Exclusive rights
Your registration certificate confirms your exclusive rights over the mark in Panama.
Trademarks · DIGERPI
Register your trademark in Panama
Trademarks in Panama are registered before DIGERPI, the Industrial Property Registry of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries.
The official fee is B/. 140.50 for the first class and B/. 112.00 for each additional class; after examination your mark is published for a two-month opposition period, and registration lasts ten years.
- B/. 140.50official fee, first class
- B/. 112.00each additional class
- 2 monthsopposition period
- 10 yearsinitial term
Who registers trademarks in Panama
Trademarks in Panama are registered with DIGERPI, the Industrial Property Registry of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries. The rules are in Law 35 of 1996 on industrial property, as amended by Law 61 of 2012.
A registration gives you the exclusive right to use the mark in Panama for the goods or services you list. It also lets you license the mark, franchise it or transfer it, and it is the basis for stopping others from using a confusingly similar sign.
If the mark will belong to a business rather than to you personally, decide the owner first: forming a company to hold your trademark keeps the name identical in the application, the power of attorney and the sworn statement, which DIGERPI checks.
Source: Law 35 of 1996, as amended by Law 61 of 2012, articles 121, 126 and 129
Panama is not part of the Madrid Protocol
If you already have a US or European trademark, you cannot extend it to Panama through WIPO’s Madrid System, because Panama does not appear on the list of Madrid members. You file directly with DIGERPI, through a local representative. A Panamanian application stands on its own, with its own examination, publication and term.
Source: WIPO, Members of the Madrid Union, July 8, 2026
What you need to file
You need three things: the mark itself, exactly as you will use it; the list of goods or services it covers, organized by the classes of the international Nice Classification; and a power of attorney for a Panamanian lawyer. You do not have to travel to Panama: you sign the power in your country and send the original by courier, because a scan does not replace it.
You also do not need to be using the mark in Panama yet. The application can be made with a sworn statement of use or of intention to use the mark. A foreign company does not need to file a certificate of existence since Law 61 of 2012.
Source: Law 35 of 1996, as amended by Law 61 of 2012, article 45, numeral 7, and article 103
Search before you file
DIGERPI offers a free online search of registered names, and an official prior search for B/. 6.00 per class. Both are useful first checks, but neither guarantees the result, because the law refuses more than identical names.
The main reason for refusal is a mark that looks, sounds or means the same as one already used, known, registered or pending for the same or similar goods, if it could confuse the public. A mark that only describes the product, its quality or its origin is also refused, unless it has become distinctive through use, and so are imitations of flags, coats of arms and official names, or another person’s name or portrait without consent.
Source: Law 35 of 1996, article 91; DIGERPI, trademark requirements sheet
Official fees
Official fees are set by the Industrial Property Registry and paid in advance; nothing moves without payment. If the registration is refused, you can recover half of the registration duties you paid. The balboa is at par with the US dollar.
| Item | Official fee |
|---|---|
| Goods or services, first class | B/. 140.50 |
| Each additional class | B/. 112.00 |
| Advertising slogan, first class | B/. 152.00 |
| Each additional slogan class | B/. 124.00 |
| Renewal, per class | B/. 134.00 |
| Official prior search, per class | B/. 6.00 |
Legal fees are separate from the official fees. We quote them in writing, per class, before you commit.
Source: Ministry of Commerce and Industries, trademark registration guide of 2023; DIGERPI, trademark requirements sheet; Law 35 of 1996, articles 209 and 210
The seven steps, from search to certificate
The official guide sets out seven steps. You search availability, identify your classes, file the application with the mark, the owner and the goods or services, and pay the official fees at Banco Nacional or through online banking. DIGERPI then examines the application as to form and substance.
If the application is in order, it is published in the Official Industrial Property Bulletin, and third parties have two months, from the day after publication, to oppose it; oppositions are decided by the courts specialized in industrial property. If there is no opposition, or it is resolved in your favor, DIGERPI registers the mark and issues your certificate.
Source: Ministry of Commerce and Industries, trademark registration guide of 2023
The corrections DIGERPI asks for most often
Most delays come from small inconsistencies. The name of the mark must match the label: if the logo contains a word, that word goes in the name, and anything you do not want to protect is declared as not claimed. A mark with words and a design is filed as name and design. Names and addresses must be identical in the application, the power of attorney and the sworn statement, and the label must not show the registered symbol before the mark is registered.
If DIGERPI sends a correction notice, you have three months to answer. If you do not, the application is treated as abandoned, which is why we track every notice for you.
Source: Law 35 of 1996, as amended by Law 61 of 2012, article 104; DIGERPI correction notices
How long a registration lasts, and renewal
A Panamanian trademark lasts ten years from the date the application was filed, and you can renew it indefinitely for further ten-year terms. You may file the renewal from one year before the expiry date until six months after it. In those six months the mark stays fully protected, but a surcharge of B/. 10.00 applies for each month or part of a month.
A renewal cannot change the mark or add goods or services; you may only shorten the list. It is not published and cannot be opposed, and it takes effect from the expiry date of the previous term. DIGERPI orders the renewal by reasoned resolution and lists renewed marks in its official bulletin; a certified copy is issued only on request, for a fee.
Source: Law 35 of 1996, articles 109 to 112 and 205, as amended by Law 61 of 2012
How we work with you
Your application is filed and followed by a licensed Panamanian attorney under your power of attorney. We sign a written contract with you before we start, with the services, the fixed fee per class and what is not included, and you receive an invoice or official receipt for every fee we pay for you.
Every quote and update is in English, by email or WhatsApp, and we reply within one business day with the classes you need. Every fee and step on this site is checked against the official guide and the law.
Source: Law 35 of 1996, article 103
Estimate your official fees
Choose how many classes you need. The calculator applies the official fee table; legal fees are quoted separately.
Write on WhatsApp
- Official registration fees
- B/. 140.50
- First class
- B/. 140.50
- Additional classes: 0
- B/. 0.00
- Renewal every 10 years
- B/. 134.00
Key takeaways
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Trademarks are registered with DIGERPI, the Industrial Property Registry of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries.
-
Official fees: B/. 140.50 for the first class and B/. 112.00 for each additional class.
-
After examination, your mark is published and third parties have two months, from the day after publication, to oppose it.
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A registration lasts ten years and can be renewed for B/. 134.00 per class.
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Panama is not part of the Madrid Protocol: you file directly in Panama.
Why register in Panama
License and franchise
A registered mark can be licensed under article 121 of Law 35 of 1996 and franchised under article 126.
Assign it
You can transfer the rights to your mark under article 129 of Law 35 of 1996.
Search before you file
The free DIGERPI lookup, and what it does not catch.
Estimate your official fees
Choose your classes; the calculator applies the official table.
Follow the seven steps
From the availability search to your registration certificate.
Keep your mark alive
The ten-year term, the renewal fee and when to file.
Read the answers
The Madrid Protocol, oppositions, classes and foreign companies.
- 2 monthsopposition period
- 10 yearsinitial term
How we work with you
A signed contract
An invoice for every expense
Licensed attorneys
Official sources · November 6, 2026
Ready to protect your brand in Panama?
Send us your mark and the goods or services you sell. We reply with the classes you need and a fixed written quote.