Design Registration Fees in Nepal: The Full Cost of a Design Right
Design registration fees in Nepal, itemised: NPR 1,000 to file, NPR 7,000 to register, renewal at NPR 1,000–2,000 a year — the full 15-year cost worked out.
Of Nepal's three industrial-property rights, the industrial design is the cheapest to obtain and the cheapest to keep — which is why product-led businesses here register the design first and ask the patent question separately.
This guide itemises design registration fees in Nepal from the official schedule, works the full 15-year cost of a design right, and shows what each stage of the lifecycle actually costs.
In short
Design registration fees in Nepal stand at NPR 1,000 for the Schedule 1(b) application and NPR 7,000 for registration — NPR 8,000 in government fees to a certificate. The right runs 5 years from registration, renewable twice for 5 years each: maintenance costs NPR 1,000 per year in the first renewal term (years 5–10) and NPR 2,000 per year in the second (years 10–15), on top of a NPR 1,000 late fine inside the 6-month grace window. A design held its full 15 years costs NPR 18,000 in official fees; assignment recordal costs NPR 3,000.
The design registration fees in Nepal, itemised
Design fees come from Schedule 3 of the PDTA and its Rules, charged per application. The figures below reflect current practice; the Department confirms applicable rates at payment, so verify before transferring money.
| Filing event | Fee (NPR) |
|---|---|
| Application (Schedule 1(b)) | 1,000 |
| Registration | 7,000 |
| Renewal maintenance, years 5–10 | 1,000 per year |
| Renewal maintenance, years 10–15 | 2,000 per year |
| Late-renewal fine (grace window) | 1,000 |
| Assignment recordal | 3,000 |
The full 15-year cost, worked through
Because the design term is 5 + 5 + 5 with a hard ceiling at 15 years, the lifetime cost is fully computable on day one — no other Nepalese IP right closes its arithmetic so neatly.
Registering: NPR 1,000 + NPR 7,000 = NPR 8,000. First renewal (years 5–10): 5 × NPR 1,000 = NPR 5,000. Second renewal (years 10–15): 5 × NPR 2,000 = NPR 10,000. A design held its entire statutory life therefore costs NPR 18,000 in official fees — less than one trademark's three-class renewal decade, for a right that blocks lookalike products outright.
How the design bill compares
The comparison explains why the design route is Nepal's default first filing for product-led businesses. Against a trademark (NPR 1,000 + NPR 5,000 per class, then NPR 3,500 per class every 7 years, forever), a design is cheaper upfront and has a definite end. Against a patent (NPR 1,000 + NPR 7,000, then NPR 5,000–7,500 per year inside each renewal term), the design's annual maintenance is a fraction, and its examination is formality-plus rather than a technical-committee review.
The trade-offs are structural: 15 years maximum instead of a trademark's infinite renewals, and protection that covers only what the representations depict. The rights are complementary — the look files as a design, the name files as a trademark, and the two together cover the product.
The renewal windows the fees attach to
Each renewal is due within 35 days of the term expiring; a six-month grace period follows with the NPR 1,000 fine. Miss both and the registration cancels automatically — though unlike patents, a cancelled design can sometimes be refiled if the look is still genuinely new to the register, a loophole and not a plan.
The renewal paperwork is light: Schedule 2(e), the certificate, proprietor documents and a POA where an agent files. The discipline is the calendar — the year 5 and year 10 anniversaries should be diarised on the day of registration, in BS and AD.
What the fees do not cover
Official fees are the predictable part. Around them sit preparation costs — the four sets of representations are the filing's quality gate, and professional help there is usually the best-spent money in a design budget — plus agent fees where one files, and translation for any foreign-language particulars.
At portfolio scale, the arithmetic is the planning tool: a furniture workshop protecting six looks registers for 6 × NPR 8,000 and faces renewal triage at year 5 for each — NPR 1,000 per year to keep a still-selling look, a deliberate lapse for a retired one. The fee schedule's design, like the right itself, rewards businesses that know which looks still earn.
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This article is general information, not legal advice.