With the increasing globalization of intellectual property protection, Macau—an internationally renowned free port and tourism center—plays an important role in supporting brand rights and ensuring smooth commercial activities.

This guide provides a detailed explanation of Macau’s trademark change procedures, requirements, and practical strategies to help enterprises complete trademark recordal updates efficiently.

1. Scope of Trademark Changes: What Can Be Updated?

In Macau, any adjustment involving “informational items” recorded in the trademark register is handled through an “annotation” procedure. Typical matters include:

- Change of the trademark owner’s name /commercial name;

- Change of the owner’s address;

- Transfer of rights (assignment);

- License recordal (use license);

- Reduction of goods/services items.

The official "Trademark Registration -- Annotation" page lists these items, but in practice, the most commonly filed changes are name change, address change, assignment, and license recordal.

Note: The change procedure cannot be used to modify the trademark itself  and cannot add goods/services. Any modification to the mark requires a new filing, while reduction ofgoods/services must followre-filing proceduresor can be done via a separate reduction application at any time during the validity period.

2. Trademark Validity and the Effect of Changes

A Macau trademark is valid for 7 years from the date of approval and may be renewed indefinitely, each time for another 7-year period. Renewal should be filed within 6 months before expiry; renewal is still available within 6 months after expiry (with extra fees).

Key point:

- An annotation only updates register information and does notchange the validity period or reset the renewal cycle.

- A name change application that results in a name entirely different from the original may be treated as a "new trademark registration" rather than an "annotation," requiring a fresh filing and full official fees. Enterprises should assess the degree of name change before proceeding.

3. When to File a Trademark Change & Fees

A change may be filed at any time when:

- The owner’s name/commercial name changes;

- The owner’s address changes;

- Recordal of assignment, or license is required.

Important timing note: For assignment and license recordals, the filing should be made promptly, as unrecorded licenses are not enforceable against bona fide third parties under Macau law.

Official fees:

- Change of identification data (name/commercial name): MOP 500

- Change of address: Free (no supporting document required, but a physical address is mandatory; P.O. boxes are not accepted

- Assignment recordal: MOP 500

- License recordal: MOP 500

- Reduction of goods/services: MOP 500

Fee clarification:

Official fees consist of two parts: an application fee payable upon filing, and a registration fee payable upon approval. The fees listed above refer to the application fee; the registration fee will be notified separately after approval.

Upon approval, the annotation will be published in the Macau SAR Gazette, and the updated annotation will be issued on the certificate within 10 working days after publication.

4. Required Documents and Practical Notes

Documents required:

- “Other Actions Application Form” (ECO-052);

- Supporting documents (e.g., company name change certificate);

- Power of Attorney (POA) if handled by an agent; electronic signature required for online filing;

- Payment receipt (if applicable).

Critical document authentication requirement:

For foreign enterprises:  supporting documents such as company name change certificates must be notarized by a notary public.For mainland China enterprises: supporting documents such as business registration certificates and company name change certificates must be notarized by a notary public recognized by the Ministry of Justice of China and sealed with a "transfer seal" (转递章) before they will be accepted by the Macau Intellectual Property Department. Documents lacking proper notarization and authentication are routinely rejected.

Important operation notes:

- Online filing requires identity verification and eSignCloud digital signature;

- Offline filing is available at the DSEDT service center;

- If an enterprise has experienced mergers, restructuring, or multiple historical changes, it is recommended to submit complete evidence chains to ensure direct update to the latest information.

Practical note on assignment vs. change:

Macau law strictly distinguishes between "change of name" (within the same legal entity) and "assignment" (transfer between different legal entities). Transferring a trademark from one affiliated company to another constitutes an assignment, not a name change. Filing incorrectly as a name change will result in rejection and loss of fees.

5. Risk Management for Enterprises with Large Trademark Portfolios

Large enterprises operating multiple brands across various territories face high risks of:

- Official correspondence delivery failures due to outdated information;

- Renewal delays caused by inconsistent ownership details;

- High workload from manually updating multiple registrations.

Recommended approach:

- Align master corporate data (Chinese/Portuguese/English names, unified identification numbers);

- Trigger trademark changes automatically upon corporate events (mergers, address changes);

- Systematically compare corporate data with official records to generate a list of discrepancies.

Additional major risks to address:

- Conflict risk during the change window: The annotation process takes 3 to 6 months. During this period, third parties may challenge the mark based on outdated register information (e.g., "non-use for 3 consecutive years"). Enterprises should collect and retain complete use evidence (sales records, advertising materials, exhibition documents) before initiating any change.

- Tax risk on assignments: Transfer of a Macau trademark may trigger property transfer tax or profits tax under Macau law. Enterprises must complete tax clearance with the Macau Finance Bureau before the assignment recordal can be finalized. Tax assessment should be conducted prior to signing any assignment agreement.

- Evidentiary chain risk: If there is a gap longer than 90 days between the corporate event (e.g., name change) and the filing of the trademark annotation, the Macau IP Department may require continuous evidence of legal relationship between the old and new entities from the event date to the filing date. It is strongly recommended to file the annotation within 90 days of any material change.

Macau’s trademark annotation system provides a clear and flexible path for updating trademark register information. By establishing standardized processes, understanding the legal distinctions between change and assignment, ensuring proper document authentication, and addressing tax and evidentiary risks proactively, enterprises can significantly reduce operational risk and ensure accurate, timely maintenance of trademark portfolios. For enterprises with multi-jurisdictional brand portfolios, engaging a qualified service provider with local expertise and robust systems is strongly advised.