The EUIPO's fast-track examination procedure accelerates the examination of EU trademark applications by reducing the time between filing and publication. Under standard examination, an EUTM application typically takes around two months from filing to publication (assuming no objections). Under fast-track, this is reduced to approximately two to three weeks.
The acceleration applies only to the examination phase — the period during which the EUIPO reviews the application for compliance with formal requirements and absolute grounds for refusal. It does not shorten the three-month opposition period that follows publication, nor does it affect the timeline of any opposition proceedings. But getting to publication faster means the opposition clock starts earlier, which means — if no opposition is filed — you reach registration sooner.
Fast-track is not a separate procedure or a premium service. There is no additional fee. It is simply the result of meeting specific filing criteria that allow the EUIPO to process your application more efficiently.
To qualify for fast-track examination, your application must meet all of the following conditions at the time of filing.
Online filing. The application must be filed through the EUIPO's online e-filing system. Paper applications do not qualify.
Goods and services from the harmonised database. All terms describing your goods and services must be selected from the EUIPO's harmonised database (HDB), also known as the TMclass database. This is the central requirement and the one that most often determines whether fast-track is available. The HDB contains pre-approved terms that have been accepted by the EUIPO and participating national offices. If you use terms from the HDB, the EUIPO does not need to assess whether your specification is acceptable — it has already been approved.
You cannot mix HDB terms with free-text terms. If even one term in your goods and services specification is not from the HDB, the entire application falls out of fast-track.
Payment at filing. The filing fee must be paid at the time of filing — typically by credit card, bank transfer, or current account with the EUIPO. If payment is deferred or missing, the application does not qualify.
Applicant information complete. The application must include all required applicant details — name, address, and where applicable, representative details — without errors or omissions that would require a deficiency notice.
No claims requiring verification. If the application includes a priority claim, a seniority claim, or a claim to exhibition priority, the supporting documentation must be submitted at the time of filing or the claim handled in a way that does not delay examination.
Figurative mark in acceptable format. If the mark is figurative, the file must be in an acceptable electronic format and resolution. Marks submitted in formats that require conversion or verification will not qualify.
The harmonised database is the key to fast-track eligibility. Understanding how it works — and its limitations — is essential.
The HDB is accessible through the EUIPO's TMclass tool. It contains thousands of pre-approved terms organised by Nice Classification class. When you select terms from the HDB, the EUIPO knows they are linguistically and substantively acceptable, which eliminates one of the main examination steps.
The HDB is extensive but not exhaustive. For many businesses, the pre-approved terms adequately describe their goods and services. For others — particularly businesses in emerging technology sectors, niche industries, or novel service categories — the HDB may not contain terms that precisely match their activities.
When the HDB does not contain an exact match, you face a choice: use the closest available HDB term (which may be broader or narrower than your actual activities), or use a free-text term that accurately describes your goods and services but disqualifies the application from fast-track.
This is a strategic decision. Using an imprecise HDB term to gain fast-track processing may result in a specification that is either too broad (covering goods you do not offer, creating vulnerability to cancellation for non-use) or too narrow (failing to cover goods you actually provide, leaving gaps in protection). In some cases, the speed advantage of fast-track is worth a slight imprecision. In others, accuracy in the specification is more important than examination speed.
If your application meets all the fast-track criteria, the EUIPO routes it through an expedited examination workflow. The examiner reviews the application for absolute grounds objections — whether the mark is distinctive, non-descriptive, and otherwise registrable — and if no issues are found, the mark is approved for publication within approximately two to three weeks of filing.
If the examiner does identify an absolute grounds issue, the application exits fast-track and reverts to the standard examination timeline. You will receive an office action with a two-month deadline to respond, just as you would in a standard application. Fast-track does not change the substantive examination — it only accelerates the procedural handling of applications that do not raise issues.
If your application does not meet the fast-track criteria — because you used free-text terms, filed on paper, or missed a formal requirement — it is processed through the standard examination pathway. There is no penalty for not qualifying. Your application is simply examined on the normal timeline.
You cannot retrospectively qualify an application for fast-track. If the application was not eligible at the time of filing, it remains on the standard pathway regardless of any subsequent amendments.
To put the speed advantage in perspective, consider the full timeline from filing to registration for an unopposed application. Under fast-track, filing to publication takes approximately two to three weeks. The opposition period runs three months from publication. If no opposition is filed, registration follows within days. Total: approximately four months from filing to registration.
Under standard examination, filing to publication takes approximately six to eight weeks. The opposition period is the same three months. Total: approximately five to six months from filing to registration.
The difference is approximately four to six weeks. This is meaningful when timing matters — for a product launch, a rebrand, or a transaction that depends on having a registered mark — but it is not transformative. The opposition period, which cannot be shortened, accounts for the majority of the timeline in both cases.
Fast-track is most valuable when you need registration as quickly as possible and the HDB terms adequately cover your goods and services, when your filing is straightforward (word mark, standard classes, no complex claims), and when the speed advantage aligns with a commercial deadline such as a launch date or a transaction closing.
Fast-track is less important when accuracy of the goods and services specification is critical and the HDB terms are not a good fit, when the application involves a figurative mark that may raise absolute grounds issues (since the fast-track advantage is lost if an objection is raised), or when you are filing as part of a broader strategy that does not depend on the speed of any single application.
Mixing HDB and free-text terms. Even one free-text term disqualifies the entire application. If you need fast-track, every term must come from the HDB.
Assuming fast-track means no examination. Fast-track accelerates the procedure but does not change the substantive assessment. If your mark is descriptive, it will be objected to regardless of the filing pathway.
Sacrificing specification quality for speed. Choosing imprecise HDB terms to qualify for fast-track can create long-term problems — gaps in protection or vulnerability to non-use cancellation — that far outweigh the short-term speed gain.
Forgetting to pay at filing. Deferred payment disqualifies the application from fast-track. Ensure payment is processed at the time of submission.
If you are considering an EU trademark application and want to understand whether fast-track is right for your filing, get in touch or schedule a meeting with our team.
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