How to Register a Trademark in Indonesia from Singapore

If your business is based in Singapore and you are planning to enter the Indonesian market, registering your trademark in Indonesia should be addressed before you launch—not after your brand is already in the market.

A Singapore trademark registration does not automatically give you trademark rights in Indonesia. Indonesia operates under a territorial trademark system and grants rights to a mark once it is registered. It also follows a first-to-file principle, making the timing and strategy of your Indonesian filing important.

Our view: Singapore businesses should not treat an Indonesian trademark filing as a simple administrative exercise. A local clearance search, correct classification, ownership review, and assessment of any priority claim should come before filing.

Does a Singapore Trademark Protect Your Brand in Indonesia?

No. A trademark registered in Singapore does not automatically extend protection to Indonesia.

Trademark rights are territorial. Under Indonesia’s Law No. 20 of 2016 on Marks and Geographical Indications, the right to a mark is obtained after the mark is registered.

For a Singapore business, this creates an important market-entry consideration: having a successful Singapore registration does not establish that the same mark is available for registration in Indonesia.

We recommend conducting an Indonesian trademark clearance search before filing. The search should assess identical and potentially similar marks in the relevant goods and services classes, rather than relying only on whether an exact match appears in the database.

Read also: Trademark Protectability Search in Indonesia Beyond a Basic Database Search

This is particularly important under Indonesia’s first-to-file system. Filing early can help a business secure its position before another party applies for an identical or confusingly similar mark.

How Can a Singapore Business Register a Trademark in Indonesia?

For a Singapore-based applicant, the process should generally start with four strategic steps:

1. Conduct an Indonesian trademark search

Check for earlier applications and registrations that could create a conflict. This should be done before committing to the filing strategy.

2. Confirm the appropriate classes

Indonesia uses classes of goods and services for trademark registration. The application must identify the relevant classes and the goods or services covered.

3. Appoint an Indonesian IP consultant

This is not simply a matter of convenience. Under Article 7 of Law No. 20 of 2016, an applicant residing or having a permanent domicile outside Indonesia must file trademark applications and related administrative matters through a Proxy, defined under the law as an intellectual property consultant residing or permanently domiciled in Indonesia.

For a Singapore business, this means the Indonesian IP consultant becomes the local representative handling the application before the Indonesian authorities.

4. File and prosecute the application

The application is submitted to the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP), followed by the applicable examination and publication procedures. If an objection, refusal, or other issue arises, the applicant may need to respond within the applicable procedure.

What If Your Singapore Trademark Was Filed Recently?

Do not overlook priority rights.

Indonesia allows an applicant to claim priority based on an earlier trademark application filed in another Paris Convention or WTO member country. The Indonesian application using the priority right must generally be filed within six months from the filing date of the first application.

Because Singapore is a member of the Paris Convention, a Singapore trademark filing may be relevant when assessing whether a priority claim can be made in Indonesia.

Our recommendation: if your Singapore application was filed less than six months ago, tell your Indonesian IP consultant at the beginning of the filing process. The priority deadline should be assessed before the Indonesian application is prepared.

A priority claim also requires supporting evidence of the first application, with the applicable translation requirements under Indonesian law.

How Much Does It Cost to Register a Trademark in Indonesia?

The official Indonesian trademark filing fee is calculated per class. For general applicants, the current fee is IDR 1,800,000 per class. Eligible micro and small businesses receive a different tariff of IDR 500,000 per class.

For a Singapore-based company, however, the government fee is only part of the expected cost. A professional filing may also involve fees for:

• Trademark clearance searches
• Local representation
• Application preparation and filing
• Prosecution and responses to objections
• Priority claims
• Opposition proceedings
• Renewal and recordal services

The number of classes should therefore be determined based on the business’s actual and planned activities rather than simply choosing as many classes as possible.

Register Your Indonesian Trademark with AMR Partnership

For Singapore-based businesses, the main challenge is not simply submitting an application from overseas. The real value of an Indonesian IP partner is knowing what should be checked and decided before the application is filed, and being able to manage the application after filing.

AMR Partnership is an Indonesian intellectual property law firm established in 1986 and has handled more than 135,000 trademarks. The firm serves both local and global clients and provides customized IP solutions.

AMR has a dedicated Trademark, Copyright, Industrial Design and PVP division and is a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA).
For international clients, AMR can provide local support for trademark searches, Indonesian filings, prosecution, monitoring, opposition, renewal, licensing, and other trademark matters.

If your business is based in Singapore and needs trademark protection in Indonesia, AMR Partnership can act as your local IP partner throughout the Indonesian trademark process.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can a Singapore company register a trademark in Indonesia?

Yes. However, an applicant residing or having a permanent domicile outside Indonesia must file through an Indonesian IP consultant acting as its Proxy.

2. Does a Singapore trademark automatically protect Indonesia?

No. Trademark protection is territorial. A Singapore registration does not by itself provide trademark rights in Indonesia, so protection in Indonesia must be addressed separately.

3. Can I claim priority from my Singapore trademark application?

Potentially, yes. Indonesia allows qualifying priority claims based on an earlier application in a Paris Convention or WTO member country, provided the Indonesian application is filed within the applicable six-month period.