In the aftermath of the civil war that overthrew the Gaddafi regime, the filing of renewal applications beyond the statutory 6-month grace period was not an issue. In fact, a 2018 Ministerial Decree formally allowed for late renewal.

The Ministry has now cancelled the 2018 Decree, stating that all marks must be renewed within 6 months of the due date, irrespective of whether they are pending or registered. More critically, this is being applied retrospectively, not only to marks that have not been renewed to date, but also to cases where renewals are pending (and, in some instances, have been completed) if the renewal was filed outside of the 6-month grace period.

Local practitioners have appealed the decision, arguing that its scope should not extend to cases where filing receipts have already been issued and official fees paid. Regrettably, there has been no response to that appeal, and the Ministry has started cancelling renewal applications that were late filed.

Consequently, if an application or registration has not been renewed within the 6-month grace period, it must be accepted that it is no longer valid, and that a fresh application will need to be filed.

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