Industrial Design Registration for Pharmaceuticals in Vietnam

In the pharmaceutical field, in addition to the importance of patent and trademark protection, industrial design registration is essential. It is not only helping businesses prevent illegal copying but also creating a competitive advantage in the market, especially in the context of the pharmaceutical industry increasingly focusing on brand recognition and consumer experience. In order for industrial designs to be protected, organizations and individuals need to clearly understand the legal regulations on protection conditions, procedures and implementation procedures. In the article below, Viet An Law will provide customers with information on industrial design registration for pharmaceuticals in Vietnam.

Which classes can industrial design for pharmaceuticals be registered for?

According to International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno agreement), industrial design for pharmaceuticals can be registered for the following class groups:

• Class 09-03: Medicine box for oriental and Western medicine;
• Class 09-05: Blister pack; Pharmaceutical capsules (Packaging);
• Class 19-08: Prescription patches;
• Subgroups 24 Medical and laboratory instruments (e.g. needles, syringes, …);
• Class 28-01: Tablets, capsules, contraceptives.

List of industrial design subgroups for pharmaceuticals

When is a pharmaceutical product design registered for protection?

According to Article 63, Law on Intellectual Property 2005, a pharmaceutical product design is considered an industrial design when it meets the following conditions:

• It is novel, which means that the product design has significant differences compared to other industrial designs that have been publicly disclosed by use or by means of a written description or any other form either inside or outside Vietnam before the filing date or the priority date;
• It is of a creative nature, the person with average knowledge in the pharmaceutical industry cannot easily create a design;
• It is susceptible of industrial application and can be used as a model for mass production and manufacturing of products with that design by industrial or handicraft methods.

Who is allowed to register industrial designs?

The following organizations and individuals have the right to register industrial designs for pharmaceuticals:

• The author spends his/her own effort and expense to create the industrial design;
• The organization or individual assigns work, hires the author, and invests money and material means for the author;
• Organizations and individuals who jointly create or invest in creating an industrial design have the right to register if all of those organizations and individuals agree;
• The organization or individual is transferred the right to register an industrial design from the organization or individual with the right to register.

Industrial design registration for pharmaceuticals in Vietnam

Registration location

Organizations and individuals registering industrial designs for pharmaceuticals at the competent authority on industrial property, the National Office of Intellectual Property, with the headquarters in Hanoi or the representative offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.

Registration form

Organizations and individuals can register industrial designs for the pharmaceutical industry in the following forms:

• Register directly at the head office or representative office of the National Office of Intellectual Property;
• Register via postal service;
• Register online at the website: https://dichvucong.ipvietnam.gov.vn.

Application components

The application for industrial design registration for pharmaceuticals includes the following documents and papers:

• • The declaration for registration according to Form No. 07 in Appendix I issued with Decree 65/2023/ND-CP;
• 4 sets of descriptions (Note: The description of the industrial design must include a description of the industrial design and the scope of protection of the industrial design);
• The descriptive section of an industrial design must satisfy the following conditions: Fully disclose all features expressing the nature of the industrial design and clearly identify new features, different from the least different known industrial design, and consistent with the set of photos or drawings; Where the application for registration of the industrial design consists of variants, the descriptive section must fully show these variants and clearly identify distinctions between the principal variant and other variants; Where the industrial design stated in the registration application is that of a set of products, the descriptive section must fully show features of each product of the set.
• The section on the scope of protection of an industrial design must clearly define features which need to be protected (including features which are new and different from similar known industrial designs)
• 04 sets of photos and drawings of industrial designs showing full design features of the industrial design;
• Documents evidencing the registration right, if the applicant is the heir, successor in the registration right;
• A copy of the first application(s) certified by the receiving office if priority is claimed;
• The power of attorney to submit application for amendment or supplement for individuals or the power of attorney to submit application for organizations (if submitted through industrial property representative Viet An Law);
• Copies of payment invoices of state fees.

Procedures for registering industrial designs for pharmaceuticals in Vietnam

The process of registering for industrial design protection for pharmaceutical products is performed in accordance with Law on Intellectual Property 2005 (amended and supplemented in 2022) and Decree No. 65/2023/ND-CP detailing several articles of the Law on Intellectual Property, specifically as follows:

Industrial design registration process in Vietnam

Step 1: Research the industrial design protection capability of pharmaceutical products

Before applying, organizations or individuals should search for the industrial design they intend to register to assess its protection potential and avoid duplication or similarity with previously registered designs. The search can be done at the National Office of Intellectual Property or through an authorized industrial property representative such as Viet An Law.

