How to apply for the EUIPO SME Fund
Apply for the voucher before filing your trademark or design. That is the whole procedure in one sentence, and getting it the wrong way round is the only mistake that cannot be fixed.
The order of the steps
- Check you qualify as an EU SME. Eligibility.
- Gather the three documents below.
- Apply for the voucher through EUIPO's SME Fund portal.
- Wait for the voucher to be granted.
- Then file the trademark or design, and pay the official fee.
- Request reimbursement through your SME Fund account.
- EUIPO pays back 75% of the official fee.
Filing at step 5 before completing step 4 forfeits the money. There is no discretion and no appeal.
The order that decides whether you get the money
The voucher has to exist before you file
Check you qualify
An SME established in the EU, meeting the staff and turnover ceilings.
Apply for the voucher
VAT or registration certificate, company bank statement, and a declaration of honour where a representative applies for you.
Wait for the grant
the step people skipNothing may be filed until the voucher exists.
File the trademark or design
Pay the official fee in the normal way.
Claim the reimbursement
EUIPO returns 75% of the official fee through your SME Fund account.
Filing before the voucher is granted
forfeits the moneyThe reimbursement is lost entirely. This is the single most common and most expensive mistake.
The voucher has to exist before you file. Step 1, Check you qualify: An SME established in the EU, meeting the staff and turnover ceilings. Step 2, Apply for the voucher: VAT or registration certificate, company bank statement, and a declaration of honour where a representative applies for you. Step 3, Wait for the grant (the step people skip): Nothing may be filed until the voucher exists. Step 4, File the trademark or design: Pay the official fee in the normal way. Step 5, Claim the reimbursement: EUIPO returns 75% of the official fee through your SME Fund account. Step 6, Filing before the voucher is granted (forfeits the money): The reimbursement is lost entirely. This is the single most common and most expensive mistake.
The documents you need
VAT or national registration certificate. Your company registration or VAT certificate issued by the competent national authority. If you are self-employed, a certificate of registration under the national self-employed scheme.
Bank statement. In the company's name, showing the account holder, the full IBAN with country code, and the BIC or SWIFT code.
Declaration of honour. Required where an external representative applies on your behalf, which is the case when we act for you. EUIPO publishes the template.
Documents in a language other than the one you apply in may need translating. Get them together before the fund reopens rather than after, because vouchers are granted first come first served and the budget runs out.
What is covered
75% of official fees for trademark and design applications, at EU level and at national or regional level. That includes application fees, additional class fees, examination, registration, publication and deferment of publication.
It does not cover our service fee, and it does not cover UK filings, because the UK is not in the EU.
Timing and the budget
The 2026 fund ran from 2 February to 4 December 2026, or until the budget was exhausted. Voucher 2, which covers trademarks and designs, closed early because demand exceeded the money available. It is expected to reopen in October or November 2026.
Vouchers are granted in the order applications arrive. Being ready on day one is the difference between getting one and not.
What we do
We check eligibility, assemble the documents, file the voucher application, wait for the grant, then file the trademark or design and handle the reimbursement request.
Every SME Fund application we have filed has been approved.
Tell us what you want to protect and we will have the application ready for the day the fund reopens.