"How much does it cost to register a trademark in Nigeria?" doesn't have a single honest answer, for a reason that surprises a lot of first-time applicants: Nigeria doesn't allow multi-class trademark applications. Every class you need protection in is its own separate filing, with its own separate fee. Get that structural fact wrong in your planning, and any number you were quoted for "a trademark" stops meaning much.
Here's what actually makes up the total, and why per-class filing changes how you should think about the cost.
The one structural fact that changes everything
In many countries, a single trademark application can cover multiple classes of goods or services in one filing. Nigeria's system, run through the Nigerian Industrial Property Office (NIPO), doesn't work that way.
If your brand needs protection across two or three classes, say, a product class and a related services class, that's two or three separate applications, each with its own government fee, its own journal publication, and its own timeline. There's no bundled multi-class discount built into the system.
This is exactly why picking your class (or classes) correctly matters as much as it does, covered in our guide to Nigeria's trademark classes. Filing in the wrong class doesn't just weaken your protection, it means you paid full price for a filing that doesn't actually cover your business.
The components that make up the total, per class
| Component | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Clearance search | Confirming your mark isn't already registered or confusingly similar to an existing one, before you file |
| NIPO government filing fee | The statutory fee paid to the Nigerian Industrial Property Office per class filed |
| Trademark Journal publication fee | Publishing your accepted mark, opening the window for existing rights-holders to object |
| Professional/agent fee | Class identification, application preparation, filing, and follow-through until certificate issuance |
Government-set fees for the search, filing, and publication components are exactly that: government-set. They change periodically by gazette, the same way CAC's registration fees do, so treat any specific figure quoted (including elsewhere online) as a starting reference to confirm at the point of filing, not a locked-in number.
Why two "trademark registration" quotes can look wildly different
This is the part that actually confuses people shopping around:
A quote for "one class" and a quote for "your brand, properly protected" are often not the same quote, even when they use the same words.
- Number of classes. A single-class quote and a two-class quote for the same brand can differ substantially, simply because you're paying the full fee stack twice, not because one provider is overcharging.
- What "professional fee" actually includes. A cheap quote that skips a proper clearance search, or skips class-identification advice, isn't a discount. It's a bet that your mark clears without a conflict and that you picked the right class unassisted, a bet that costs far more than the saving if it turns out wrong.
- Renewal isn't included in registration. The registration fee covers the initial 7-year term. Renewal, due before that term ends, is a separate, later cost, not something bundled into your original quote.
What a properly itemized quote actually breaks down
Before comparing numbers, a trademark quote worth trusting should separate:
- The clearance search fee
- The NIPO government fee, per class
- The Trademark Journal publication fee, per class
- The professional/agent fee for preparation and filing
- How many classes the quote actually covers
If a quote arrives as one flat number with no breakdown of these five things, that's worth asking about before you pay, not after.
Is it cheaper to register in one class now and add more later?
Not necessarily cheaper overall, since each class is a separate full filing regardless of when you file it. The real question is whether your business genuinely operates (or plans to soon) in the additional class, not whether splitting the timing saves money.
Does the cost differ for a word mark versus a logo?
The government fee structure is generally the same regardless of mark type. What can differ is the professional fee, since reviewing a combined word-and-logo mark for potential conflicts is a slightly more involved search than a word mark alone.
What happens if I don't renew after 7 years?
Your protection lapses, and a lapsed mark can potentially be registered by someone else. Renewal is a much smaller cost than re-establishing a lapsed registration, particularly if a competitor has moved into the gap.
Getting a number that actually means something
Because Nigeria's per-class filing structure means the honest cost of "registering a trademark" depends entirely on how many classes your business needs, the only quote worth trusting is one built around your actual class count, confirmed after a proper clearance search, not a generic number pulled off a price list. Awal Global Consults handles the clearance search, class identification, and NIPO filing as one itemized quote, so you know exactly what you're paying for before you commit.
Need help with this?
Awal Global Consults handles trademark clearance searches, class selection, and filing with NIPO as one itemized, upfront quote.