Direct answer
After a domestic China trademark application is submitted, CNIPA checks formal requirements, handles payment and acceptance, examines the application, and may preliminarily publish an eligible mark. Publication is a stage, not a registration certificate.
Keep the sequence visible
CNIPA’s public-service guide describes application preparation and submission, formal examination and possible correction, payment after the relevant notice, substantive examination, preliminary publication and, if the conditions are met, issuance of a registration certificate. The result may instead be non-acceptance, refusal or a more limited outcome. A project tracker should record the official document for each stage rather than treating a portal status as legal advice.
Separate a correction from a refusal
A formality request asks the applicant to supply or correct specified material. A substantive refusal addresses the proposed mark under the applicable trademark rules. They call for different responses and may have different routes. Read the heading, case number, served date and requested action on the actual CNIPA notice. If a mark is only partly refused, identify the accepted goods and refused goods separately.
Publication and registration are different
The 2019 Trademark Law and CNIPA guide place preliminary publication before the opposition process and final registration. The owner should continue to monitor the application and any correspondence. A useful first report to a client lists what has happened, what remains open, the next official event to watch and who will act if CNIPA sends a notice.
Questions to put in a case brief
- What is the application number and applicant name on the receipt?
- Which stage is shown by an official document, and on what date?
- Did CNIPA request a correction, payment or response?
- Is any part of the goods or services still contested?
Legal timing and limits
The 2019 amended Trademark Law is the applicable law on this source-check date. The 2026 revised Trademark Law was enacted in June 2026 and is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2027. A matter crossing that date needs the governing text and any final implementing measures checked again; this guide does not apply the future law early.
This page is ChanYond’s independent explanation of public source material, not an official CNIPA or WIPO statement. Exact procedural deadlines, eligibility, fees and available remedies must be checked against the actual notice, the current official instructions and the facts of the matter. A filing or registration outcome is never guaranteed.
Official sources and scope
The links below are the official materials checked on 2 November 2026. For a particular matter, check the operative text, any implementing measures and the actual notice before acting.