---
title: When Should I File a Registered Design Application in Singapore?
description: "**Before any public disclosure — or at worst within 12 months of it.** Singapore does allow a grace period: under section 8A of the Registered Designs Act 2000 (2020 Revised Edition), a disclosure made on or after 30 October 2017…"
url: "https://ami-ip.xyz/docs/when-should-i-file-a-registered-design-application-in-singapore/"
updated: "2026-07-08"
category: Registered Designs
---

# When Should I File a Registered Design Application in Singapore?

**Before any public disclosure — or at worst within 12 months of it.** Singapore does allow a grace period: under section 8A of the Registered Designs Act 2000 (2020 Revised Edition), a disclosure made on or after 30 October 2017 will not destroy novelty if you file within **12 months of that disclosure**. So an accidental or early show-and-tell does not automatically sink your application.

That said, the safe and strategic rule is still **file before you disclose**. Three reasons:

- **The grace period is a safety net, not a plan.** You must actually file within 12 months, and you cannot claim the benefit if someone else files the same design first in that window.
- **Before launch** — file at minimum before the product hits the market or a trade show, so your priority date is locked from day one.
- **Before crowd-funding or press** — images in a campaign count as disclosure and start the 12-month clock.
- **As early as the design is fixed** — you do not need a finished product, just a clear representation.

**Planning to protect the design overseas? File before you disclose.** Singapore's 12-month grace period is not matched everywhere — and design rights are territorial, so protection in each country stands or falls on its own rules. Major markets such as **China have no grace period for designs at all**: any public disclosure before filing can destroy novelty there, permanently barring you from registering the same design. If export or overseas filing is even a possibility, treat the rule as **file before any public disclosure**.

You can also request **deferment of publication** (Form D3, S$40 per request) to keep the design confidential for a period while you prepare a launch. The point is to lock in the filing date early; everything else can follow.

*Fee figures are official IPOS amounts current as at 30 October 2025 and exclude any professional/agent fees. IPOS fee schedules change; always confirm the live figure before filing.*

For enforceable, exclusive protection of your product's appearance, registration — not copyright — is the route to take.

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