Step 2: Submit an industrial design registration application to the National Office of Intellectual Property

The applicant submits 01 set of documents to the National Office of Intellectual Property (in person, by post, or online via the public service portal).

Step 3: Receive the application

After receiving the application, the National Office of Intellectual Property will issue a Certificate of Receipt of Industrial Design Application, stating:

• Date of application;
• Application number;
• List of documents in the application;
• Information about the applicant.

Step 4: The National Office of Intellectual Property examines the form of the application (period: 01 month from the date of application submission)

• In case the application is invalid, the National Office of Intellectual Property shall issue a notice of intended refusal to accept the valid application;
• In case the application is valid, the National Office of Intellectual Property shall issue a notice of acceptance of the valid application.

Step 5: Publish the industrial design registration application

A valid application is published in the Official Gazette of Industrial Property within 02 months from the date of notification of acceptance of the valid application

Step 6: The National Office of Intellectual Property examines the substantive of the industrial design registration application (period: 09-12 months from the date of application publication)

The National Office of Intellectual Property conducts an assessment of the ability to meet the protection conditions of industrial designs, including: novel, creative nature, susceptible of industrial application.

• Issue a notice of refusal to grant a protection title in the following cases: The industrial design does not meet the protection conditions; The applicant does not have the right to register; It is not the application with the earliest priority date or filing date;
• Decide to grant a protection title and record in the National Register of Industrial Property if it does not fall under the cases of refusal to grant a title.

How long is the industrial design protection title for pharmaceuticals valid?

According to Article 93, Law on Intellectual Property 2005, amended in 2022, the protection period of industrial design protection titles for pharmaceuticals is calculated as follows:

• An industrial design patent shall be valid from the grant date until the end of five (5) years after the filing date;
• For international applications for industrial designs under the Hague Agreement, the protection period for industrial designs is calculated according to the regulations of the Hague Agreement (Effective from the date of the decision to accept protection or from the day following the end of the six-month period from the date the international office publishes the international registration of that industrial design, whichever is earlier);
• Owner can renew title for two consecutive terms, each of five (5) years.

Registration state fees for industrial design in Vietnam

According to Circular 263/2016/TT-BTC and Circular 64/2025/TT-BTC, from July 1, 2025 to January 1, 2027, organizations and individuals registering industrial designs in the pharmaceutical industry must pay the following state fees:

• Application charge: 75.000 VND;
• Protection title charge: 60.000 VND (If the industrial design registration application has more than 01 option for each product, from the second option onwards, an additional 50.000 VND/option must be paid);
• Application appraisal fee for each option for each product: 700.000 VND;
• International classification fee for industrial designs: 100.000 VND/group (In case organizations and individuals request the National Office of Intellectual Property);
• Phí tra Information search fee for appraisal purposes: 480.000 VND;
• Publication fee: 120,000 VND/image (From the second image, an additional 60.000 VND/image must be paid);
• Registration fee: 120.000 VND.

Note: 50% reduction fee applicable for the period toward the end of 2026, please contact for further information.

Pharmaceutical industrial designs registered in Vietnam

Industrial designs for pharmaceuticals often refer to the unique external appearance of pharmaceutical products such as containers, packaging, bottles, blister packs, or medical devices. Registering industrial designs has helped organizations and individuals doing business in the pharmaceutical industry strengthen their brands, improve their competitiveness in the market, and prevent copying, counterfeiting, and imitation. Some industrial designs in the pharmaceutical industry that have been registered and granted protection titles in Vietnam are as follows:

• Industrial design of medicine box owned by ASTA HEALTHCARE USA Joint Stock Company.
• Industrial design of drug delivery device in living body owned by foreign company NICEDAY365 CO.,LTD.
• The industrial design of the reagent box is owned by the foreign organization Illumina Singapore Pte. Ltd., Illumina, Inc:

In the context of a highly competitive pharmaceutical market and new products constantly being launched, industrial design registration for pharmaceuticals in Vietnam is an important step to help enterprises protect packaging, product design, affirm their brand and prevent risks of intellectual property infringement. Viet An Law is committed to providing comprehensive – accurate – confidential legal solutions, helping customers focus on product development and market expansion.