Countries › Colombia › Guide › 13. Regulation › Intellectual property in Colombia: trademarks, patents and designs under Andean Decision 486, SIC procedure, 2026 official fees, non use cancellation and enforcement

Intellectual property in Colombia: trademarks, patents and designs under Andean Decision 486, SIC procedure, 2026 official fees, non use cancellation and enforcement

Argentina. For full detail on Argentina, go to The Argentine Thread.

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Status: Stable

Industrial property in Colombia follows Andean Community Decision 486, administered by the SIC: trademark rights arise only from registration (first to file), last 10 years from grant and renew for 10 year periods without proof of use, while patents last 20 years from filing subject to annual fees. Third parties may oppose a published trademark application within 30 days (plus 30 for evidence on request), and a mark unused for 3 consecutive years anywhere in the Andean Community can be cancelled. Official 2026 online fees (SIC Resolución 6167 de 2026) are COP 1,347,500 (about US$427) to file a trademark in one class, COP 673,500 per extra class and COP 734,000 to renew, with reductions for accredited SMEs; the SIC also acts as a court in infringement cases.

USD figures use the TRM (tasa representativa del mercado) of COP 3,157.94 per US dollar, valid 27 October 2026, from the official TRM series published by the Superintendencia Financiera on the national open data portal. Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Trademark registration term, renewable	10 yearsDecisión 486 de 2000 art. 152, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Patent term from filing	20 yearsDecisión 486 de 2000 art. 50, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Opposition period after publication of a trademark application	30 daysDecisión 486 de 2000 art. 146, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Non use period that allows cancellation of a trademark	3 yearsDecisión 486 de 2000 art. 165, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Official online fee to file a trademark application in one class, 2026	1347500 COPSIC Resolución 6167 de 2026 num. 1.1.2.1.1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Official online fee per additional class in the same application, 2026	673500 COPSIC Resolución 6167 de 2026 num. 1.1.2.1.2, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Official online trademark renewal fee, one class, 2026	734000 COPSIC Resolución 6167 de 2026 num. 1.1.2.3.1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Official online patentability examination fee for an invention patent, 2026	1830000 COPSIC Resolución 6167 de 2026 num. 1.1.1.1.10, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. Any sign capable of distinguishing goods or services in the market may be a trademark, including words, images, logos, sounds and smells, letters and numbers, a colour delimited by a shape or a combination of colours, and the shape of products or packaging. The exclusive right to use a mark is acquired by registration with the national office, which in Colombia is the SIC; registration lets the owner prevent third parties from applying identical or similar signs to the registered or related goods and services.Decisión 486 de 2000 de la Comisión de la Comunidad Andina (Régimen Común sobre Propiedad Industrial), Art. 134, 154 and 155, 2000-09-14 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. Within 30 days after publication of a trademark application, anyone with a legitimate interest may file one reasoned opposition, with an extra 30 days to submit evidence on request; the applicant then has 30 days (plus 30 for evidence on request) to answer. Owners of a mark in any Andean Community country, or the first to apply there, also have standing if they prove real interest in the Colombian market by applying for the mark when opposing.
Cost to do it: Opposition fee per class in 2026: COP 615,500 online or COP 738,500 on paper (about US$195).Decisión 486 de 2000, Art. 146, 147 and 148, 2000-09-14 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. A trademark registration lasts 10 years from grant and can be renewed for successive 10 year periods. Renewal must be requested within the 6 months before expiry, with a 6 month grace period after expiry (paying a surcharge) during which the registration remains fully in force; no proof of use is required and renewal is automatic on the same terms.
Cost to do it: 2026 online renewal fee: COP 734,000 for one class, COP 360,500 per additional class, COP 1,002,000 for one class in the grace period (paper fees are higher).Decisión 486 de 2000, Art. 152 and 153, 2000-09-14 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. The SIC cancels a trademark at the request of an interested party when, without justification, the mark was not used in at least one Andean Community country by its owner, a licensee or an authorized person during the 3 consecutive years before the action; the action cannot start until 3 years after the registration procedure ended, and partial non use leads to a reduced list of goods or services. Force majeure excuses non use.Decisión 486 de 2000, Art. 165, 2000-09-14 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. Patents are granted for product or process inventions in all fields of technology that are new, involve an inventive step and are industrially applicable, and last 20 years from the filing date. Annual fees must be paid in advance to keep the patent or application alive, with a 6 month grace period with surcharge; failure to pay causes the patent or application to lapse automatically. A first filing in another Andean country or under a treaty with an equivalent priority right grants priority under the Paris Convention.Decisión 486 de 2000, Art. 9, 14, 50 and 80, 2000-09-14 official text · verified 2026-10-27

