How long does it take to register a trademark?

It usually takes from 6 to 18 months to register a trademark. 18 months is the maximum period allowed to Rospatent by the internal regulations.

Accelerated examination is also available, which takes 2 months from the application filing date. This term can be extended if an Office Action is issued, in which case the examination is put on hold until the Applicant files a response to the Office Action. Generally, it takes about 3-4 months from the filing date till the registration certificate issuance.

Please bear in mind that accelerated registration may potentially lead to controversy. For instance, the trademark search will not cover trademark applications filed after the search has been initiated but having an earlier priority date (via conventional or exhibition priority). In this case, the registered trademark can be contested in the future. That said, applications with claimed priority are rather few in number, which means the risks are minimal.