You can register a China trademark two ways: through the Madrid Protocol via WIPO, or by filing directly with CNIPA. If China is your only market, national filing is usually simpler and cheaper; Madrid earns its keep when you need several countries at once.
How the Madrid route works
Madrid lets you file one international application through your home trademark office and designate China along with other members. WIPO forwards the designation to CNIPA, which examines it under the same Chinese rules as a national filing.
When Madrid makes sense
If you need protection in three or more countries, one Madrid application replaces several national filings, and renewals are centralized. For a brand expanding across Europe and Asia, that is a real saving.
When national filing is better
For China alone, the national route is usually faster, cheaper and easier to manage: you control the classes directly, the official fee is 270 RMB per class, and our Standard plan covers the search, filing and translation, and any refusal review is quoted before it starts. Madrid also adds a dependency period in the early stage, which some sellers do not expect.
A practical note
Whichever route you choose, the examination is still done by CNIPA, and the same refusal rules and the 15-day review window apply. The route decides how you file, not how strong the resulting right is. Ask us to compare both routes for your brand before you commit.
