• Design fees

Fees associated with filing industrial design applications in South Korea, as well as other design fees, are available in the fee calculator.

• Multiple design applications

A design application in South Korea may include up to 100 designs in one application, provided that they belong to the same class under the Locarno Classification.

• Filing requirements of a design application in South Korea

The official language of a design application in Korea is Korean.

An application must contain at least the following:
- application stating name in full, address and nationality of the applicant(s) and inventor (including the name of a representative, if the applicant is a juristic person);
- date of submission;
- country, number, filing date of the priority application (if applicable);
- clear representation of the design;
- the article that is the object of the design.

A copy of the Priority Document should be submitted within 3 months of filing the design application in South Korea. A Korean translation of the priority document is generally not required unless specifically requested by the examiner for substantive review.

A scanned copy of the original Power of Attorney should be submitted simultaneously with filing the design application in the Republic of Korea. It is possible to submit this document at a later stage alongside the late submission charges. Official legalisation is not required.

The term for filing an industrial design application in South Korea claiming conventional priority is six months from the priority date. The restoration of the priority right is possible in South Korea if the failure to file within the 6-month period was unintentional or due to reasonable grounds, provided it is requested within 2 months from the expiry of the priority period.

• Examination of a design application in South Korea

Korea adopts unique hybrid examination systems: one is the Substantive Examination System (SES), and another is the Non-Substantive Examination System (NSES). Whether an application follows SES or PSES is determined by the Locarno Classification of the article, and the applicant cannot choose between them. For applications under the PSES, the examiner can now reject an application if it obviously lacks novelty or violates the first-to-file rule based on widely known designs. A request for examination is not necessary for a design application.

• Novelty grace period

In Korea, the novelty grace period for industrial designs constitutes 12 months before the Korean filing date or before the priority date if it was disclosed by the designer or on behalf of a designer. The declaration of the exception to lack of novelty and supporting materials can be submitted at the time of filing, during the examination process, or even at the registration stage.

• Grant, validity term and design renewal fees

The validity term of an industrial design in Korea is twenty years from the date of filing. The registration fee for an industrial design in South Korea should be paid within three months from receipt of the Notice of Allowance, and this fee includes payment for the first three years. The further annuities are payable before the anniversary of the registration date. There is a grace period of six months for the late payment with the surcharge.

• Duration of registration procedure

Registration of a design application takes an average of one year dependent on whether the process is smooth or not.

• Representation by a patent attorney

For foreign applicants, it is necessary to perform industrial design prosecution in Korea through an agent, registered as a Korean patent attorney.

•  Note

Online Search databases: Korean Industrial Designs, International Designs.

Brief summary is based on the information provided by JEONG, KIM & LEE IP LAW FIRM on 26.02.2026
Please contact us if the above information is not in conformity with South Korean IP Laws.