The DOI Office Visit Guide: IP Filing in Kathmandu, Prepared
A DOI office visit for IP filing in Kathmandu, prepared: what the Industrial Property Section handles, what to carry, the counter process and follow-up.
The Department of Industry in Tripureshwor is where Nepal's trademarks, patents and industrial designs physically become applications — and for many applicants the first visit goes badly for avoidable reasons: a missing paper, an unsigned form, specimens printed too small, cash questions at the counter.
This guide prepares the DOI office visit for an IP filing in Kathmandu: what the office handles, what to carry, how the counter process actually runs, and what to do after the darta date.
In short
The DOI office visit for IP filing in Kathmandu targets the Industrial Property Section in Tripureshwor, which receives trademark (Schedule 1(c)), patent (Schedule 1(a)) and design (Schedule 1(b)) applications. A productive visit brings the completed form per class, four printed specimens of the mark (about 8×8 cm labels in practice), the applicant's identity and business papers, and the fee — NPR 1,000 per application at filing, paid in local currency. The Section records the filing (the darta date), examination follows, and later stages — objection responses, registration fee payment, certificate collection — run through the same office or your agent.
What the DOI's Industrial Property Section handles
The Department of Industry, Industrial Property Section is Nepal's receiving and examining office for the three industrial-property rights: trademarks (Schedule 1(c) applications), patents (Schedule 1(a)) and industrial designs (Schedule 1(b)). It publishes the Industrial Property Bulletin, maintains the register, issues certificates, and records assignments, licences and name or address changes.
Copyright is separate: voluntary copyright registration runs through the Copyright Registrar's Office, not this Section. Knowing which door your filing belongs at is the first thing the visit gets right.
What to carry to a DOI office visit for IP filing
The counter rejects less for legal reasons than for missing papers. The core sets:
| Filing | Form and attachments |
|---|---|
| Trademark (per class) | Schedule 1(c); four printed specimens (~8×8 cm labels in practice); applicant's company or industry registration, tax clearance, PAN |
| Patent | Schedule 1(a); full description, drawings where needed, inventor name/address/occupation; ownership papers if applicant ≠ inventor |
| Design | Schedule 1(b); four sets of representations; particulars of what is claimed |
| Any agent-filed application | Power of Attorney — notarised, and consularly legalised for foreign applicants |
| Recordals and renewals | The deed or certificate behind the event, plus the per-event fee |
The visit, step by step
A first filing visit is a sequence, and the sequence is learnable.
Confirm the class and the form before you travel
One application per class under Section 18A: a two-class brand is two forms, two fee payments, two files. Fill the specification precisely — the counter is not the place to discover your goods wording is generic.
Prepare the specimens and copies
Four printed specimens of the mark, consistent with what you will actually use. Carry photocopies of every identity and registration paper — the office works on filed sets, not originals alone.
File and pay the fee
The application is lodged with NPR 1,000 per application, paid in NPR at the office's prescribed payment process. Keep every receipt: the payment record dates the filing.
Note the darta date and file number
The Section records the filing — the darta date — and issues the application number. This date starts the examination clock and is the reference for every later query, so record it and keep it.
Plan the follow-up
Examination queries arrive in writing and are answered in writing, within stated periods. Certificate collection, registration fee payment (NPR 5,000 for trademarks at current practice) and any later recordal all route through the same Section or your agent of record.
Paper, agent, or e-filing: choosing the route
A personal visit suits straightforward domestic filings where the applicant wants direct contact with the process — and it builds the institutional familiarity that later stages, from objection responses to certificate collection, quietly benefit from. An agent suits foreign applicants (who must file through a local authorised agent in any case), portfolios, and anyone who cannot chase examination correspondence in person.
The DOI's e-filing and digital services are expanding, and the proposed Industrial Property Bill 2082 would modernise the digital interface further — but until the new systems are the default, most complex filings still run substantially through the Section's counters and correspondence. Whichever route you choose, the document set is the same; the visit is one way of delivering it.
The habits that make future visits easy
Keep one physical and one digital file per mark: form, specimens, receipts, darta date, file number, examination letters, certificate. Quote the file number in every communication. Respond to written queries inside their windows — slow responses are the most common self-inflicted delay. And confirm fees before each visit: the schedule is revised from time to time, and current practice rates are confirmed at payment.
Want this handled for your brand?
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This article is general information, not legal advice.