EU SME Fund 2026: Get 75% of Your Trademark Fees Back

Registering a trademark costs money, and many founders don't realize the EU gives part of it back. According to the DPMA and EUIPO (2026), the EU SME Fund reimburses up to 75 percent of trademark filing fees, capped at EUR 700 per business. It sounds like a simple discount, but there are catches: the order of steps, the deadlines, and a budget that runs dry faster than you'd expect. In this guide, we explain how the fund actually works, the exact order you need to follow, and why you should always check the live status yourself. One thing up front: this is practical know-how, not legal advice.

Key Takeaways

• The EU SME Fund reimburses 75 percent of trademark fees, up to EUR 700 per business (DPMA/EUIPO, 2026).
• The order is critical: apply and get the decision first, then file and pay.
• Any SME based in the EU is eligible, including sole traders.
• As of mid-2026, the budget for trademarks and designs was exhausted.
• The fund runs annually, so check the current status on euipo.europa.eu.

Before you think about funding, it's worth looking at the real cost of a trademark search. Because the only money you truly save is the money you don't have to spend twice.

What is the EU SME Fund 2026?

The EU SME Fund is a grant programme that reimburses small and medium-sized enterprises for part of their intellectual property costs. Funded by the European Commission and run by the EUIPO, it covers 75 percent of the filing fees for trademarks and designs, according to the DPMA and EUIPO (2026). The reimbursement runs through what's called Voucher 2 and is capped at EUR 700 per business.

So the fund is neither a loan nor a tax break. It's a direct refund. You pay the full official fee upfront and get a fixed share back afterwards. How high these office fees at the DPMA and EUIPO run in 2026 is set out in our overview of EU trademark fees 2026. The 75 percent rate applies to national and EU trademarks. How the national DPMA mark and the EU trademark at the EUIPO differ is compared in EUIPO vs DPMA.

For international filings via WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization), the reimbursement is lower, at 50 percent, again up to a maximum of EUR 700. So if you want broader protection, factor the different rates into your cost calculation.

How much money do I get back?

You get 75 percent of your trademark fees back, capped at EUR 700 per business. According to the DPMA and EUIPO (2026), this applies to national trademarks and EU trademarks through Voucher 2. For international filings via WIPO, the rate drops to 50 percent, while the EUR 700 ceiling stays the same.

A simple worked example makes it concrete:

• EU trademark, one class: The EUIPO base fee is EUR 850. 75 percent of that is EUR 637.50 in reimbursement, comfortably under the cap.
• Multiple classes: As soon as the fee climbs, the EUR 700 cap kicks in. You won't get more than EUR 700 back per business.
• WIPO filing: Here the lower rate of 50 percent applies, again up to EUR 700.

The EUR 700 cap applies per business, not per filing. So plan your IP rights deliberately before you submit the first application.

What many people miss: the fund reimburses official fees, not your advisory or search costs. A clean similarity search before you file protects you from a far more expensive risk: a trademark that gets rejected or challenged.

What order do I need to follow?

The order determines whether you have a claim at all, and this is exactly where most people slip up. According to the EUIPO (2026), only activities that take place after the grant decision are eligible. Anyone who files first and sorts out the funding later walks away with nothing. That's the most common and most expensive mistake.

Here's how it works in the right order:

1. Apply: You request the voucher from the EUIPO before you file anything.
2. Wait for the decision: You wait for the grant decision. Only from that point do your expenses count as eligible.
3. File and pay: Now you file the trademark and pay the official fee.
4. Claim the reimbursement: With your invoice, you then request the payout of the grant.

According to the EUIPO and DPMA (2026), the 2026 application window ran from 2 February to 4 December 2026. Vouchers are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis: applications are processed in the order they arrive, until the budget is used up.

Any SME based in the EU is eligible, explicitly including sole traders (DPMA/EUIPO, 2026). So what matters is where you're based, not the size or legal form of your business.

Can I still use the SME Fund right now?

The honest answer: as of mid-2026, the budget for Voucher 2, covering trademarks and designs, was already exhausted. According to breuerlehmann (2026), new applications for it were no longer possible. In practice, first-come, first-served means popular pots are often empty months before the deadline.

That's no reason to panic, but it is a reason to be realistic. We're deliberately not telling you to "apply quickly now," because depending on the timing, that simply isn't true. The fund runs annually, so the budget is usually topped up again at the start of the year. Keep an eye on a possible reopening or the next year's launch.

The only reliable way: check the current status directly on the official site, euipo.europa.eu. That's the only place where you can see in real time whether a voucher can currently be requested and how much budget is still available. Blog posts, including this one, only ever capture a single moment.

So don't build your entire trademark strategy around uncertain funding. The reimbursement is a welcome bonus, not a dependable part of your budget. More important than EUR 600 in grant money is a trademark that holds up. That's exactly where you should invest: you can check your trademark in advance and reduce the real risk.

Is it even worth the effort?

For many SMEs it is worth the effort, provided the budget is available and you stick to the order. Up to EUR 700 in reimbursement weighs against a manageable amount of admin. The application itself is free, and according to the DPMA and EUIPO (2026), sole traders are eligible too.

Even so: the grant only lowers the official fee, not the risk of a poorly researched trademark. A filing sunk by an opposition costs you more than the funding could ever bring in. So the smarter order, financially, is this: research properly first, then file, and take the funding as a bonus.

Ask yourself honestly: would you wait weeks for a decision and delay your filing for the sake of a EUR 600 grant? For planned IP rights with lead time: yes. If you're under time pressure or the budget is empty, then file and treat the funding as a bonus, if it becomes available again.

Conclusion: take the funding, but stay realistic

The EU SME Fund is a genuine chance to cut your trademark fees by up to 75 percent, capped at EUR 700 per business (DPMA/EUIPO, 2026). What matters is getting the order right: apply and get the decision first, then file and pay. Only expenses incurred after the decision are eligible.

But stay realistic. As of mid-2026, the budget for trademarks and designs was exhausted, and the fund runs anew each year. So always check the current status yourself on euipo.europa.eu rather than relying on a fixed date. And remember: the biggest saving isn't the grant, it's a trademark that triggers no conflict. So start where the real risk lies, and research your trademark before you pay the first euro in official fees. (Not legal advice, just practical know-how.)