6. Official 2026 fees (online / paper, COP): trademark or slogan application for one class 1,347,500 / 1,638,500; each additional class in the same application 673,500 / 777,500; same for accredited micro, small and medium enterprises (Mipymes) and BIC companies 970,000 / 1,179,000 for one class; collective or certification mark 1,793,000 / 2,184,500; opposition per class 615,500 / 738,500; renewal one class 734,000 / 896,500; patent of invention application (first 10 claims) 118,000 / 146,000; patentability examination 1,830,000 / 2,192,500; industrial design application 942,500 / 1,129,500; patent annuities 388,000 (years 1 to 4), 603,500 (5 to 8), 904,000 (9 to 12), 1,404,000 (13 to 16) and 1,866,000 (17 to 20) online per year; registration of a licence on an application 217,500 / 265,000. The SIC states that the resolution prevails over any inconsistent figure on its website.
Cost to do it: Trademark in one class online: COP 1,347,500 (about US$427); three classes in one application: COP 2,694,500 (about US$853).
Example: One class COP 1,347,500 plus two extra classes at COP 673,500 each = COP 2,694,500. / About us$853.SIC Resolución 6167 de 2026 (modifies Title X, Chapter One of the Circular Única), published in Diario Oficial 53.387 of 3 February 2026, Art. 1, num. 1.1.1 and 1.1.2, 2026-01-30 official text · verified 2026-10-27

7. The SIC exercises judicial functions in industrial property infringement proceedings, and the Dirección Nacional de Derechos de Autor in copyright and related rights proceedings, alongside the ordinary courts. Using another's distinctive signs or exploiting its reputation is also an act of unfair competition.Código General del Proceso (Ley 1564 de 2012); Ley 256 de 1996, CGP art. 24 num. 3; Ley 256 art. 15, 2012-07-12 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Item	Online COP	Paper COP	USD (online)
Trademark or slogan, one class	1,347,500	1,638,500	about US$427
Each additional class	673,500	777,500	about US$213
Trademark, one class, accredited Mipyme or BIC company	970,000	1,179,000	about US$307
Opposition, per class	615,500	738,500	about US$195
Renewal, one class	734,000	896,500	about US$232
Renewal in grace period, one class	1,002,000	1,222,000	about US$317
Invention patent application (10 claims)	118,000	146,000	about US$37
Patentability examination, invention	1,830,000	2,192,500	about US$579
Patent annuity, years 1 to 4 (each)	388,000	466,000	about US$123
Patent annuity, years 17 to 20 (each)	1,866,000	2,239,000	about US$591
Industrial design application	942,500	1,129,500	about US$298

Selected SIC official fees for 2026 (Resolución 6167 de 2026; online and paper rates in COP; USD of the online rate at TRM COP 3,157.94)

Worked example

A US consumer brand files its word mark in Colombia in classes 3, 5 and 35 online: official fees are COP 2,694,500 (about US$853). After publication a local company opposes in class 3, paying COP 615,500; the brand must answer within 30 days. Ten years after grant it renews in the 6 months before expiry for COP 734,000 plus COP 360,500 per extra class at 2026 rates, and must keep using the mark in at least one Andean country to avoid non use cancellation.
Keeping an invention patent alive for its full 20 years costs, at 2026 online rates, about COP 22,610,000 (about US$7,160) in filing, examination and annuities, before professional fees.

Step by step

Search the SIC register before launch, since rights come only from registration and the first to file wins.
File in all relevant Nice classes, ideally online, and check eligibility for the Mipyme or BIC reduced fee.
Watch the SIC gazette for conflicting applications and oppose within 30 days of publication.
Diary renewals 6 months before expiry and annuities for patents; use the grace periods only as a fallback, at a surcharge.
Keep evidence of use in Colombia or another Andean country to defend against non use cancellation after 3 years.
Record licences with the SIC and enforce infringements before the SIC's judicial division or the courts.

Common traps

Unregistered marks have no exclusive right under Decision 486 art. 154; a local distributor can register the brand first.
Owners of a mark in another Andean country may oppose in Colombia only if they also apply for it when opposing.
Missing a patent annuity and its 6 month grace period makes the patent lapse automatically.
Fees change every year by SIC resolution, so check the rates in force for the year of filing.
Argentina is not a member of the Andean Community, so an Argentine registration does not give opposition standing under Decision 486 art. 147; an earlier Argentine filing can at most support a priority claim under Decision 486 art. 9 and the Paris Convention.

Sources

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