Following steps are followed in the registration process:

Fill in the application form obtainable from Intellectual Property Division, MTI, Thimphu, Bhutan. The applicant should indicate name, address, nationality and residence.

The application shall be accompanied by representation and specimen. The drawings and photographs of the design shall be attached. The drawings and tracings shall be in black ink.

A written description or statement stating the novelty of the industrial design shall be submitted. The description shall be of the design and not of the article. The statement should cover the distinctive aesthetic features and should be adequate to differentiate the design from any other similar design.

The applicant should pay the appropriate filing fee

After the formal examination of the application, a substantive examination will be carried out for further registration process.

Once the design gets registered, it is entered in the design register, published in the official design journal. The applicant will be issued the certificate of registration.

It is possible to request deferment of publication, whereby the applicant chooses to keep the design secret for a certain period.

The renewal of the registration of an industrial design should be renewed during the six-month period preceding the expiry of the registration. The renewal shall be made by payment of the renewal fee within the prescribed time period. The term of protection is generally five years with the possibility of further periods of renewal up to 15 years.

It is possible to protect an industrial design as a work of applied art under copyright law. In addition, it can also be protectable under unfair competition law. However, such facilities are currently not available in Bhutan.

According to The Hague Agreement concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs, a procedure for an international registration is available. Generally, industrial design protection is limit to the country where the protection is sought. However, the WIPO administered treaty makes it possible for an applicant to file a single international deposit either with the WIPO or the national office of a country which is the party to the treaty to gain protection in as many member countries of the treaty as the applicant wishes. Currently Bhutan is not a member of The Hague Agreement, thus the international protection of an industrial design is not available in the country.