINAPI’s power registry. The law says a power granted abroad does not need consular legalisation: notarial certification is enough (art. 115). DINAPI’s procedure requires that notarial certification "without prejudice to" consular legalisation or an apostille, and a translation by a public translator registered with Paraguay’s Supreme Court (Res. RG 12/2018, annex). Paraguay has been part of the Apostille Convention since 30 August 2014 (HCCH status table).
• Power first or later. A power sent by letter, fax or e-mail lets the agent act, provided the original is filed within 60 business days (art. 116). Since 13 October 2026 DINAPI also accepts electronically signed powers, as a transitional measure (Circular DN/DINAPI 4/2026).
• Priority. You can claim the date of a filing made in another Paris Convention country within the previous 6 months, and you must file a certified copy within 3 months of the claim, or the priority is lost (Decree 22.365/1998, arts. 26-28).
• Use abroad counts. For the use requirement, use of the mark in any country is enough (Decree 22.365/1998, art. 23). This matters for brands that are not yet sold in Paraguay.

Foreign owners are a large share of the register: in 2025, 9,943 of the 28,355 trademark filings at DINAPI, and 10,980 of the 25,233 grants, came from abroad (both totals include renewals; DINAPI statistics portal). Our Paraguay trademark filing service works through licensed local attorneys and lets you file first and send the power of attorney later.

Paraguay in numbers

Figure (DINAPI, IPAS data)	2025	2026, as of 30 October
Trademark filings (new + renewals)	28,355 (21,823 + 6,532)	27,934 (20,894 + 7,040)
Filings from abroad	9,943	9,468
Grants (registrations + renewals)	25,233 (17,789 + 7,444)	21,662 (14,491 + 7,171)
Most-filed classes in 2025	35 (4,794), 5 (3,333), 41 (1,626), 9 (1,285), 3 (1,163)

Source: DINAPI statistics portal, read on 30 October 2026 (data synchronised daily from DINAPI’s IPAS system).

After registration: use, renewal and cancellation

• Duration: 10 years from the grant date, renewable indefinitely for 10-year periods (Law 1294/1998, art. 19; DINAPI).
• Renewal window: during the last year before expiry, with a 6-month grace period after it on payment of a surcharge (art. 19). You can renew a trademark in Paraguay through our renewal service.
• Use: use is mandatory. A third party can ask for cancellation if the mark was not used within 5 years of the grant, or if use stopped for more than 5 consecutive years (art. 27). The owner has to prove use (art. 28), and use for one product of the class covers the whole class (art. 30).
• Where it is decided: non-use cancellation goes to the civil and commercial courts, not to DINAPI, and the winner gets 3 months of preference to register the mark (art. 27).
• Nullity: an action to annul a registration expires 5 years after the grant, except in cases of bad faith (art. 55).

Checklist before you file in Paraguay

1. Search DINAPI’s records for identical and similar marks in each class you need.
2. Decide the classes under NCL 13-2026 and budget one application per class.
3. Appoint a registered Paraguayan IP agent and prepare the power of attorney (notarised; check whether your agent wants an apostille and a sworn translation).
4. If you filed abroad in the last 6 months, claim priority and get the certified copy ready within 3 months.
5. For classes 1, 3, 5, 10, 29, 30, 31 or 32 with a word mark, ask about the Pya’e Porã fast track before 31 March 2027.
6. If you are a Paraguayan micro or small business, check the date of your Cédula MIPYMES and that your CCT is valid before filing on or after 2 November 2026.
7. Watch the file: 90 days without action loses priority.

Paraguay is one of several South American countries outside the Madrid System, along with Argentina. For a comparison of national and international routes, see national vs. international trademark registration, or browse our trademark registration pages for South America. To start in Paraguay, register your trademark in Paraguay with Protect.TM.