What methods are available? How to pay the registration fee to the JPO

How to pay the registration fee to the JPO?

I have received the decision to grant of trademark registration! It says, “The registration fee must be paid within 30 days,” but it doesn’t say how… can I pay by bank transfer?

Congratulations! You are very close to registration!
There are six different ways to pay the registration fee. Some ways are needed to follow the procedures in advance, and each procedure is different, so please check the method that is right for you.

In order to register your trademark, you need to pay the registration fee to the JPO within 30 days, so make sure you know how to pay the fee so that you do not panic after receiving the decision to grant of trademark registration.

There are 6 ways to pay the registration fee

The following payment methods are accepted at the JPO.

1. Patent Stamp [Can be submitted at the counter or by mail].

Stamps are stamped on the trademark registration fee payment form and submitted to the JPO.

（JPO: How to pay the patent (registration) fee [in Japanese]）

2. Prepayment [Can be submitted at the counter, by mail, or online].

Open a prepayment ledger at the JPO, and submit a trademark registration fee payment form to the JPO indicating the prepayment ledger number and the amount to be paid.

（JPO: prepayment [in Japanese]）

3. Cash payment [Can be submitted at the counter or by mail].

Pay the fee from a bank using the JPO’s special money transfer form, and submit the trademark registration fee payment form with the transfer number to the JPO.

（JPO: Cash payment [in Japanese]）

4. Electronic cash [Can be submitted at the counter, by mail, or online].

Obtain a “payment number” from the electronic filing software, pay the fee via Internet banking or ATM, and submit the trademark registration fee payment form with the payment number to the JPO.

（JPO: Electronic cash [in Japanese]）

5. Bank account transfer [online submission only].

Register a bank account with the JPO, and submit a trademark registration fee payment form to the JPO indicating the “transfer number” assigned at the time of registration and the amount to be paid.

（JPO: Bank account transfer [in Japanese]）

6. Credit card [online submission only].

Using the electronic filing software, submit to the JPO a payment form for the trademark registration fee stating that the payment is a “designated payment instead of payment” by a credit card company and the payment amount.

（JPO: Credit card [in Japanese]）

You also need to prepare a payment form

To pay the registration fee, you must prepare a “Trademark Registration Fee Payment Form,” a document stating one of the above payment methods, indicating the registration fee, and submit it to the JPO (to the Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office).

The preparation of the payment form and points to note are explained in the following guide page.

The form is also available on the JPO website [in Japanese].

Please note that it is possible to change the payment method for each document.

How much is the registration fee?

You can choose to pay in a lump sum for 10 years or in installments for 5 years.
If you choose to pay for 10 years in a lump sum, the fee is 32,900 yen per class.
If you choose to pay for 5 years in installments, the fee is 17,200 yen per class.

Please refer to the following guide page for more information.

You can also use the JPO’s “Fee Calculation System“. [in Japanese]

How long does it take to receive the registration certificate after payment?

If there are no deficiencies in the submitted payment form, it takes about 2 to 3 weeks.
If the payment is made in writing and submitted over the counter or by mail, an additional period of about 3 weeks is required for the electronic conversion of the payment form.

What happens if I fail to pay the registration fee?

If you fail to pay the registration fee, your application will be rejected and you will not be able to obtain rights thereafter.

I see that I can pay in a variety of ways, over the counter, by mail, or online! I’ll need to prepare the payment form and be ready to make sure the process goes smoothly before the deadline!

Summary

Once you receive the decision to grant of trademark registration, you should complete the payment procedure within 30 days.
However, it also requires advanced procedures and preparation of a payment form, which can take a lot of effort to prepare if you are new to the process or unfamiliar with it.
Our office is equipped with electronic filing software to facilitate smooth payment procedures.
Moreover, by entrusting the payment to our patent office, you can avoid the possibility of missing the payment deadline without paying.

Please contact us if you are interested in having us make the payment on your behalf.
Of course, we can also represent you from the application stage, so please feel free to contact us.