An applicant for trademark registration or other trademark matters may handle the matter itself or entrust a lawfully established trademark agency to handle it. A foreigner or foreign enterprise applying for trademark registration or handling other trademark matters in China shall entrust a lawfully established trademark agency to handle them.
— Trademark Law, Article 18 (currently in force, through 31 December 2026)
Read together with Article 5 of the Implementing Regulations of the Trademark Law, which defines “foreigner or foreign enterprise” as one with no habitual residence or place of business in China. A foreign enterprise that already has a branch or representative office in China is not subject to this requirement and may file on its own.
From 2027-01-01, this provision becomes Article 11(2) of the Trademark Law (2026 revision)—the revision writes the above qualification directly into the article and adds “other foreign organizations.” The obligation itself is unchanged.
You are reading this because Chinese law requires a foreign company with no place of business in China to file through a Chinese agency. That much is not in dispute. The real question is what a good agency does differently from a cheap one—and the honest answer is: the specification of goods and services.
China subdivides every Nice class into similar groups, and examiners apply that subdivision mechanically. A registration in Class 9 does not cover all of Class 9—only the similar groups in Class 9 that you actually designated. A competitor can register your name in the same class, in the similar groups you left empty, and own it lawfully. The first 10 goods items are included in the official fee; beyond that, each item is charged extra. The specification is therefore a real decision, made once, with consequences for the next ten years.
That is the core work. Everything else—forms, fees, docketing—is administration.
